Ohio-Cincinnati

Gap Between Ceremony & Reception HELP!

I am looking for suggestions...I am kind of stuck with this gap between the ceremony and the reception and I am not sure on what to have the guests do in this time period. The ceremony is in Glendale at Saint Gabriel's Catholic church and does not start until 2:00pm. It is just going to be the ceremony so it will probably be done by 2:30ish. The reception is downtown Cincinnati at The Center and starts at 5:00pm downtown. 

The issue is that we don't have it in our budget to provide some kind of amusement for them and we cannot move the times.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do?

 

Re: Gap Between Ceremony & Reception HELP!

  • clearheavensclearheavens member
    First Anniversary Name Dropper 5 Love Its Combo Breaker
    edited September 2013
    I wish I had a gap just like yours!  We had a Catholic Mass with no gap and were extremely rushed.  The guests got to the reception hall before we did, which wasn't planned because we were going to do a receiving line.  We did hear a couple of folks say it was strange/rude neither our parents nor the wedding party were at the hall when they were.

    So if I were you, your gap is so small I'd do nothing.  Guests like to mingle, get drinks, or even back to their homes/hotels.  And you get to take pictures, talk, spend time with your new hubby, and soak in the realization that you're now Mr. & Mrs.
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  • Gaps are rude to your guest's. Please adjust your timing. Usually 1 hour is acceptable for the wedding party to get photo's completed. During that hour is when you would normally have a cocktail hour with appetizers for your guests. Also take into consideration yours and the guest's travel time from ceremony to reception.
  • She said she CANT adjust timing. 

    Its 30mins from Glendale to Downtown so guests would arrive around 3ish. Thats 2hrs to kill. What if you walked around downtown or did a small mingle at Fountain Square of some sort? 
    Married 11/12/05 ~ Renewed Our Vows 11/9/13. 

    "The LORD will fight for you, you need only be still."


  • Sure she can adjust times. It might mean changing one or both venue's but she can change times. And really, who wants to walk around downtown for 2 hours because someone was so rude as to not consider the comfort of their guests?
  • a lot of catholic churches wont let you adjust times of wedding because of evening mass on saturdays. That being said I dont like gaps, generally if a gap is included in a wedding I will only go to the reception.
  • You have no idea what the conversation was with her venues... what if she called and they said " We wont have it available until X time." Shes suppose to say " Oh sorry, i will pass because i dont want to be rude to my guests".... 

    Also If she did her time frame correctly (WITHOUT moving any times) she could pull it off with a little gap of only about 1hr. 

    Its 30mins from her church to reception. If shes finished with the ceremony around 3:15, then does pictures until around 3:45...drives 30mins, shed be there at reception around 4:15. So 45mins is the gap. 1hr if you count the guests waiting while they do pics. 
    Married 11/12/05 ~ Renewed Our Vows 11/9/13. 

    "The LORD will fight for you, you need only be still."


  • Yes she should say I'll pass. And a gap is a gap. Once you invite people to your wedding and reception it is no longer just about you and your new spouse.
  • Just a reminder... It's YOUR wedding day, so do what feels right to you. The people at your wedding should understand if it has to be that way, don't let rude ^ people get to you! :)
  • AI2007smith that is bad advise. If you don't know proper etiquette study up on it. There is an etiquette board on the knot that you can learn alot from. And I wasn't being rude. I was trying to the lilbeanybby know how to properly host her guest's. She feels bad enough to post on a public forum about the gap, so she knows it isn't proper etiquette.
  • Bottom line is that I actually can't move times at all.

    With that said I am ONLY looking for suggestions on what to inform guest's to do.

     

    **I know some guests will find it rude but it is what it is**

     

    So is ANYONE has friendly advise please let me know. All others please just disregard my posts.

     

    Some other sites (not in Cincinnati) were suggesting a scenic route to the venue. We don't have to much of a scenic "long" route anywhere do we??

     

    Also, are there any big downtown events that take place on Saturdays in October? I know Octoberfest is in September and someone else said if the Cincinnati Reds did well there might be a game.


    Thank you! Your suggestions will great be appreciate.

  • Wow really? It just makes me nervous and its really out of my hands. I was sooo not expecting the gap at all. I was hoping to have a later wedding so the reception would start shortly after...but it might be good. Myself nor my fiancé don't have family coming from out of town.
  • I'm sorry to see that some people are being quite rude on this!

    I'm having the same time frame as you- Catholic ceremony at 2:00 pm and cocktail hour at 5:00 pm. My church and reception are only about five miles apart, but my reception is in an area with a lot of shopping, dining, bars, and even a few parks. It's very pedestrian-friendly, so I assume many people will be walking around. 

    What I'm doing is letting my guests know ahead of time (the ceremony and reception times are both included on the invitation) and listing a number of attractions and interesting places to walk around on our wedding website. Our venue provides valet parking, so guests won't have to worry about finding a place to park, and I'll be providing bottles of water for anyone who is parched! A June afternoon in Georgia is not always kind, weather-wise. 

    For anyone who doesn't feel like walking around, my hotel room block includes a complimentary hospitality suite, so guests can return to the hotel to hang in their rooms or in the suite. If you haven't booked your room block already, I would highly suggest it! 

    If you'd really like to get creative, you could come up with a scavenger hunt around Cincinnati with places or things that are significant to you and your fiance. I have attended several weddings with a gap, and after speaking to family, friends, and other brides, I've realized that a 2 hour gap is actually not that long. Between travel time and post-ceremony mingling, I'm sure your guests won't be bothered at all. The important thing to remember is that your guests are there to support you and your fiance. Good luck! 
  • Thank you!!  I really appreciate it.
  • Cincy is a great city with lots of fantastic architecture downtown.  I like just walking around.  The scavenger hunt is a great idea, too.  You could offer a prize to the winner at the reception.  What about flying kites down by the river at the park there (can't remember the name).  I'm not a native, just moving there once married.
  • Look, there's always going to be controversy over the gap. It depends on your social circle. Sometimes people hate it, some people love it. Some people even EXPECT it now. This happens to be the case for our wedding day. We had a three hour gap between the end of the mass and the beginning of the cocktail hour. No one pitched a fit, no one had an attitude, it actually worked out best for our out of town guests, as they were able to go and check in at their hotels and relax before the freaking bus picked them up FROM their hotel, that we hired, brought them to the reception.

    So. There's a right way and a wrong way to do a gap, if you're doing it. You at least need to provide some "perk".

    Anniversary
  • That's Widonomo & Lindsaynewbride10! Makes me feel 10x better :)
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