Saturday Weddings: Timing with Churches?

Re: Saturday Weddings: Timing with Churches?

• Arez16

  

  April 2010 edited December 2011

  Edit: Sorry this is kinda long!

  
  

  And yea, there's really no way to work around the masses....church's usually aren't that flexible.

  
  

  Originally, I was having my ceremony at 5:30 (4pm mass) and the reception was to start at 7pm and go to 12pm. Most church weddings I have been to have been at this time. 

  
  

  However, we had to find a new reception sites bc our original one filed for bankruptcy. Our new site let us book the room for the entire day! Meaning they couldn't have a wedding in the 11-4 slot like they normally could. Therefore we are having our ceremony at 2pm, receiving line at church, and then cocktail hour starts at 4pm and reception goes until 10pm.

  
  

  Now we were very fortunate that our new reception site turned out better than the first one because I prefer an earlier ceremony time. But don't expect any place to do that for you....

  
  

  
  

  You just have to decide if you want the "Catholic Gap" or not and if your guests would be okay with it. For instance if you have a 2pm ceremony and the reception starts at 6pm or 7pm where are your guests going to be during that time? Are they all local and can go back home for a little while? Are they OOT and can go to their hotel? One thing we thought of was to also have my aunt "host" and little pre wedding apps/wine type thing where people could hang out during the gap if they had no place to go. Or you could just have the gap and not care .....

  
  

  
  

  Overall, if you are looking to make things easiest for your guests I would do a 5:30 ceremony. If you are okay with it, you can do pictures before the ceremony and enjoy the cocktail hour with your guests. 

  
  

  Its really up to you and what you want to do. I have been to a Catholic Gap wedding....2 hour gap....to a wedding in CT and we were staying at my grandmothers in RI for the night. We just hung out at the store for a little while that was in the plaza over from the hotel. But it kinda sucked....

  
  

  Good luck with your decision!

  
  

  
  

  

  Report0 Reply
• mlhw-nh

  

  April 2010 edited December 2011

  We are having an 11:00 ceremony.  That was the latest our church would do.  We have the reception hall from 11-6 though.  I am hoping that will be enough time.  My reception hall does offer additional hours at and additional cost.  The way I think everything is going to work out people are going to have coctail hour from 1:00-2:00 and a late lunch served at about 3:00.  Yeah I may need extra hours.  I didn't want to do the catholic gap.  Like Arez said I went to a wedding like that and it sucked to have to wait around!  We ended up going out to have lunch and hanging out at the hotel.   My FI was a part of the wedding party so they hung out somewhere else and I was kind of stuck somewhat alone.   Woe as me!  LOL

  Report0 Reply