How long between ceremony and reception?

cherylnj81 · September 2010

The reception we booked starts at 7 pm, and we have a choice of whether to book the ceremony at the chapel either 2-3:30 or 4-5:30. That leaves either a 3.5 hour break between the ceremony and the reception or a 1.5 hour break. At first I assumed I would choose the 4 o'clock start time but I am realizing that we will get out at 5:30 and it will be dark by that time in the middle of October- no light for outdoor pictures! I definetly don't want my fiance to see me before the ceremony in my dress so taking pictures before the ceremony is out. If we choose an earlier start time at 2 p.m., I think that makes it more likely that people will skip the chapel ceremony and just plan on going to the reception, and I don't want an empty church!

Does anyone have any suggestions of how they would handle this? How long did you have between your ceremony and your reception, and did it seem to matter to guests? Thanks in advance!

sgdc2011 · September 2010

Do the later ceremony. I hate long gaps. The only weddings I have been to with long gaps I was in the bridal party, so I was occupied but FI was not. Luckily we were staying at the hotel otherwise, he would have to hang around. Not everyone stays at a hotel though and it is a big inconvience for them, people arn't going to go home to "freshen up" or find an activity to do if they live 45 min- an hour away. I suggest doing the later ceremony. You will still have an hour or so to take pictures after the ceremony. before cocktail hour begins.

mariaNryan · September 2010

our church starts at 3pm until around 4pm..... then the cocktail hr isnt until 6pm so Its a 2 hr gap but gives us a lot of time for the receiving line and pictures! So what i am trying to say is I would be the earlier time for your pictures and if you do a receiving line and to get to the reception

HobokensFury · September 2010

I personally would do the later start time because if there is too much time inbetween many people will skip the ceremony and just go to the reception.

uppereastgirl · September 2010

Do the later time. It is much nicer to your guests.

hcer0708 · September 2010

My ceromony starts at 3pm and coctail hr begins at 6. The drive from the church to reception is about 25mins so this gives us time for the recieving line and pictures.

jrgoogrl · September 2010

I would do a later start time as well. If your guest see that there is a 2hr gap and they live far, they might skip the ceremony and just come to the reception.

peaches85 · September 2010

The later time.

mbcdefg · September 2010

Do the later time so you can have a shorter gap.

Lola Minnie · September 2010

Mine was on the long side because the church was in SI and reception in NJ, plus it allocated time for pictures in between.

I guess it depends how close your church & venue are because a snag of traffic and you cut close 1.5 hrs.

felicia220 · September 2010

We had about 45 mins in between and we served drinks during that time. I would not recommend having that much time in between, its not very nice to do to your guests.

eeponine · September 2010

I'm in the minority here, I guess, but I had the same issue as you. Our ceremony is at 3 and our reception is at 7. I, too, want to make sure we have some light for our pictures since we aren't seeing each other before the ceremony. The venue is about 35 minutes away, but that is without Friday traffic. We figure that anyone who is especially close to us and wants to come see us exchane vows will, and everyone else will have plenty of time to go to work, freshen up, and make it to the reception from the various parts of NJ and NY that they will be traveling from. In the end, after the ceremony it should be approximately 4, the drive will put them in the area of the reception at 5, and they can hang out at one of two places-- the hotel or my parent's house-- until it's time to party. For us, we will have about an hour between ceremony and reception to take pictures at the venue after pictures at the church and the drive. Really, it comes down to fitting everything you want and need to do that day. I couldn't imagine paying upwards of $2000 for pictures and not getting those pics that I want most. I also can't imagine paying for the venue and not being around for a large portion of the CH-- I think the idea that the CH is specifically for guests while the Bridal Party is taking pictures is antiquated, especially when we are paying for most of the day ourselves, spending more money than we ever have all at once. I'm not worried about the guests, many of whom know the complications with wedding planning, having just gotten married, just been involved in a wedding, or just had their kids' wedding. I'm sure they will find a way to occupy themselves for the short while if they don't like our suggestions. And anyway, by the time the party starts, any grumbling will stop.

Do what you want to do-- especially if you want the outdoor pictures!

lblumetti · September 2010

Do whatever you feel comfortable with. I can't stress enough - leave enough time for your pictures! We were really pressed with picture time and also catching the light (although we only had one hour during cocktail hour to do pictures since we had the ceremony and reception at one place). Every wedding I've been to that had the ceremony one place and reception at another had a few hour time gap in between. As a guest, it was crappy, but for you to get all your pictures in, allows your photographer to do a lot of things. Believe me, I didn't go to any of these weddings with any sour attitudes about having to hang for a few hours.

Maybe talk with your photographer to see how much time they would need for you to get your pictures done..also take into account the distance from the ceremony site to the reception site, and if you are going to have a stop in between somewhere else for pictures.

gymchick05 · September 2010

I would go with the earlier time too, depending on how far you are from the reception venue. My church ceremony is a full mass at 2:30. So it will end at 3:30, receiving line, etc and I am assuming people will leave the church a bit before 4pm. The cocktail hour starts at 6 and it is a 45 minute ride, so there will really only be an hour to kill. Our reception is at a hotel and the venue has a bar downstairs where people can kill time too, so I am not worried about them. I agree, you dont want to miss your cocktail hour and you want to have time for pics too

goaliegirl · September 2010

Personally, I would do the later start time. Please, Please, Please take into consideration all of your guests, some of which may be traveling from afar and may not have anywhere to go in between if they choose to come to the ceremony. If it was me, I would probably skip the ceremony unless it was a close family member, and many people will do the same. So, if you do choose the earlier ceremony time, please prepare yourself for a lighter crowd at the chapel.

Just because it is your wedding day doesn't mean you are allowed to totally disregard your guests. Asking people to sit around for 3.5 hours isway too much in my opinion so you can take pictures, if you really want the pictures in the light and want to be at the cocktail hour you should reconsider taking pictures before the ceremony. We did this because we wanted a lot of pictures but also wanted to be at our cocktail hour.

uppereastgirl · September 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_long-between-ceremony-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:559c2c93-0573-4362-888e-42857fab71c1Post:8a0e2edd-6eb0-41b9-bb38-0c6a56bb510a">Re: How long between ceremony and reception?</a>:
[QUOTE]Personally, I would do the later start time. Please, Please, Please take into consideration all of your guests, some of which may be traveling from afar and may not have anywhere to go in between if they choose to come to the ceremony. If it was me, I would probably skip the ceremony unless it was a close family member, and many people will do the same. So, if you do choose the earlier ceremony time, please prepare yourself for a lighter crowd at the chapel. Just because it is your wedding day doesn't mean you are allowed to totally disregard your guests. Asking people to sit around for 3.5 hours isway too much in my opinion so you can take pictures, if you really want the pictures in the light and want to be at the cocktail hour you should reconsider taking pictures before the ceremony. We did this because we wanted a lot of pictures but also wanted to be at our cocktail hour.
Posted by goaliegirl[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>I couldn't agree more. Inconveniencing 100+ people so you get pictures in daylight seems super selfish. And silly -- the photographer will be able to take nice photos inside or in the dark, or you could always take them before the ceremony.
</div>

37 Butter Knives · September 2010

If you have the option, go for the later start time. But don't cut things too close - you should have a buffer for travel and some pictures.

We're having a long gap - 3 hours between the ceremony's end and the cocktail hour - but we're having a Catholic wedding (the latest the ceremony can start is 2:30, because they have to prepare for Saturday evening services). And the earliest our cocktail hour can start is 6:30. I don't think it's rude in my case; most of the people we're inviting are from a Catholic background, so they're used to long gaps.

At least you have a choice, unlike me.

Heather822 · September 2010

You should break up the pics a little bit ~ it helps a lot!
We took pics SEPERATELY, but with each of our families, BEFORE the ceremony.
Then after the ceremony we did pics together. I think it really helped!

I would agree 1000% with the PP'ers who voted for later start time. Guests hate long breaks and will definitely skip the ceremony if its too long.

How long between ceremony and reception?

Re: How long between ceremony and reception?

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