time between ceremony and reception
This is a thread that was started in our old BlissWeddings.com forums by crazybride on 11/05/2003.
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posted by crazybride
i really didnt want to have a gap between the cerimony and the recetion however i understand that i have to give people time to get to the reception and i have to allow time for the pictures to be taken however how long is the right amount of time i dont want my guests to be waiting forever for the reception to start or worse getting totally drunk before the reception even begins
any advice is helpful to me so give me advice please
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posted by wynelle
Depending on the distance between the wedding and the reception, plus 30-45 minutes is acceptable as a gap, especially if you have a bar open (not necessarily alsohol) and some appetizers availabel to the guests. Many brides want to wait for the "couples" photographes until after the wedding service and guests understand. Its the two and three (or more) hour gaps with nothing for the guests to do that becomes rude.
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posted by Holly
Our reception & ceremony were about a 15 minute drive apart, and the time we had in between the two was not quite one and a half hours. We found this to be fine; quite a few guests stayed after the ceremony to watch the photographer and wedding pictures; and we had also paid for the guests to have tours & activities in the museum (we got married outside of this museum). The reception location opened up before the 1 1/2 hour time slot, so some people also went there. If you're worried about the time in between, have some kind of entertainment or cocktail hour for the guests. Some people have this at a relative's home, or the reception location. If you are worried about people getting drunk, have the reception location just serve soft drinks etc. during this time.
As a side note: we attended one wedding that had a whopping 4 1/2 hours in between the two, with nothing to do. We decided to tour the town, but many other guests we spoke to had no idea what to do and were bored.
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posted by catina
1 to 1-1/12 hours is quite acceptable. Again, have refreshments available and a few hor d'ouvres. My daughters wedding will be about 1 - 1-1/2 hours gap, we're having a cocktail hour with hor d'ouvres and a wine punch before the reception to keep them busy. It's in a hotel so guests will also be able to go to their rooms and freshen up. We're debating about whether or not to have a cash bar along with the supplied wine punch and hors d'ouvres. I know cash bars are a no no but this is basically pre-reception and some people may prefer a regular wine or a cocktail. The reception itself will be an open bar.
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posted by atucker
What is up with the huge time gaps? There are tons of them in our town, too. It is nothing to have a 2:00 wedding with a 7:00 reception... yikes. I think it is because a lot of churches require earlier services on Saturdays so they can have a Saturday evening service but most people would rather have cockails at 4:00 and be finished at 9:00 then wait all day. Odd.
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posted by 6amandaf6
We had a 3.30pm service (due to the cars being late.....looooong story). But anyway, everyone pretty much left the church at 4pm, we had canapes and drinks till 5.45pm when we got back from our photos, and seated for dinner around 6pm. I think as everyone has said, as long as there are a few drinks, music and nibbles, people should be fine with a 1 - 2 hour gap. Any longer and I'd be a bit more likely to rearrange the times.
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posted by saebey
I'm concerned with this issue too. In my experience as a guest, any gap over 30 minutes (with the reception on site) or an hour (offsite) and the "natives" tend to get restless. Even if you have snacks and drinks, these people are there to see YOU not your pretty buffet.
Some people I know are starting to get most pictures done before the wedding and only the ones with the bride and groom together after the wedding. It seems to help with the gap, but I wish there was a way to elimintate it altogether.
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posted by syringa
If you take all of the pictures before the wedding, things will flow much more smoothly. If you are reluctant for the groom to see you, you can have 5 or 10 minutes alone together to get your emotions under control before the photo session begins.
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posted by Ekaaj
As far as having all of the photos done before the wedding, I completely disagree. It's worth the wait!! Doing the photos with the bride and groom together BEFORE the wedding may make it "more convenient" for the guests, but it completely ruins the awesome experience of not seeing your husband/wife-to-be until the actual ceremony!
I know this from experience. I didn't see my husband at all until the ceremony. It was an outdoor wedding, and I entered in a horse-drawn carriage. My husband said it was the most breathtaking thing to see me for the first time that way, and I felt the same when I saw him standing up at the front in his tux, waiting for me. Nothing can compare to that, and nothing is worth ruining that moment. The guests can wait while you take pictures afterward. They are there to see you, yes, but it's also one of the most important days in your life, and the emotion of that day is worth saving. We did ALL of our photos after the wedding, even the ones with the bridesmaids and groomsmen, because we wanted to capture the joy of how we felt after the ceremony, instead of the anticipation and nervousness beforehand.
Ok, now all of this is just my opinion, and I certainly hope I haven't offended anyone. I just wanted to let any brides-to-be know that it's worth the extra time for having the photos done afterward.
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posted by feb-bride
We did all of the "same sex" pictures before our wedding (bride alone and with bridesmaids; groom alone and with groomsmen), but we did not do any other pictures until after the ceremony. There was NO WAY I wanted my husband to see me before the ceremony.
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posted by Stephy
I agree with Ekaaj. Your guest should know that this day is special and you will remember it by your photos. Do what you can prior to the wedding and what's left is done between the wedding and reception. The guests will wait. 1 hour is acceptable.
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