Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

Original post by desyre

Mar 06, 2003 06:04 PM

Okay, I am going to put a deposit on my reception hall next week (Swan Club hopefully), but anyway i'm confused on whether to have an afternoon or evening wedding. (I wish we could do it on a saturday night but we just don't have the money for it). We decided to do it on sunday instead.

We wanted sunday afternoon because we thought people would most likely leave early if we had it at night (also evening is more expensive). Now I don't know what to do. We are having it in the summer time which means that it will still be light when our wedding was over.

Has anyone ever been to a sunday afternoon wedding or an afternoon wedding at all? how did you like it? Also do you think that an evening wedding is better?

Really need the help!!!..Thanx

groovypeg Posted: Mar 06, 2003 09:43 PM

Re: Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

when are you planning to get married? if it is in the spring/summertime, then an afternoon wedding may be really nice, but if you are having a winter wedding, then you wont be able to get much use from the grounds, especially if the weather is cold and snowy. something to consider. i had thought of an afternoon wedding at flowerfields, but i really did not like the idea of gettingup at the crack of dawn to get ready.

good luck with your decision!

RichsBride Posted: Mar 06, 2003 09:47 PM

Re: Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

We had a Sunday day(I always thought I'd have an evening wedding but our guest list included many older relatives that don't like driving in the dark & people that made it a one day trip). Our dancefloor was full all day-I have snapshots to prove it. Our location was really beautiful inside & out & the afternoon sun really highlighted that. I'm sure the Swan Club is pretty at night but those garden must be better in the daytime. Sunday evenings are great too, but honestly I have left some Sunday eve parties early. As for the holiday weekend Sunday thing I thing it's a great tip, but if you have alot of out of town guests their airfare might but much higher to travel on a holiday weekend. Part of planning is doubting your choices & feeling unsure, that's normal!!! We looked seriously at our guest list & what we liked the most & went from there.

allure Posted: Mar 06, 2003 09:56 PM

Re: Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

I vote for friday night JMO

Marcela1654 Posted: Mar 06, 2003 10:29 PM

Re: Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

We're having a Sunday night wedding (6pm-12pm) and I was a little concerned at first that people would leave early. But you know what, your closest friends and relatives will stay till the end no matter what.

Rob-luvs-me Posted: Mar 06, 2003 10:38 PM

Re: Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

I think Marcela is right about your closest family and friends staying until the end even if you do Sunday night. Do you have a lot of people coming in from out of town. You might lose those people with a sunday wedding (but then again you might lose them with a friday one as well). Just something else to think about.

Marcela1654 Posted: Mar 06, 2003 10:50 PM

Re: Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

Oh yeah Christine, good point. We're not having a lot of people from out of town. And the people that are coming from out of town intend to stay in New York for at least a week after the wedding.

karenJ Posted: Mar 07, 2003 07:01 AM

Re: Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

It is up to you. You have to weigh the pros and cons in your personal situation. I had to have my wedding on a Sunday due to religious observances since my ceremony is on the day before. We had to choose between the evening and the afternoon . We chose the evening because we did not have too many out of towners who would be inconvenienced and also we found the evening would make our preparation more relaxing since we are going to take pictures between 3.30 and 5.00 pm. Our guests consists of 120 of our closest friends and family members so we expect a lot of these people to attend.

Best of luck

jpsgirl Posted: Mar 07, 2003 07:26 AM

Re: Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

what about you? are you a morning person? have you thought about the fact that you might have to start getting your hair done at like 5am if you have a day wedding? I personally, never could have done that. I would have been like a zombie all day. I had my ceremony at 3pm, I didn't even wake up until almost 9am!

janatlantica Posted: Mar 07, 2003 07:36 AM

Re: Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

I know I always prefer and appreciate sunday afternoon events instead of Sunday night ones. On sun night events we always have to leave early b/c of work. Fri nights are okay too, but I prefer sunday-day to friday night!

Jess2 Posted: Mar 07, 2003 07:48 AM

Re: Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

I am doing a Sunday morning. For me, there's alot of factors, money being one of them, and also we have alot of out-of-town guests who may want to fly out the night of the wedding. We also have alot of people who have to drive long distances. Not sure if this is helpful for you or not! Good luck!

Valenia Posted: Mar 07, 2003 07:52 AM

Re: Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

Another vote for Sunday afternoon here. I believe that the majority of guests would be grateful -- it makes it much easier for travel, allows them to relax and enjoy without being uptight about work the next day, and can be absolutely gorgeous in the right setting, which I've heard Swan Club is. If you have anyone traveling for 2 hours+ you would be forcing them to stay in a hotel, and possibly miss work. While I agree it is your day, I don't think that means its your day to not consider your guests.

My wedding was Sunday afternoon, and maintained a formal tone. We had a great band, and the dance floor was packed from beginning to end.

shelzyp Posted: Mar 07, 2003 08:52 AM

Re: Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

We has this problem too, but my FH siad he didn't want his wedding to end at 5:00 in the afternnon, and when I thought about ti thta way, I didn't want it to either. So we decided on Sunday Night, but the wedding will be over at 11:00. It really depends on what type of wedding you want!

Sage10.03 Posted: Mar 07, 2003 09:03 AM

Re: Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

I recently went to a Sunday night wedding for FH's best friend and b/c he is so close to us, we took Monday off. He had an extended reception until 2am!!!!
I was SO suprised that practically no one left early...It was such an amazing wedding, no one wanted to go.

I am not a huge fan of afternoon weddings, but that is JMO...Everyone is different.

Good luck in making your decision!

kittyke Posted: Mar 07, 2003 09:14 AM

Re: Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

FH and I wanted an afternoon wedding, so we went with Sunday, it is 1 - 6 so it will end early enough for those traveling to get home at a reasonable hour, I have no regrets about booking a Sunday Afternoon in the spring, I think it is going to look beautiful with the flowers and landscaping. (Majestic Gardens)! Try making a list of the pros and cons, sometimes seeing everything on paper iwill help you make the decision. Hope this helps...a little!

Red30NY Posted: Mar 07, 2003 09:42 AM

Re: Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

My FH and I decided on a Saturday afternoon wedding. We did this mainly because most of his family lives in New Jersey, and he didn't want them to have a long drive home late at night. Another nice bonus is that the hall is almost half the cost of what it would be at night. That was important to us because we have just over 300 people on our list, and we'd never be able to afford it if we had to pay full price. After the wedding, some of Frank's frat brothers are getting hotel rooms at the LI Marriott, and we'll have an after party there when the reception is over. I'm not looking forward to waking up at the crack of dawn, but in the end I think it'll be worth it.

IMgetinMarried Posted: Mar 07, 2003 09:51 AM

Re: Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

i thought that I wanted an evening wedding, but after going to like 20 weddings, I always had more fun at afternoon weddings because there was an after party that lasted till the wee hours in the morning. So we booked an afternoon, so we could have an all day party.

jennbaby Posted: Mar 07, 2003 09:52 AM

Re: Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

I'd say Sunday afternoon, on Sunday nights people leave early for work.

cw0904 Posted: Mar 07, 2003 09:59 AM

Re: Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

Due to my family and my guests we chose Friday night. We would have chosen Sat night but expensive.
Sunday was out of the question b/c it would HAVE to have been at night and it would inconvinience everyone if they had to work the next day-JMO.
I am not a fan of day weddings. JMHO.

LaurenDM Posted: Mar 07, 2003 10:00 AM

Re: Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

This might not apply specifically to the Swan Club, because if I remember correctly, all the rooms had windows, but I had my wedding on a Sunday afternoon, and although my ceremony and cocktail hour were in rooms with windows, the reception was in a room with no windows, and you can and did completely forget what time it was, and it felt like nighttime! It was perfect!

rosebud Posted: Mar 07, 2003 10:06 AM

Re: Afternoon or Evening Wedding...NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

Bottom line - do what will make you and your FH happy. If you are comfortable with an afternoon wedding, by all means have one, and do not get trapped into that famous quote, 'Night wedding are better than afternoon weddings'. If you are having it at a place that has beautiful grounds (which you are paying for remember), than by all means have it in the afternoon so you can SEE them. It all comes down the the crowd and the atmosphere you and your guests create. The one great thing about having it in the afternoon is that you can continue the party into the night if you choose to do so!!!