Starting reception later than booked time?

CapeCodBride28

Would you start the reception later than the booked time if you aren't paying a fee for the space, and the reception is going to be non-traditional? The times available are 4-9, 5-10 or 6-11 pm. I was toying with the idea of a 6 p.m. ceremony rather than one offered earlier in the day. Our reception is going to be quite small, and we may not have dancing. Would you just start the reception an hour later at 7 p.m.? I feel that 5 hours is going to be too long anyway especially if we don't have dancing. What do you think?

salt78

I'm having Footloose flashbacks.

SwedishChick2011

I think starting the reception at 7 p.m. would be fine.  Four hours will be plenty of time, especially if you're not having dancing. 

goheels05

Yeah, I think that's fine, especially since you don't pay extra or less depending on the actual time usage.

Mrs.B6302007

I wouldn't.  what are your guests supposed to do in the gap?  Or have you not set a ceremony time yet?  Either way, you're feeling that you're going to have an "extra" hour at the beginning or the end.  Recepetion lengths are hard to predict; it depends on your crowd once they get there.  I would set the full time and give your guests the option of continuing to party or to leave.

Mrs.B6302007

Oh, I totally misread that... there's NO dancing?  Then yeah, set your ceremony time later and have the reception at 7.

betrothed123

Ditto Mrs. B.

CapeCodBride28

There wouldn't be any gap. The ceremony will start at 6 pm and would probably be 45 min max. I was thinking the reception could be from 7-11 instead of 6-11, but book the time slot. The daytime reception slots are only 4 hours in length, from 12-4 or 1-5. 

Ceremony times available are 10,12,2, and 6 for the parish and for the Chapel they are 11 and 1.

Mrs.B6302007

Grab the 6 ceremony slot then.

betrothed123

Yeah, if you take the 6:00 slot for the reception, and start your ceremony at 6, it should work.  As long as you're not inconveniencing your guests I don't see a problem with it.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

Just write, "Reception immediately following" on the invite/program, rather than "Reception at 7pm." Then, if you're done by 6:40, they can head right over.