How late is too late for the wedding?

Re: How late is too late for the wedding?

• pillsburyaj member

  

  January 2012

  Forgot to mention, we have on the invitation "Dinner and dancing to follow" so that guests know a meal will be served.

  

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• LP11509 member

  

  January 2012

  I attended a wedding last year where the reception started at 7:30 pm (ceremony was at 3 pm with a gap).  Cocktail hour was 7:30 - 8:30, then they did some dances, etc. Dinner was tableside ordering and wait staff began taking orders at 9 pm. My table was one of the last to order.  By the time we had ordered and dinner arrived, it was after 10 pm.  Some people at my table had a 2 hour drive home and had hoped to leave by that time, but were stuck.  They were annoyed, and so were H and I - we don't like eating dinner that late.  

  
  

  I like the suggestion of eliminating cocktail hour and going straight to dinner.

  

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• casims3 member

  

  January 2012

  We got married on NYE and our ceremony was at 7. Cocktail hour from 7:30-8:15, Bridal party entrance at 8:15, Dinner started at 8:30.

  

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• cindyn9178 member

  

  January 2012

  I don't think it is too late. I normally don't eat dinner until around 8pm. Our cocktail hour was from 7 to 8pm and dinner was served around 9pm. Nobody had a problem with it. And pepole will know the time that dinner is going to be, so if they think they are going to be hungry, they will eat something small before attending.

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• tarrita13

  

  January 2012

  Wow... this is so informative! Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I have a lot to think about, I guess.

  
  

  To clarify, the ceremony won't last an hour--I was accounting for 30 minutes of ceremony and receiving line, plus travel back to the house, with parking etc...but maybe I can convince the beach to let us start a little earlier, like 6:30, which may make things better. Then I could cut the cocktails to 30 minutes, making dinner start at 8:00 instead of 9:00.

  
  

  Good point on the photos!! The only problem is that if you do the pics before hand, you spoil the walk down the aisle... 

  
  

  The pre-ceremony cocktails sounds like an amazing idea... I really like that... thanks pillsburyaj.
  

  
  

  As for not expecting dinner after 7, I would never have guessed that to be the case, but again, good point. My invitations say "feast and merriment to follow." Hope that gets the point across.

  
  

  Thanks again everyone! Huge help!!!

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