Afternoon vs. Evening Wedding

I'd go with the evening option. Why end an hour or two early? You can't stay up till 11 p.m. on the night of your wedding?

I think the afternoon is best if you don't want a long dance party reception. You may save some money on catering at lunchtime vs dinner.

Afternoon would save money, but as a guest I definitely prefer an evening wedding. My upcoming wedding will take place in the evening.

Do you want dancing? If so, I would probably do the evening reception. But on the other hand, the afternoon reception coupld probably save you money.

Depends on the vibe you want. If you want more of a party atmosphere evening is better. Afternoon you can be a little more casual if you'd like (although I think you can do that at night too, it's just assumed for an afternoon wedding). A 3 hour reception is relatively short - if I went to a wedding that was over at 9 I'd probably go out after since I got all dressed up anyway. There's not much time left over after your intro, dances, dinner, dessert, etc.

I like night time receptions ... but it's personal preference

Sounds like #teamEVENINGwedding is winning. I definitely have a year to adjust my thinking and want my guests to enjoy themselves. You're feedback is awesome! Thank you!

We are doing a Saturday afternoon wedding. It works perfect for us.

Doesn't matter what time of day if people are fun. If there's good music. Then, people will dance and have a good time as long as the entertainment is good.

Our ceremony is 11:30 followed by reception. It'll be ending around 5:30.

It's saving us 2K$ just by having a day time wedding which adds up quickly.

You have time to think. Do what's best for you.

I personally hated waiting around alllll day for my brothers wedding until 5:30 that's just me

I would do the evening! I have lots of people coming to mine who work until 5 on Saturday and wouldn't be able to make an afternoon wedding work

6-11 evening is the time frame we are doing. Ceremony is at 5. We have cocktail hour 530-630 and then start the reception. I love this time frame and actually wondered if it was too short of a reception haha. I don't think you should cut it short. You'll be having some much fun. Time flies. ETA with 5pm ceremony my 3 BM, my mother, and myself have to start hair/makeup at 7am to make time for the first look and photos.

I did afternoon.

1- it saved me money per plate, so I could invite some people who were on the cusp

2- a lot of my guests are traveling around 3 hours. This gives them the option to do it all in one day if they had to.

3- I don't want to stay up late. I get cranky, no one wants to hang out with me past my bed time.

4- there are some cool places near me that we can all hang out and continue the "party" in a more intimate/relaxed setting after.

5- I wanted a more casual atmosphere and wanted my friends and family to bring their kids, which I think just matches afterwards better.

I still have a DJ, full meal, and an open bar.

We are having an afternoon wedding. Same amount of time, full meal, open bar, dj. Our guests have commented that they were happy it is an afternoon wedding. After the reception we will get changed and all hang out casually. Works for us.

There's a reason that Saturday evening receptions are always the most expensive -- it's because most of us love the idea of a Saturday evening party. Does that mean that a Saturday afternoon reception, especially if it's hosted well with drinks, apps, dinner, and dancing, will be any less appreciated? No, of course not -- however, it may be slightly less anticipated. Again, that's why Saturday evening receptions are the most expensive events to host.

There's just something about dressing up and attending an evening party on a Saturday that appeals to most people. A fully hosted lunch with a DJ sounds nice, but our internal clocks are more calibrated to partying with abandon in the evening. If you have a choice, and money isn't an object, I'd say that a Saturday afternoon reception lacks a certain joie de vivre that a party after sunset promises.

One sentence in your post, OP, concerns me, and it's this: " Our Vermont time will depend on our reception time of course - to minimize gap time." Gap time? Nothing is equal, based on what I wrote, if you are facing a gap between the ceremony and reception. Job one is closing that gap. If that means an afternoon reception, then that's what it means. A Saturday afternoon reception immediately following a ceremony trumps a Saturday evening reception that happens hours of dead time after the ceremony. If that's the case, there isn't much of choice to make. The answer is simple: Saturday afternoon it is (and as I guest, I'd thank you for that).

I say evening and dont end early. Even if you leave others usually still stay and party

Hi Chelsea! We're having our ceremony at 5:00PM as well on 05/04/2019.

Any tips that you have for me?

I'm having a hard time with the food... Although we will have stuff to eat we are not able to provide a full course dinner and there will be beer and wine. Now that January has hit I feel like i'm panicking so any tips will help!!

Thank you!