12:30 pm Cake & Punch Reception for Church Guests Ideas

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm can you have some snacks or something? That is truly smack dab in the middle of lunch.

Cheese and crackers, fruit trays, sandwich trays. Something. I would be dieiingggggggggg.

Why wouldn't you have it earlier?

Also, I guess technically I could plan ahead and eat beforehand, but I would still be hungry. Makes me hangry.

Yea, if you can afford it, I would try to have some real food there. People are going to be hungry. If people aren't fed, they will not be happy and will leave early to get real food on their way home.

I would do some kind of snacks, weddings make me hungry too PurpleSun

I must be the only one who doesn't think you need to supply an extra party for a bunch of people you didn't invite to your wedding.

I mean, if I showed up to a wedding I wasn't invited to I wouldn't expect food for me afterward...after all, I wouldn't have been invited. This is super weird to me.

If you can swing it, put out a couple of trays of cold cuts, cheese, crackers or bread, veggies and dip. It doesn't have to be fancy, just a little something. If it's out of the budget, just make sure it's mentioned in the church's newsletter or website that it's cake and punch, so people eat a good breakfast that day!

No, I agree with you. Cake, punch, bye bye. These receptions are usually very short, and no one expects to eat. It's not unlike going to church and having coffee hour afterwards.

While it's traditional to invite the whole parish, it's also traditional for everyone NOT to come. Those who do will stay for 20 minutes.

When the notice gets printed in the bulletin or the notice goes up, it should say, "Join the couple for wedding cake and coffee after the service."

Problem solved.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. @PurpleSun i'm really not a morning person and I just don't want to rush to get ready on time if the wedding is earlier in the day.

I will probably just stick with what Celia said...

@Celia - what is the best way to let the family/friend guests (those who will be going to the private reception) know that we will be having the brief cake and coffee with the parish after the ceremony? On our wedding website or on the invitation? I'm not sure whether to include our invited guests in the cake/coffee reception. There may not be enough space and I will be able to spend time with them later at the early dinner reception.

Normally I would agree with Celia, but the wedding is DURING lunch hours. Which means, even the people that you ACTUALLY invited to the wedding, will be hangry as well. It is hard enjoying something when your stomach is growling (especially if you have to drive and get ready in the hours before). All you can think about is food, when is this going to end, etc. Not the most enjoyable wedding experience for guests, whether they are invited or not.

I mean you are going to do whatever you want anyway, that is just my two cents.

Wait a minute! The priest invited them?? Then the priest supplies this!

For your friends and family, you'll invite them to the ceremony and the reception as if nothing else happens in between, and rely on word of mouth to let them know you'll be doing a tiny 'hello and thank you" in the church hall. They may welcome the time to go back to the hotel, go out with long lost friends for a cocktail...well...you get it....

PurpleSun brought up a good point; if your private reception is right after the church hall reception, then i wouldn't worry about it. If it's dinner, hours later, then it's a different discussion.

I will agree any earlier is especially if you are not a morning person. I would put a notice about it being cake and coffee only. When it is a church reception in my experience people don't expect a meal. Especially when the whole church is invited.

I'm still waiting to hear back from the reception venue about our ideas. Their chef quit shortly after our initial meeting and it's slowing down the process. Until I get more information I can't make many decisions for the reception timing and whatnot. Unfortunately the majority of things are still up in the air!

This is out there, but could you have coffee and muffins instead of wedding cake? That way it be a brunch-y snack for everyone and it would help hold your private guests over until the (lunch) reception? You could pick up some muffins at Costco if you want huge ones, or some normal-size ones from your favorite bakery or supermarket.