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New Jersey
kgrazu01
member
Amount of Time for Pictures between Ceremony and Reception
in New Jersey
I am trying to decide between a 1 o'clock ceremony start time and a 3 o'clock. It will be at a church so the ceremony should last about an hour. I am leaning towards the 3 o'clock because the cocktail hour will begin at 6... does this leave me enough time to get all the pictures I want and take a breath between events??
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Re: Amount of Time for Pictures between Ceremony and Reception
[QUOTE]I am trying to decide between a 1 o'clock ceremony start time and a 3 o'clock. It will be at a church so the ceremony should last about an hour. I am leaning towards the 3 o'clock because the cocktail hour will begin at 6... does this leave me enough time to get all the pictures I want and take a breath between events??
Posted by kgrazu01[/QUOTE]
YES!!!! I dont mean to sound mean, however, its considered bad etiquette to have more than 2 hours between the end of the ceremony and the beginning of the cocktail hour. With that in mind, not everyone listens to etiquette. But, as a guest I would be annoyed with 4 hours between the two events.
[QUOTE]I am trying to decide between a 1 o'clock ceremony start time and a 3 o'clock. It will be at a church so the ceremony should last about an hour. I am leaning towards the 3 o'clock because the cocktail hour will begin at 6... does this leave me enough time to get all the pictures I want and take a breath between events??
Posted by kgrazu01[/QUOTE]
You should not have a gap between the ceremony and the reception. That is incredibly rude to your guests. You take your photos during the cocktail hour or before the ceremony.
[QUOTE]No, not so...my ceremony is at 2:30 pm and will last an hour and my cocktail hour starts at 6pm. We are doing this so that we are not rushed and we get all the pictures in that we are paying thousands of dollars for. You should not have to miss a precious minute of your cocktail hour to take pictures. That's your time to greet guests so that during the reception...you don't have to! With all this being said, I would go with the 3:00 time and you will have plenty of time...1:00 is a bit too long. Oh, and we didn't want photos before either.
Posted by danilynn72[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div><span style="font-size:11px;line-height:14px;">What do you expect your guests to do while you're off taking photos? </span>That is extremely rude. </div><div>
</div><div>The cocktail hour is traditionally the time to take photos. You are more than welcome to join the cocktail hour.....if you take your photos before the ceremony. Have some respect for your guests. The reception is for them, not you.
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[QUOTE]No, not so...my ceremony is at 2:30 pm and will last an hour and my cocktail hour starts at 6pm. We are doing this so that we are not rushed and we get all the pictures in that we are paying thousands of dollars for. You should not have to miss a precious minute of your cocktail hour to take pictures. That's your time to greet guests so that during the reception...you don't have to! With all this being said, I would go with the 3:00 time and you will have plenty of time...1:00 is a bit too long. Oh, and we didn't want photos before either.
Posted by danilynn72[/QUOTE]
Mine is even a more bigger gap lol. ceremony at a church is at 2 and cocktail is at 7 lol. I don't think I should have to take photos during my cocktail and reception. Ive been to weddings that I did not even see the bride or groom in their cocktail and reception because they had to take photos. They didn't even get to enjoy their own wedding. . Alot of people don't usually go to the ceremony from what i've seen. Maybe i'm wrong. ;/
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Amount of Time for Pictures between Ceremony and Reception : Mine is even a more bigger gap lol. ceremony at a church is at 2 and cocktail is at 7 lol. I don't think I should have to take photos during my cocktail and reception. Ive been to weddings that I did not even see the bride or groom in their cocktail and reception because they had to take photos. They didn't even get to enjoy their own wedding. . Alot of people don't usually go to the ceremony from what i've seen. Maybe i'm wrong. ;/
Posted by vazqueja[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>Again, the cocktail hour is traditionally for photos. You don't take photos during the reception, so you would enjoy that. If you want to enjoy your cocktail hour, do a first look and get most of the photos done before the ceremony. </div><div>
</div><div>I couldn't imagine leaving my guests hanging for hours. And to make people wait for cocktail hour because you don't want them to start anything without you? That's rude and selfish.
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Like other PPs have posted, I have spend thousands of dollars for this day and Im not going to condense my pictures into a one hour period. The bottom line is that if a guest doesnt like the two hour gap they dont have to come, or they dont go to the ceremony. In planning a wedding the thing I have realized is that you cannot please everyone.
[QUOTE]Exactly my simple advice is the reception is for YOU...you are paying thousands of dollars because it's YOUR day! You don't have to babysit your guests...they will go for a walk near some stores or boardwalk or even back to the hotel to freshen up. Everyone is used to this and I too have never been to a wedding where there wasn't a gap.
Posted by danilynn72[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>Wow! I can't believe the attitude of brides who feel so entitled! I would never treat my friends and family like that. </div><div>
</div><div>See, once you invite guests, it's no longer just your day. It's not all about me, me, me. That is selfish and rude. </div><div>
</div><div>The reception is for your guests, not you! You are receiving/thanking them. It's not really a difficult concept. </div>
[QUOTE]I think 3 pm is a good time for a 6 pm reception. It will allow for yourself and your guests to socialize and relax after the ceremony, and feel unrushed to get to your reception site. I also feel that it's a great idea to get most of your pictures done during this gap so you can respect your guests during the cocktail hour by welcoming them and being part of the celebration. There is no rudeness or selfishness here. On the contrary, you are thinking about your guests by providing a warm and unrushed flow of events with you present for them.
Posted by michelle221[/QUOTE]
<div>If one hosts the guests during the gap, that is fine. But if you leave guests to fend for themselves so you can take pictures AND then go to cocktail hour, that is rude. </div><div>
</div><div>The cocktail hour is traditionally the time the bride and groom takes photos. It's only more recently that the bride and groom have been going to the cocktail hour. Which is ok, if they do a first look and/or take their photos ahead of time. But having a gap AND attending the cocktail hour is rude and selfish. </div><div>
</div><div>I've been to several weddings with this gap. We didn't have a hotel room, we didn't really know the area, so we ended up sitting in our car. That's not fun. </div>
most of my guests already know there will be a 2 hour gap and they have all already started making plans. Im also including a list of parks, bars, places to eat, places to see in their welcome bags, with a condensed version in the invitations. Just make sure they are prepared.
[QUOTE]I agree it is rude to have a gap,<strong> but with a religious ceremony taking place in a seperate location it is unavoidable</strong>. I rather have a short gap and get to the place a little earlier (you never do know how traffic will be around here) than sit around in dress clothes with nothing to do. <strong> I can always go to one of the 4 million strip malls.</strong>
Posted by colex[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>Don't blame religion for a gap. The bride and groom CAN avoid a gap if they move the reception earlier. They choose not to because they WANT an evening reception. </div><div>
</div><div>Yeah, I'm not going to be dressed to the nines and go walking around a strip mall. </div><div>
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[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Amount of Time for Pictures between Ceremony and Reception : Don't blame religion for a gap. The bride and groom CAN avoid a gap if they move the reception earlier. They choose not to because they WANT an evening reception. Yeah, I'm not going to be dressed to the nines and go walking around a strip mall.
Posted by JoanE2012[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>Joan is right. The attitude, "Well it MUST be ok because I'm doing it!" is just ridiculous. It is not YOUR DAY, it is your wedding and a celebration that includes ALL OF YOUR GUESTS. Making them wait hours upon hours for you to take pictures is rude. End of story.
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In my area, gaps are very common, and people know how to handle them. In fact, no one bats an eyelash when a guest just attends the reception and not the ceremony b/c they live too far away to handle a gap easily. People who aren't skipping the ceremony either go home, to a friend or relative's house, back to the hotel, or to a bar/restaurant. They are adults and can make their own plans, or just decline.
I would still try to minimize it, so make your wedding at 3.