2 questions regarding invites and ceremony exit...

vgmartinez

Question #1:

We will be having the reception information on our invitation. Our ceremony will start at 1 p.m. and probably last until about 2:30 including receiving line. It's about half an hour to the reception venue so we would like to have a cocktail hour starting at 4 p.m. Basically, we will have the bartender start serving drinks at 4 p.m.  To cust costs, we have included the reception start time on the invitation itself. Should I just forget about having it on there and insert a seperate reception card?

I received some advice to just say that the reception will begin at 4 since the cocktail hour is always the first hour of the reception. I have a feeling that if I just say the reception begins at 4, people will arrive at this time or earlier and wonder why it is taking an hour for the WP to show up. I'm trying to avoid a very large gap, but to be honest, no one in my family or group of friends have ever had a cocktail hour to close a gap so Im worried that they'll get annoyed as to why it's taking so long for the reception to begin and dinner to be served (which it will not be served until 5). The actual start time is 5 when the WP arrives and is annouced. Any suggestions on how I should word the cocktail hour and the official start time of the reception?

Question #2:

We will be taking pictures before and after the ceremony. I would like to do an exit after the receiving line but since we will need to go back inside for more pictures, how can this be done if it can at all? What did everyone else do for this? Thanks for all of your help!

Theresa626

1.  You could put Hors d'oevres and cocktails to follow at four.  Dinner will be served at five. 

2.  How long do you plan to take for pictures?  If only fifteen-twenty minutes, people might stick around to wait for you if you hand them bubbles and let them know there will be an exit.  If not, you could do this at the end of your reception instead.  

samurai21

Some people do a fake exit where there's a car and everthing waiting outside. You exit, your guests cheer, and you get in the car and drive around the block to the back of the church and go in a back door.

That way you still signal that guests can leave and get that exit phtoo op,

Karen's MOH

Every wedding I have been to has a cocktail hour before dinner. I assume you will be serving appetizers with the drinks, so I don't see why people would get upset about waiting. I've been to cocktail hours where the wedding party was there or wasn't there, but either way I was happy because I had yummy apps and drinks. If it really isn't the usual for your crowd, you could do as Theresa suggested and list the time for dinner too, but I don't think it's necessary. If you decide to do it that way, it probably would look a lot better to have it on a separate reception card. But if you just have "Reception at 4 o'clock at blah blah blah place" it wouldn't be too bad (though etiquette says you should have a separate card any time it's at a different location).

For the exit, I have often seen the bride and groom come out after the receiving line, people toss flower petals/bridseed/blow bubbles, whatever your choice, then the bride and groom mingle for a few minutes and head back inside for pictures and guests head out. The only downside would be possibly getting a little mussed during this part and not being as perfectly coifed for pictures.

Calypso1977

#1:  if your ceremony and RL will be over by 230, and its a half hour travel time, then i think you should start your cocktail hour at 3 so as to avoid a gap.  if you cant or wont do that, then you shoudl make every effort to join your guests at the 4pm cocktail hour.  you will have plenty of time for pictures especially since you are doing some before.  why  not enjoy an hour you paid for and be able to entertain your guests who you made wait around an hour for your cocktail horu to start?

#2 you can go back in after the receiving line is done and do your pics.

Calypso1977

oh, and we did the reception info right on the invite - not technically proper, but it saved us about $150.

we had a scrolly line between the two to differentiate.