"Transition" from chapel to reception, need activity

Re: "Transition" from chapel to reception, need activity

• Lauderdale Pink member

  

  September 2014

  The only reason I don't love a balloon release is for the environment and the poor birds who end up with plastic in their bellies, but I LOVE BUBBLES and ribbon wands.  No, it is not rude to entertain people with a cocktail hour and I love your card idea.  I don't see the transfer of flowers as anything other than practical. Why buy two sets?  I did  the same thing 30 years ago at my wedding. My daughter took a different approach, just as frugal.  She left the flowers for the tables and had the aisle lined with very tall glass vases and floating flowers, so no transfer.  Flowers were up at the chuppah, but not overdone. 

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• artbyallie mod

  

  September 2014

  If you're serving cocktails, there also needs to be something to nibble on. But other than that, cocktail hour is a perfectly acceptable way to entertain your guests, no 'activities' required.

  

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• southernbelle0915 mod

  

  September 2014

  Definitely do not do a balloon release - it's terrible for the environment. Bubbles aren't great either, but they're way better than plastic balloons. 

  
  

  TONS of people do what you're doing (re-use floral arrangements). If your ceremony and reception venues are next door, this will be easy. So officiant says, "I now pronounce you..." you walk out, eyes follow you to the back of the sanctuary and people start moving the floral arrangements immediately. With a couple people, this shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes. See if the church/venue has a cart so they can take fewer trips. I'd have them start placing arrangements closest to the reception venue doors and work their way to the back of the room so that if people sprint over there, there's stuff when first walk in. Have them do the head/sweetheart table last.

  
  

  To keep people "occupied", I would suggest a receiving line. Depending on the size of your wedding, this will take about 15-25 minutes. It'll slow things down just enough to get key arrangements moved AND you don't have to do table visits. Along w/ escort cards, I'd also have your guest book, gift table, a favor table (if having) and maybe a table with some photos on it outside the reception hall. It'll keep people occupied for a few extra minutes. If you want, you could have a little slide show on a laptop going on the picture table as well.

  
  

  Between all that and serving drinks/food for cocktail hour, you will be fine. Even if everyone piled into the reception hall immediately and they were moving flowers, who cares? This probably happens at the majority of weddings anyway.

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• climbingsingle member

  

  September 2014

  I think if you have a receiving line, and then cocktail hour, that should be enough to repurpose the centerpieces. 

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• holyguacamole79 member

  

  September 2014

  Between all that and serving drinks/food for cocktail hour, you will be fine. Even if everyone piled into the reception hall immediately and they were moving flowers, who cares? This probably happens at the majority of weddings anyway.

  This. 
  
  
  

  classyduck said:

  So, I'm "frugal", yes, let's call it that, and the largish flower arrangements used to decorate my ceremony will be re purposed as centerpieces in our reception hall. The Chapel and the Hall are only separated by a parking lot, so, on the same property and very close. It would be very convenient to have the guests gather briefly to give the venue staff a chance to transfer the flowers.

  
  

  I have tried very hard to be mindful of etiquette throughout every stage of my wedding, and so this part bothers me. I feel like herding my guests somewhere so I can move flowers isn't a fantastic example of good hosting. But. I'm still faced with the logistics dilemma of transferring flowers. Because I'm cheap. Wait.
  Frugal... we agreed to use the term frugal, right.

  
  

  Anyway, I had planned to start a cocktail  hour right after the ceremony in the reception hall. Instead of a guestbook, I'm going to leave "catalog cards" out for people to play with: I'm a librarian, so they will look like cards from a card catalog, but will have questions that solicit advice on our marriage, or are perhaps more playful (appropriately so) in terms of solicitation about our relationship. My aim is for people to find them engaging and enjoy leaving their name along with a bit of themselves in the form of advice to us.

  
  

  Is this enough of a distraction? Is it rude to make them mill about with only catalog cards and cocktails to entertain them?

  
  

  What about the other (perhaps more traditional) alternatives -- gathering in front of the Chapel to greet the couple with bubbles? My boss staged a rainbow balloon release instead of bubbles for he and his husband... not too keen on a balloon release, but, wondering if something similar would be better.

  
  

  I look forward to all you knotties' great ideas and advice.

  
  
  
  
  

  

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• erinlin25 member

  

  September 2014

  My wedding was all at the same location. We got married outside; the guests moved to the veranda for cocktails and apps; they mingled while we took pics and the wedding coordinator moved our flowers into and finished setting up the dining room.
  
  you are doing what a lot of people do...it's not "cheap," it is common.  The card idea is fine too.
  

  
  
  
  

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• classyduck member

  

  September 2014

  Thanks to all for the responses thus far... makes me realize I'm over thinking things a bit! I get anxious about the weirdest stuff, I swear.

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• photokitty mod

  

  September 2014

  We did a group photo of all the guests a after the ceremony while the venue staff took 10 mins to flip the room.

  ~xoxo~

  
  

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• STARMOON44 member

  

  September 2014

  If you're giving me cocktails and nibbles, I am fully entertained right there.

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• MandyMost member

  

  September 2014

  STARMOON44 said:

  If you're giving me cocktails and nibbles, I am fully entertained right there.

  And I don't mind at all if I see an employee of the venue/caterer/whatever walking by with some flowers to put on a table. Especially if the venue is used to this, they probably have it down to a science.

  
  

  I was at a wedding recently where the cocktail hour was in the same space (outside under a tent) as the ceremony. I swear, by the time we stood up to "exit" our chairs were all gone, and a few cocktail tables and chairs were being set up, and there were fully stocked bars that I'm not sure were there a few minutes before!

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