We're having an evening ceremony with a cocktail reception. The ceremony is set for approximately 7 pm (30 minutes long) and then we'd like to go quickly into the reception. However, the venue is the same for both and the staff needs some time to bring in the tables, move chairs, etc. Not a long period of time, especially since we're not doing a sit-down dinner, so there are no place settings to put out. However, there will be some time to kill and I don't know what to do with it...
It's early October in Manitoba, which means it can be really gorgeous out or it can be down right freezing with snow on the ground - there's no way to know until a few days beforehand. So while waiting outside is possible, it may not work out if it's really cold out. I've thought about renting heaters, but I'm not sure if that makes the most sense. Can we just shuffle guests outside for 20 minutes while we take family photos?
Our wedding is small enough that we could use this time to do photos with family (perhaps while others watch while they're waiting for their turn to be in a photo)? Or is this rude to do?
I'm not sure yet what our venue policy is on drinking outside, so even if we have our guests waiting outside for 20 minutes or so, they may or may not be able to drink.
Another possibility is our venue is a historical site, so they offer some entertainment, but these are more of a daytime thing. Everything seems to make more sense if we were waiting at 4 pm, not 7:30 pm...
The other option is to just have the tables set up already and have the ceremony with tables, but I'm not in love with this idea... I want to walk down a traditional aisle. I guess if this is the best bet, I could do it, but not my favourite.
Thoughts? Is there another option I've forgotten? I'm open to various options as right now I'm at a complete loss.