time between ceremony and cocktail hour

I'm exactly at the six month point today! Yay!
Just looking for some advice:
My cocktail hour will begin at 6. I am just trying to figure out what time to hold the ceremony. My concern here is that my fiance and I want to be present for as much of the cocktails as possible but have to do photos. I definitely do not want to do them before the ceremony, as some have suggested. Would it be aweful for guests if we had the ceremony from 3:30- 4 and then we could go do our pic's till 6 so we could be at the whole cocktail party? I read in a magazine that it's nice to have all of the guests over to someone's house in the area for wine and cheese etc. between the ceremony and reception so the guests aren't hanging out. I don't want to be rude but I want to say hello to everyone during cocktails (not doing a receiving line) so I don't know what else to do. Help!!

time between ceremony and cocktail hour

It sounds like you are having the ceremony and reception at 2 different places... If so, I don't think there is a problem with what you want to do at all. Just let people find their own stuff to do, let them group off with other family members and I have seen a lot of times where guests go home and change into their dressy stuff for the reception after the church. You don't need to do pics before. It is also my personal pereference for the church to be the first place I see my fiance on our wedding day. And I can't blame you for wanting to be present at the cocktail hour..the reception passes so fast, it's nice to ge that extra time in. The time between 4 and 6 is not really that long either.

I went with Burton's Bridals in Melville. They were excellent, alterations were capped at $35, they are also small, but much more friendly than the Bridal Garden.

time between ceremony and cocktail hour

I've always been used to seeing the reception immediately following. It wasn't until I moved to the East Coast that I started seeing a big time lapse between the wedding and reception.

time between ceremony and cocktail hour

Karen H.,

When the reception is immediately following the ceremony, how do the pictures get done?

time between ceremony and cocktail hour

Well, I'll probably get a lot of flack for my opinion on this, but I think that's the purpose of the cocktail hour - to give your guests something to do while your photos are being taken so they don't have to fend for themselves. That's how it was always done in the Midwest where I grew up. The bride and groom and bridal party had the formal shots taken during the cocktail hour.

time between ceremony and cocktail hour

Amanda,

Our wedding will be at 4:00. We have been told we will be on our way at 5:00. Our cocktail hour starts at 6:30 and is only about 10 minutes from the church, so there will be 1 1/2 hours between for us to take photos. From my experience, many people will come somewhat casual to the ceremony and go home to freshen up and change into more formal clothes for the reception if they live close enough.

time between ceremony and cocktail hour

We are just dealing with this situation now and I'm between a rock and a hard place. I'm getting married at 11:00 and am having the cocktail hour start at 12:00. I chose 12:00 instead of 1:30 (the only other choice) because we just went to a wedding where the cocktail hour started at 1:30. Everyone, even myself I must admit, was very hungry by that time. Also, it rained and we had nothing to do but sit in the car for an hour and 1/2. It just made the wedding start out on a bad note with the whole family complaining. I really want to go to at least part of my cocktail hr. and want to arrive on the boat at Chatau La Mer. The photographer needs an hour for our formals, so I opted for the photos the hour before the ceremony which I really don't want to do. But the more I think about it, what difference if my FI sees me first walking down the isle or at the lake for photos. He's the type of guy who it will probably mean more to see me first at the lake where we can kiss and talk. Sorry for going on so long. Thanks. Jen.

I used Royalty Limos in Franklin Square for my wedding on 10/28 of this year and they were great. They had a great selection, were on time, the limos were clean and the drivers were very nice and helpful. My friend is also using them and she is getting married at the Floral Terrace too. Good Luck!!

I have heard only rave reviews about the food & service from friends & neighbors who have attended events there.

time between ceremony and cocktail hour

I wouldn't worry about it so much. It is almost normal to have that here in the tri-state area. You can't have a wedding at 5:00 on a Sat or Sun in a church there are masses so your options are having a few hours break. I The Church will start at 3:00 full mass so that is 1.5 hours and the cocktail party starts at 7:00. Most of my guest will come from LI so they are use to this and they will either go home and change or hang out with each other and have coffee. Mike's guest are mostly from upstate they are all staying in the same hotel and will either get dressed after the church or gather at the hotel and catch up.

Out of all the weddings with a break in between I've been to only one was I invited back to someone's home. It was nice but there is no way my house will be ready for this affair with the 5 of us plus all the bridesmaids getting ready there.

Good Luck with what ever you choose.

JMHO on this time stuff

We're getting married at 3:30 at St Barnibus in Bellmore, then our cocktail hour starts at 5:15 at the Westbury Manor. Our guests will probably only be waiting for 15 minutes or so, and they can always walk the grounds, which are beautiful. However, when we booked it in May we originally had a 5:00 ceremony, 8:15 cocktail hour. My fiance "convinced" me that it would be ok, but it bothered me until the end of September when I finally made the change. I spoke to some people who said that in similar situations with a big gap they wound up going to Dunkin Donuts or making some other stop and I just didn't want anyone to have to stop at a fast food place on the way to my wedding because they had no place else to go. It didn't seem right. A good photographer can get formals done in 20 minutes or even less, depending on how much you get done before the ceremony without your husband.

time between ceremony and cocktail hour

Each situation is different and how we grow up effects the choices we make as adults. No one way is the right way, that's for sure.

I hear the weddings down south are a lot different from up here too. From what I understand, they don't do big receptions. Many don't even use catering halls.

time between..both in same place!

I am also having major difficulty, since my ceremony and cocktail hour/reception are in the same place! I understand Karen H's point, but my fi and I refuse to spend $30,000 on catering alone and then not even get a chance to see what are guests are served for the cocktail hour!

Despite photographers' pleas to do all pictures before hand, we plan to budget in a 30 minute gap between the end of the ceremony and the beginning of the cocktail hour. Hopefully, the guests will take this time to enjoy the grounds and wander around the site (Oheka Castle). I figure that by the time they all file out of the ceremony room and say their hellos to everyone, most of the 30 minutes will fly by anyway.

time between..Gina

Gina;

At our reception site, we have a bridal attendant that will be bringing us whatever we want from the cocktail hour and bar. I expect we'll be spending time between there and photographs. When I'm posing with my family and my bridesmaids, the groom and his guys can be enjoying the goodies and vice versa. Will they do that for you at Oheka? Also, insist that they pack some left-overs from the cocktail hour for you to take back to the hotel - I've heard that the bride and groom often leave hungry because they hardly took a bite at the reception.

time between ceremony and cocktail hour

We are having our ceremony at 3:30 and cocktails start at 7...plenty of time for us to get all of our pictures done and be there to enjoy the cocktail hour with all of our guests. As far as the in-between time, we are really not worrying too much about it. My mom is staying at a hotel and inviting some family and friends back for drinks/snacks there. His mom lives nearby the church and will likely have people from his side there. As far as friends go, I'm sure most of them will find a place to hang out and have a drink or something in between...

My MOH purchased her dress at the Bridal Garden. I even went there to look at dresses, but was unable to find a style I liked. Well at this point in time I wouldn't recommend the Bridal Garden to an enemy. My MOH's grandmother died 2 weeks ago. She recieved the news the same night as her appt for her fitting. In all the confusion she forgot about the appt. Well when she got home from the funeral, her mother called her and said ther is a nasty message on the machine, from the Bridal Garden. When she callled to explain what happened all they cared about was the fact that she had missed her appt. They never even said they were sorry for her loss. We went last week for her final fitting and while I waited I looked for a MOH dress for her, we (the owner and the shop girl) got into a discussion about my wedding dress. When they became privy to the fact that I hd purchased my gown in the city, they spent 10 minutes ripping me apart becuase I didin't buy it there. I was so angry. It was unreal. If they weren't still in possession of my MOH's wedding to make the bustle I would have told them where to go. Sorry this is so long... but use them with caution!!!

time between ceremony and cocktail hour

Our Interfaith ceremony and reception are in the same place. 11:30 ceremony, 12:00 cocktail hour and 1:00 reception! We've decided that we'll see each other before the ceremony and take our pictures then (I'll be fresh, too!). It bothered me at first, but it makes sense and allows everyone to attend the cocktail hour which is important to us.

Everyone has to decide what's best for them on their day, although, I'd feel terrible if I had out of town guests w/ 2 hours to kill in-between or if my guests went to get a "snack" before my cocktail hour! These things are expensive! LOL

time between ceremony and cocktail hour

Amanda

Our ceremony was at 3, cocktail hour began at 7. Believe it or not, we didn't have any time in between to lolly gag. We left the church around 4:15 4:30, took pictures until 6:00 or so and went to the reception. Our guests were invited back to my mom's house for the time span. Although it seems long, it really is not. By the time they drive to the house, eat a little something and have to drive to the reception, it's perfect timing. Also, it allowed us to have photos done and mingle during the cocktail hour.

Good luck!