I don't know what time to start the cocktail hour/reception

The banquet manager needs to know what time we want to start the cocktail hour and I don't know what to tell her. The latest we'll be able to have our ceremony at the church will be 3:00pm. That's fine, but I didn't want the reception to start until it's dark out. (We're night party people) That would mean I couldn't start the cocktail hour until 6:30pm since the sun sets at 7:27pm. Is that too much time in between? The ceremony will only take at the most, 1/2 an hour. So figure the most people will be out of the church by 4:00pm. That's 2.5 hours in between. We'll be taking pictures, I'm sure, but what about everyone else? It only takes about 15-20 minutes to get to the country club from the church. Any ideas?

I don`t know what time to start the cocktail hour/reception

Maybe you can check with the country club to see if they have a bar area for your guests. They can hang out there until the cocktail hour.

I don`t know what time to start the cocktail hour/reception

I would think a 6.00-6.30 start time for the cocktail hour is fine. Your guests won't have to kill too much time between the ceremony and cocktail hour by the time the reception really gets under way - after intros, speeches and first dances it will be dark.

I don`t know what time to start the cocktail hour/reception

I think you'll be fine. My church is at 4 and the cocktail hour starts at 7, so I have about the came amount of time in between. I just got an invite for a friends wedding whose church is at 1:30 and the reception is at 6, so you can put as much time in between as you want.

My advise

Melissa, are you having just a ceremony or a full mass. A full mass is 1 hour long plus you can have a recieving line and Church photos. That brings you to 4:30-4:40. I think you have a lot of guests from out-of-town. Is that correct? If so, then I think the best time is a 6:00pm cocktail hour. That is still a lot of time in between the two events. Also, remember your reception will go until 11:00pm. I would be a bit nervous for a 7pm cocktail hour. Your guests will be hungry well before then, if they go to a 3pm wedding. Plus it discourages some people from going to the Church if there is a long time in between both events. Oh, there is a beautiful Horticulture in Holbrook where you can take photos. Ask your photographer about it.

My experience

You will want some time inbetween the church and the wedding to take pictures. If you don't leave enough time, you and the bridal party will miss the cocktail hour. At my wedding, I knew that I was going to miss the cocktail hour, but we didn't have much of a choice, but I felt bad for the bridal party because they missed it too. If there is some extra time, are any of your parents nearby? Maybe they will allow guests to go there in between (that is what my mother did for both my sister and my brother's wedding).

What I think...

I agree with Michele31. I know that some weddings do have that lag time in between, but as a guest, I found it to be disconcerting. I didn't know what to do in that time, and as I was dressed up for a wedding, there was precious little TO DO. It's somewhat annoying, too. Also, in my opinion (and this is only my opinion), I think that lag time breaks up the entire wedding event in an unnatural way, and breaks the momentum and excitement of the day for your guests. It's much nicer (again, just MY opinion) to have a smooth transition from the ceremony to the cocktail hour. Figure out exactly when the ceremony will end, and how long it will take to get to the reception hall (taking traffic into account), and the cocktail hour should be open when your guests arrive. They will be hungry, and ready to celebrate - you don't need them bored and waiting around. Again, just my opinion.

my thoughts

I've always felt the same way as Lauren when I was a guest. But as a bride, I could not work out the schedule to fit that smoothly. The church was only available at 2 and the reception at 7, so I'm dealing with a long lag time. The chruch should be over about 3:15, so they have about 3 hours to kill before heading towards Land's End. My mother will be hosting people at her house for drinks and snacks while we take pictures. Also guests can change into more formal attire during that time(I always felt funny going to church in a cocktail dress). If you can minimize the time then you shouls but not at the expense of you missing the cocktail hour.

my thoughts

My church is at 3:00 pm, having a mass, so we are done around 4, after receiving line and pics, it is about 4:30-4:40. My cocktail hour starts @6:30. Travel time between my church, Our Lady of Lourdes, Malverne and reception, Crest Hollow, is about 30-40 min. on a Saturday afternoon with traffic. About 25 min with no traffic. I think that is sufficient. I wouldn't go any earlier than 6.

I have the same dilemna...

and I hate having any lag time between ceremony & reception. Do what is customary in your family and stick with that. Another option: Can you move the ceremony to 6PM so you can have an immediately following evening reception?