Ceremony and Reception at same place?

[Deleted User]

I'm planning to hold my ceremony and reception at the site.The ceremony is scheduled to start at 5:30. The cocktail hour would be from 6:16 - 7:15, and then dinner would start at 7:30.

I was getting concerned that this schedule, though really easy and nice for the guests, might make the day feel rushed. I was concerned I might not be able to get all of the pictures I wanted in between the ceremony and the reception.

 I was thinking of extending the cocktail hour by 30 minutes or so to give me more time after the ceremony.

Has anyone done this, or is anyone planning this type of event? Any thoughts on whether it felt rushed for the wedding party? 

KathyandDave

I had my ceremony 12:00-12:30, Cocktail hour 12:30-1:15 and Reception 1:15-5:00. The key to it? We took most of our pictures before hand. I know many people don't want to see each other before hand so if that's the case still plan to take all of your girls only and guys only photos prior to the ceremony. Because we saw each other we did almost all of our photos before the ceremony. 10:00-11:45ish. After the ceremony all we had left were the big family pictures. Because of this, the wedding party was able to join cocktail hour and then meet back up with us to do formal introductions at the reception.

The day is going to feel rushed no matter what. I couldn't beleive it was already over when 5:00 came around. We had planned to enter our reception 15 minutes after everyone else, at 1:30. So we had from 12:30-1:30 to take post ceremony pics. It all worked out perfectly, we walked in at like 1:35.

aerinpegadrak

Our ceremony and reception are both in the same hotel suite.  Here's our timeline:

4:30: Photo tour with bride, groom, and WP
6:30: Return to the hotel to freshen up, relax, and grab something to eat
7:30: Ceremony
7:45ish: Recess out into the hallway for formal family shots.  Cocktail "hour" takes place in room, with guests going in and out as needed.
8:15ish: Photographer returns to room.  Bride and groom take a breather alone, then return to room to be announced and begin reception.
10:30ish: Reception ends, mini-tour with photographer on route to after party

Cocktail hour really shouldn't last more than an hour, it's kind of trying for your guests.  If you don't think you'll get all the pictures you want after the ceremony, you should very very strongly consider getting some of them out of the way beforehand.

[Deleted User]

My fiance doesn't like the idea of seeing my before the wedding ceremony, so I'm trying to think of  a third option from pictures before the ceremony and rush pictures and miss the entire cocktail hour. Hmmm . . . don't think there is one:)

Good input, though! Thanks!

aerinpegadrak

You can do your pictures separately before the ceremony.  Bride and all bridesmaids, bride and family, groom and all groomsmen, groom and family, bride alone, groom alone... any of the pictures that don't require the two of you to be in the same room, do before the ceremony.  (This is much easier if your photographer has an assistant, then both groups can shoot at once.)  Anything you can get done ahead of time is something you don't need to try to fit into your cocktail hour.

You may also go through your must take list and try to pare it down a bit.

[Deleted User]

That's a great idea. Plus, I just realized my photographer offers a "next day" session that's not too much of an additional fee. If I really want to get more time of just us after we first become married, we can set up the next day photo shoot.

Dani0203

Our ceremony and reception will be at the same place. We are having the ceremony at 4:45pm, and it probably will only last about 15 minutes. We are planning on taking a massive amount of pictures (we just love pictures   ) and we are taking from 5-6 to get them done. The guests will have the option of going back to their rooms (it's at a nice hotel), going to the bar in the hotel, or we are giving them a bunch of suggestions as to what they can do for the hour in the ceremony programs. It's in Philly so there are many options in the immediate area without travelling far at all. Cocktails start at 6, last until 7, and then dinner reception starts at 7. Good luck with your planning!

tdmd09

Our ceremony and reception were at the same place, and DH didn't want to see me before hand. This was roughly our timeline:

1:00: photographer arrives at venue
1:15-1:45: groomsmen photos
1:45-2:15: bride getting ready/bridesmaids photos
2:15-2:45: individual bride/groom shots with/without family
3:30-4:00 ceremony
4:00-5:00: cocktail hour -- big family photos, wedding party photos, bride and groom shots (we actually ended photos at 4:50). Note, we had a DOC who brought us apps during photos so we didn't starve
5:00 reception started

I didn't feel rushed at all like I expected to. Our guests didn't feel like they were waiting forever for us to show up (which I always hate as a guest). We got a lot of great photos, and our day ran pretty smooth. Hope this helps some!

tehyashima

Me and my FI are opting for the 'reveal' before the ceremony. The photographer can catch his expression just like she would at the altar. That and it gives us a few moments alone to spend together before hand. I work as a photography assistant during peak season and I can tell you that doing the pics before is SO much easier on everyone. If he still doesnt want to meet before, you could do the seperate party pictures. Bride and her girls, groom with his guys, if you chose bride with the groomsman, and so on...That way you can get a majority of the pictures out of the way and there will only be a few left to take during your cocktail hour. That way you and your WP can still relax for a while. 

rblucy

Our ceremony was 3:30, CH 4-5, Reception 5-9.  We did all pictures before.  It was so nice not to be rushed and we still got to enjoy all the yummy food at CH.  Why do you have a break between your CH and reception if they are at the same place?  It won't take people 15 min to walk from one room to the next.