Wedding day timings

Lollie79

Thanks guys,

Tbh its OH who is all for canapes where i think the burgers and chips is a better option but i said that i would ask you guys for advice. I think if we do this we dont have to worry too much about timings if they are gonna get a decent feed twice.

Lollie xx

sugarwalsh

How about this, instead of serving a buffet at night you feed your guests a proper meal at say 5pm then just cheese and wedding cake in the evening?

If it helps our day runs like this-
12.30 arrive
1pm ceremony, followed by photos, band, fizz and small canapes until 2.30.
3pm arrive at reception venue, drinks reception, more pictures and people have chance to check in hotel!
4-7pm eat. Sounds long but 5 course and speeches take a long time.
7-8pm rest! Room set up, band set up, alternative bar is open for those who want. Time for people to freshen up etc.
8-midnight party big time, with evening buffet served at 10. We have lots of night guests so we are doing food. Plus it was a requirement. I would have served bacon buns if we could.
megan

stationaryace

RainbowDrops wrote: »

Is it acceptable to just serve canapes to guests when they arrive at venue? We will be having a buffet for evening reception. Considering that the guests will have only had a chance to have a light lunch before the early Ceremony, then will have been in the CHurch for at least 1.5hrs for a catholic service, they will definately need a substantial amount of food if the meal ios not until the evening.

depends if she is having just the marriage ceremony or mass afterwards as well. Just the ceremony only takes 30-40 minutes then you add on the same again for the mass (depending how many of the people at the church go up for communion, if this particular priest likes to waffle for a but during the homily etc). For all the time it takes to get dressed, and all the effort leading up to the day, 40 minutes for the wedding is quite good.

yes, I have had this conversation several times with the in-laws since we got engaged: "No it won't take 3 hours", "no you don't need a snack in the church..."

any way, back on topic, lollie79 is there somewhere your guests can buy their own food if they are hungry? I wouldn't mind being at a wedding with afternoon canapes if I knew there wasn't going to be a buffet until evening and/or there was the option to get something at or near the venue in the afternoon (or had snuck something into the hotel when checking in).

oh and I would so go for the burger and chips option

RainbowDrops

Idiophreak wrote: »

We got married at 3 for this reason...allowed our guests to lunch beforehand and for us to serve a single meal in the evening.

Same here, plus we had canapes & our guests only had to wait till around 5.30-6pm for the meal.

OP can you not have the buffet earlier, say 5pm. Then instead of the pre-buffet canapes have a smaller selection of snacks later in the evening - eg cheese & biscuits, cake etc?

MrsDavo

I will be watching this thread with interest lollie79, I am agonising over timings already and the wedding isn't until September 2013!

To save costs we wanted to do the same as you, not have a sit down meal, as price per head at the venue we are having is £17.95. So we thought about getting married at 4 or 4.30pm, having an hour or so for photos afterwards, couple of drinks in the bar with the day guests then straight into the evening doo about 7pm. Only problem we have come across is that the venue say they don't usually serve the buffet until 9pm - I am hoping I can get them to serve it at 7:30pm. Plenty of time to haggle with them lol

sugarwalsh

Mrs Davo - My sister got married at 4 and it was a huge rush. As the venue stopped at 11 we only had about an hour to dance as we didn't sit down to eat until about 6.30 and then the best mens speeches went on for an hour!!

The venue may not be keen to serve until later if they have a restaurant full of people, otherwise I can't see any problem with it. OR have an earlier wedding, sit down meal and have cheese and biscuits in the evening. My friends did that and it was really nice as we could just help our selves. The wedding cake was also cut and left for people to help themselves to.

The key things to remember are - it's your one chance, so don't rush it or try to cut costs if it means your day is shortened and EVERYTHING takes twice as long for a wedding!

MEgan

MrsDavo

sugarwalsh wrote: »

Mrs Davo - My sister got married at 4 and it was a huge rush. As the venue stopped at 11 we only had about an hour to dance as we didn't sit down to eat until about 6.30 and then the best mens speeches went on for an hour!!

The venue may not be keen to serve until later if they have a restaurant full of people, otherwise I can't see any problem with it. OR have an earlier wedding, sit down meal and have cheese and biscuits in the evening. My friends did that and it was really nice as we could just help our selves. The wedding cake was also cut and left for people to help themselves to.

The key things to remember are - it's your one chance, so don't rush it or try to cut costs if it means your day is shortened and EVERYTHING takes twice as long for a wedding!

MEgan

I used to be a wedding coordinator in a scottish castle, so I thought planning my own would be easy but it's so not! lol

I have suggested getting married at 1 or 2pm, then having a sit down for day guests ( smaller portions cost £9.95 per head ) and then a buffet in the evening, but paying for 60 buffet people ( £8.50 per head ) when there would be about 80 - but the fella and his mum don't think thats a good idea because it would be too long to wait between meals, and his family don't know what a small portion is and would be starving!! ( so they say lol )

I would prefer to make it more of a full day event because my family will be travelling from Scotland ( 4 -5 hours drive away ) and all Df's family are only a mile or two away from the venue! I wanted to make it more "worth while" to my family.

The venue are able to hold the wedding, hold the buffet/meal and also have rooms to accommodate my family so it will all be in one place.

We are going to have approx 40 day guests and another 40 in the evening.

sugarwalsh

I would love to be a co-ordinator. I used to work for an outside caterers doing weddings, but I wold prefer co-ordinating them! Or a wedding planner...

I digress.

You have lots of time to win him round - I think 12 or 1 is a good time (I get married at 1, that is why I think so!!) as you don't have to rush too much in the morning and you will have a lovely longer day.

I wish our meal was costing £9.95 a head! I think the prices you have quoted are VERY reasonble indeed.

Don't let the MIL get involved if possible, it is your wedding, not hers... If you want a fuller day then make sure you let your OH know, it is only 3 hours earlier! They can have a big breakfast if they are big eaters!!!

MEgan

Olokia

Can people check my timings as well.

2pm - Ceremony
2.30pm - Photos. Mini cakes (3-4 each, profiterole sized) and 2 alcoholic drinks will be served
3.30pm - 3 course Sit down meal
5.30pm - Cake cutting and speeches and eat cake
6pm - Talk while band sets up
7.30pm - Band starts playing
9.30pm(ish) - Band finishes playing and ipod plays instead
9.35pm (ish) - 2 Bacon rolls each
Midnight - Wedding finishes

To me there is not enough time for the photos. What do people think? And will people get hungry?

MrsDavo

sugarwalsh wrote: »

I would love to be a co-ordinator. I used to work for an outside caterers doing weddings, but I wold prefer co-ordinating them! Or a wedding planner...

I digress.

You have lots of time to win him round - I think 12 or 1 is a good time (I get married at 1, that is why I think so!!) as you don't have to rush too much in the morning and you will have a lovely longer day.

I wish our meal was costing £9.95 a head! I think the prices you have quoted are VERY reasonble indeed.

Don't let the MIL get involved if possible, it is your wedding, not hers... If you want a fuller day then make sure you let your OH know, it is only 3 hours earlier! They can have a big breakfast if they are big eaters!!!

MEgan

I loved the job! I left when I had my little girl, but it was a great time :-D

My OH also says he doesn't want to be the centre of attention - I've told him he can't avoid that he's getting married haha!

I think what's happening is my MIL is trying to compare it too much to his younger brothers wedding - but also she is trying to help us keep costs down. I can't say too much because she is promising to help us with the costs ( I have no parents to chip in )

I think I feel I need it to be a bit more of an all day thing because my family will be travelling a long way. Which isn't a problem for his family at all. I have time to win them round - will try again tonight!