Wedding Start Time

mrshall1027

I keep on going back and forth on this and I really have no clue what to do.  My FI is like whatever, so not much help.

We have the choice of either starting at 5 with a 10pm end time or starting at 6 with an 11pm end time.  If we start at 5, then we will have time to get pictures after the ceremony before the sun sets, but I also hate that we would end at 10pm.  If we start at 6, we would have to do a first look, which I am up in the air about, but we could also have a great sunset wedding ceremony.  I also like that the wedding would end later.  I just feel like 10pm is so early for it to end!  We can't add an extra hour because it will be too expensive with an extra hour for the venue, the bar, the photographer and the DJ.

What would you do?

CaseyS88

I am getting married in October also and I am thinking we are going to do a 6 pm ceremony and end at 11. We are doing a first look...I was also in the air about it but I think having that time alone with my FI will absolutely calm me down. We are making our families and friends stay inside the whole time. We want to be totally alone, except for the photographer! Plus, I love sunset photos!

trawas01

Our ceremony time is 4:30 - 5
Cocktail hour 5-6
Reception 6-10

I'd rather end a little earlier, but then I'm normally good for bed by 9pm anyway.

CFM102012

We're doing our ceremony at 4:30-5

Guests will probably start arriving at reception location about 5:30 or so

Officially we'll end at 10:30 but since the reception is at a B&B if a group of us are still having fun we can just move down to the restraunt patio.  

We're having any and all pics that don't require both of us done before the ceremony so that afterward its just the combined pics.  I'm hoping to get a few in front of the house of the B&B too. HTH

Simply_Caitlin

Our times are
Ceremony 1pm-2pm
Cocktail hour 5pm-6pm
Reception 6pm-10pm

It's a Catholic ceremony so we didn't have a choice in the time.  We're not thrilled about the gap for our guests so we are doing the reception at a hotel ballroom so there is a bar/restaurant for them to go to after the ceremony and then they will have a live band playing until 1am so there is a place for the after party.

It always seems like the weddings I have been a guest at, the crowd dies down quite a bit after 10pm anyway so I don't think anyone would be disappointed.  There are always options on places to go if people want to keep partying after.  If you're really concerned about ending that early, scout out some places that people can go to afterwards.  We ended up in a dive bar (the only one within 20 miles) after my cousin's wedding and we had a blast.

scarlettc27

I would do 6-11pm, but that is a preference based on my circle of friends and family. 

I don't have a problem with first looks - I figure either way, it will be a special moment the first time we see each other!

Chick&Guy

My time line is....

3-330 Ceremony
330-345 (hopefully) receiving line
4-5 Cocktail hour for guests and picture time for us
5-10 Reception

PetalPockets2012

Mine is 5:00 ceremony 5:30 cocktail hour 6:30 reception 11:00 end

pzavecz

I feel the same as you...10pm just is way too early for me!  If it were up to me and I had an unlimited budget, I'd have the party go until 1 or 2am!  I ruled out wedding venues that required us to end by 10pm (due to noise restrictions).  Our reception ends at 11pm and our ceremony starts at 5:30 (our venue allows 5.5 hours if we do ceremony/cocktail hour/reception at the venue).

If I were you, I would choose to do the 6pm ceremony start time and end at 11.  I was also up in the air about doing a 1st look but I decided we are going to do it...just reading the advantages of doing it far outweighed the disadvantages of doing it and people who have done it, absolutely do not regret it.  It's really a personal preference.  But if it's important to you and your FI to not see each until the walk down the aisle, it might just be better to do the option so that ceremony starts at 5.  But it sounds like you really want to end later so I say go for that option!

mrshall1027

I mentioned it one more time to FI and now he decided to have an opinion! lol

We've decided to keep the 5pm start time because neither of us are big on the idea of a first look.  We really don't want to see eachother before the walk down the aisle.  As we get closer to the date and if our whole guest list doesn't show up, then we can afford to add on the extra hour for everything.

Also, even if we end at 10pm, people can just go downtown to 6th street and have fun down there - it will be extra crazy since it's Halloween weekend!

brainybrunette

We're having a Friday wedding, so we're starting at 6 to give people time to get out of work. Ceremony and reception are at the same venue, so there's no travel time between the 2. We're doing a first look for many reasons, to calm nerves, have some private time, it'll be dark after the ceremony, and so we don't miss out on cocktail hour. Here's the general time line Late afternoon: first look, formal pictures 6 :00 - 6:30 : ceremony 6:30-7:30 : cocktail hour 8-9: formal introductions, dinner, parent dances between first and main courses 9-11:30: dancing. Cake cutting

DanaOcNy

We are doing a 4 pm ceremony, 4:30-5:30 cocktail hr, reception is 5:30 - 9:30 pm.   At first it seemed to be way to early to end a wedding but we figured most of our guests are traveling about an hour and a half, gives them the option of still heading home after with out the added expense of a hotel room.  We also will be having the hotel bar staying open later for us for those guests who do want to continue the party.