I'm sure there have been posts about this before, but I tried different wording in the search and couldn't come up with anything. My ceremony will be at 3, but most reception halls don't let you in until 7. What can I have my guests do with three hours? Will most just skip the ceremony? And what do I do in all that time? Any ideas?
STIX1130
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Re: What to do between church and reception?
my parents will most likely have family and friends over for drinks, and my fiances parents will do the same at their house.
suebride
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Re: What to do between church and reception?
my parents' house is 5 minutes from the Church so they are going to invite everyone back for drinks and some light food...
Suzannebride
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Re: What to do between church and reception?
Hmmm...I am pretty sure that will really stress my mom out. I was thinking maybe people would go to the ceremony and then go to check in at their hotels which would take up time. Of course, not everyone will be staying at a hotel. Shoot!
exotica776
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Re: What to do between church and reception?
we are going to be taking pictures in between so we cant offer anyones house up. what I find many people do is go to the church, then go home to get ready for the reception etc. or back to their hotel. we dont have many OOT guests so its not a huge issue for us.
busybee705
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Re: What to do between church and reception?
My ceremony is from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm. We'll take some pictures with our guests outside of the church and then I'm off to Planting Fields for a formal photo shoot. I suppose my side of the family will either go to their houses and change or go to Grandma's and chill. Not sure what FH's family will do. The reception starts at 7:00 pm.
PAMROSSI
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Re: What to do between church and reception?
We are taking pictures in between also. We are getting married at 2pm the Wednesday before Thanksgiving so I figure there won't be that many people at the church anyway and if they come they will probably go home and change in between.
samnjenna
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Re: What to do between church and reception?
This was one of my biggest dilemmas -- as a guest I've always hated hanging out for hours between the church and reception.
Our ceremony is at 3:30 and our reception is at 6pm and we aren't planning any 'gathering' for the guests in between.
I've been pretty nervous about this. It will be at least an hour and a half in between.
But the church and the hall are 5 minutes apart -- in Roslyn -- and we are taking pictures right outside the church in the Park. I'm hoping a lot of our guests will mingle around the church/park (we might be able to serve some drinks in the back of the church). I really want to take one of those big crowd photos with my whole family.
I'm also going to list some nearby bars/restaurants in my program -- in case anyone needs to sit down for the hour.
karenk71
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Re: What to do between church and reception?
This was my number one worry when I started my wedding planning. Most of my guests are from OOT, and my ceremony is at 3:00 and the reception starts at 7:00. I finally reached the point where I had to stop worrying and just let it go. The guests are all adults and will find something to do or will just come to the reception. I know it kind of stinks...but we don't have a house or any family around the area that can have guests over. It will be fine! People just need to plan right.
nov04LIbride
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Re: What to do between church and reception?
As a guest I usually skip the ceremony when there is that much time in between. I hate getting dressed and ready twice.
Suzannebride
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Re: What to do between church and reception?
True, they are grown ups and can find a way to keep themselves busy. I'll try to come up with a list of nearby places to go in the meantime. That's a good idea.
But more importantly , what about me? If we are out of the church at 4:15 the latest, will taking pictures really take almost 3 hours? And will I still look okay at the reception if so much time has passed since getting my hair and makeup done? Is this silly to worry about?
ChrissynRicky
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Re: What to do between church and reception?
Our ceremony starts at 3, ends at 4, and our cocktail hour starts at 7:00 - we're not doing anything b/c we figured people will just skip the ceremony or those who do attend, will go back home and change or whatever. Otherwise, we're giving everyone enough time between the church (bklyn) and the reception (LI) b/c of Sunday Traffic!
You can see if the church has a hall and maybe serve up some really light food, drinks, and maybe show a movie or video montage of you and the FI?
