FH and I are not agreeing on this, so of course I turn to you ladies. Our ceremony starts at 7 p.m. Should our invite time be 6:30 or 6:45? There will be champagne and strawberries served when the guests arrive so at least they won't be standing there with nothing to do...but I'm worried that with a 6:30 invite time, people will show up at 6:15 or earlier and have to wait for 45 minutes for things to get underway. What do you all think?
junebride!
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Re: What should my invite time be?
If the ceremony starts at 7, people will want to get hteere early to get a seat and get settled. If you put 645 I think you're right, people will come earlier...so you want them seated, etc at 7 seems 645 is good. Some will come at 630 but they will know they've built in time to sit and do nothing IMO
akaMrsT
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Re: What should my invite time be?
6:45 pm. is good.
I attended a wedding with a 7 p.m. ceremony and the traditionally late people were still late - but the invite was 6:45 p.m.
Corduroy94
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Re: What should my invite time be?
We're scheduling ours 15 min early even thought the catering hall said to schedule it 30 min early for late comers.
Kdrainey is right - if they're on time they will already know to be a few min. early to get a seat, and if they're the late comers....they'll still be late
azoodie
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Re: What should my invite time be?
6:45!
our ceremony is 3:30 and the invite says 3:15
Latrice
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Re: What should my invite time be?
my invites will be a half and hour earlier. I am figuring that a lot of my guests are not from Long Island. It may be their first time traveling to the site. So I want to give everyone as much time as possible. Most people will be fine with that. The earlier the better.
David'sbride
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Re: What should my invite time be?
My ceremony is actually scheduled for 11:15 and my hall wanted me to put that on the invites. I have too many people coming from Western Nassau, NJ and Westchester so I put 11 am. Worse comes to worse we'll start at 11:25 or so as we are having a short ceremony but we have 1/2 allotted for it.
I would just put 15 minutes earlier.
FTRBRIDE
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Re: What should my invite time be?
We're doing invite 1/2 hour before ceremony, and we're doing champagne and strawberries also.
I think most people know that the invite time is always a little bit before the ceremony actually begins, so I wouldn't be worried about people showing up even earlier. We're having a string trio play the entire time, and the programs will be out- plus everyone will be saying their hellos. Plus, if people show up towards the later end of the 15 minutes and valet is backed up by two or three cars, you might have your guests running in to grab their seats.
So, i say go 1/2 hour, or compromise with 20 minutes. 15 mins is pretty short.
eogara
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Re: What should my invite time be?
Doesn't your hall tell you? We're doing the same - champagne and fresh fruit beforehand - and the hall has us booked at 6 for a 6:30 ceremony. I would put 1/2 hour before the ceremony starts. Some people may show up 15 minutes early but some people may also show up 15 minutes late. The 15 minutes late puts them at the start of the ceremony if you're starting at 6:45, which is what having the champagne, et al is trying to avoid.
JBKempf
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Re: What should my invite time be?
I would go with a 1/2 hour early. I know my guests, and more are late then early. If there is something for them to do, then why not.
Bunnymonkey
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Re: What should my invite time be?
i am debating this right now also (except we are having fresh lemonade served out in the vineyard )
I am thinking 15 minutes before should do the trick.
Ask me again, I might have a different answer!
BlondeJD
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Re: What should my invite time be?
Thanks for all the opinions! To answer eogara's question, the hall recommends 1/2 hour before the ceremony start. I just need to figure this out before I order my invites!
melissaandsean
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Re: What should my invite time be?
my hall never even mentioned this to me. My ceremony starts at 7pm. My invite says 7pm. I could always bump up my start time til 715pm though. It's not like anyone else is getting married at my hall, so I have some room there.
I can't believe I didn't think of this before ordering my invites.
ppwbride
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Re: What should my invite time be?
I'm debating this too - I think 30 min might be too long, but my hang up with the 15 min early is that it seems a strange time on my invite. For the formal invite, they usually write out the time, so it would be 'forty-five minutes past five in the evening' - Does that sound/look odd? (as opposed to six in the evening or half past five in the evening)
eogara
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Re: What should my invite time be?
Posted by jenniesunshine
Thanks for all the opinions! To answer eogara's question, the hall recommends 1/2 hour before the ceremony start. I just need to figure this out before I order my invites!
You know, check with them before you decide because I am just now remembering that my hall uses the first 15 to dole out the champagne and fruit but the next 15 is when they're ushered into the ceremony room. If you're going to go with the 'some people will be 15 min early, some will be 15 min late' those late will actually be walking in with you! IMO you should go with what the hall is recommending. Since they're the ones who handle this every week, they probably are the best ones to give the advice.
SomethingBlu
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Re: What should my invite time be?
I'm doing 30 minutes. The ealry people will always be early, the late people will always be late...and it gives enough time for everyone to chat and mingle before the ceremony.
ckgmwedding
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If its a church wedding, do I put the time 15 minutes earlier so people don't arrive late??? I am ordering my invites soon so I need to know.
SomethingBlu
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Re: What should my invite time be?
Posted by ckgmwedding
If its a church wedding, do I put the time 15 minutes earlier so people don't arrive late??? I am ordering my invites soon so I need to know.
Mine is a church wedding and the Monsignor said it was best to write 1/2 hour earlier, so that's what I'm doing; ceremony starts at 3pm, I'm writing half past two on the invite.
Borricuamorena0905
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Re: What should my invite time be?
Dealing with Black folk, I am putting a 1/2 hr earlier.. We are are known to show up late to EVErYTHING!
lolita4life
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DEF 6:30 imo!!!!!!! People are ALWAYS late!!! this way expect them to really arrive at 6:45.
