Need some advice please

NovBride06 Posted: Sep 28, 2005 02:47 PM

Need some advice please

hey guys, have a question...
i signed a contract with hall for party to start at 730, but my church is now starting at 330 with mass, so im going to have a lot of time between, church is in brooklyn so it will take like hour to get to hall, but that still leaves me with a big gap, i figure wedding will be done about 430, after pictures will be about 5-530, which means i would be getting to hall about 630-7, with such a big gap i am afriad a lot of people wont come ot church, now my FH asked hall once if we can move up time to 630 or even 700 they said they dont do that, my question is would i be better off leaving it at 730 and just i dont know figure smtg out with the time, or is there any way i can convince them to move it up, has anyone else had this problem?? which would be better starting at 7 or 730? help PLEASE

Kerrycec Posted: Sep 28, 2005 02:50 PM

Re: Need some advice please

honestly, mine is about the same, and I'm not worried.

Church with mass & recieving line, it takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes, plus your 1 hour drive, not including traffic, you'll be fine. But hate to be a bubble burster, since I live in Suffolk I probably wouldn't drive out to Brooklyn to then drive back.

JessicaM. Posted: Sep 28, 2005 02:50 PM

Re: Need some advice please

if you are close with your church, I would say move THAT up for 4 or 4:30...it may be easier, and it will give you more time to get ready day of.

if your hall has a party booked earlier on your day, they won't be able to change your time.

Preshy7 Posted: Sep 28, 2005 02:50 PM

Re: Need some advice please

iit takes an hour to get to the hall & it will take at least an hour to do pics. your ceremony will probably start late (most do) and dont forget an half hour for receiving line.

max guests will have an hour inbetween - if that.

also, some halls allow an arrival time of a half hour early for your guests.

dont worry about it!

ChrissynRicky Posted: Sep 28, 2005 02:51 PM

Re: Need some advice please

I'm in the same situation and very greatful that I have the gap.

My ceremony is also in Brooklyn and begins at 3:00 p.m. and then my reception is in Long Island at 7:00 p.m.

If our ceremony ends at 4, between pictures and the receiving line, you won't be heading into Long Island unti at least 5:30.

You have to allow enough time for TRAFFIC!

I cannot stress this enough. Even if it takes 1 Hour to get to your hall, you just never know what the TRAFFIC can be like.

I was also worried about my guests, but I've gotten feedback from many, and they plan on attending both the ceremony and reception, and don't mind waiting around at the reception site till we get there.

tracy2246 Posted: Sep 28, 2005 02:52 PM

Re: Need some advice please

I would have your family come early to the hall and get all your family pics done

jilmadison Posted: Sep 28, 2005 03:05 PM

Re: Need some advice please

Can you move your church to 4?

NovBride06 Posted: Sep 28, 2005 03:07 PM

Re: Need some advice please

see problem is that there is 500 mass so no matter what i have to be done by 500, however im still deciding, i might not have ceremony with mass might just have ceremony itself to give time for receiving line and pics and traffic.. i didnt event think of all that!!! thanks so much for all your input, im going crazyyy

Suzannebride Posted: Sep 28, 2005 03:14 PM

Re: Need some advice please

I have a 3pm ceremony and 7pm cocktail hour. And there is only a 30 minute drive tops to my hall. Can't move the church time because of mass and can't move the hall time because of an earlier event. I am hoping maybe people will take that time to check into the hotel if they are staying there. A friend had a 'hospitality suite' at the hotel between the two events but honestly I couldn't find it! I think I will just let people know that there is a tavern near the hall where they can hang out if they need to kill time.

Kerrycec Posted: Sep 28, 2005 03:14 PM

Re: Need some advice please

it will be fine, trust me you have a great sched.

kellwolfe Posted: Sep 28, 2005 03:19 PM

Re: Need some advice please

do you have any out of town people staying at a hotel - cause sometime they will have a room that you can rent and just have some drinks and passes items to kill some time -just a thought i dont know much it would run you

steflily Posted: Sep 28, 2005 03:23 PM

Re: Need some advice please

My times are about the same and I am worried about not having enought time.

Church is at 3:15 (full mass) and the CH starts at 7:00pm that we both want to attend. We also have a good hours drive from the church to the hall. I hope I don't have to miss any of the CH for family pics.

The way that I see it is that it's better to have a little more than you think you will need. In March, I was in a wedding that the church was in Brooklyn and the hall was JT. We spent the entire time in between in traffic and then missed the CH to take pictures.

Pookiesangel Posted: Sep 28, 2005 03:29 PM

Re: Need some advice please

I'd say leave it as it is, more time is better than not enough time, I struggled with this too, one or two guest will probably huff about it but overall no one will mind much at all, plus you will be so distracted that day, all the time you think you have will just fly by!!

candb Posted: Sep 28, 2005 05:20 PM

Re: Need some advice please

The halls have weddings before yours, and it takes time to get them out, clean up, and have staff changes. I would leave it alone. You can't make them let you get there any earlier.

October Bliss Posted: Sep 29, 2005 12:17 AM

Re: Need some advice please

I was originally having ceremony at reception location. Now (thanks to every single photographer I met with) FH wants afternoon ceremony. We're planning for 3PM ceremony, with CH scheduled for 7 PM. Our reception location is also 1 hour away from ceremony site, but almost all the guests live w/in 15 minutes of ceremony location. I'm figuring a bunch of people will show up to ceremony not dressed, go home and change into real party clothes and then go to reception.

BKtoLI Posted: Sep 29, 2005 01:59 AM

Re: Need some advice please

Traffic should not be an issue as along as the driver does not take the BELT PARKWAY!!!

There is almost always traffic, so if you have access to the BQE, (even if it's through Ocean Parkway) I would say take that route, because Lord knows from living in Brooklyn, there's rarely a time when there ISN'T traffic on the belt!!

The other option (and I only know this from moving) is taking the streets through Queens until the Grand Central or the LIE!! (We took Cross Bay to Woodhaven to the LIE)

I would time the drive on a day and time that you leave from the church to the hall and see how long it takes.

CalJoe0124 Posted: Sep 29, 2005 07:48 AM

Re: Need some advice please

I say leave as much time as you can in between church and reception.
We have about an hour drive also and with the church and pics it will probably wind up being 630ish when we finish just in time for CH to start.
I think it will all work out ok

NovBride06 Posted: Sep 29, 2005 09:01 PM

Re: Need some advice please

thanks for all the input, problem i was having is a lot of family is in jersey and upstate but you know what? its ONE day that they may be a LITTLE inconvenienced and im just gonna leave as is to give myself enough time and not stress so much...i didnt even think about traffic or pics or anything so now im seeing i got a really good schedule...THANK YOU ALL for you advice i really appreciate it!