Bar hopping between ceremony and reception?

This isn't normal since the hosted cocktail hour should begin immediately after the ceremony (if the ceremony and reception are in the same space) or immediately after guests arrive at the reception venue. The fact that they had time to go to a bar and get lit means that there was too long of a gap between the ceremony and reception. Having a hosted cocktail hour would prevent this since there should be a licensed bartender there to cut people off if they've had one too many.

When there is a big gap it happens. We just went to one with a 3 hour gap and we hit up a couple local wineries to kill time

This wasnt a scheduled gap. They made everyone wait. They took all the photos before hand and the reception was suppose to be immediately following according to invites.

Weird. Never heard of this.

Well that's even worse. This is poor planning on their part. I would've just skipped the reception altogether if I were them.

@peaceAndLove11 thats exactly what I thought. Well that and how rude it was to make all their guest wait without any reason.

My ceremony and reception are in the same venue. No wait. It's heavy hors d'oeuvres and open bar starting at 7pm. We plan to have all our family photos done before the ceremony, so we will dance our fannies up the aisle and right to the reception!

I've heard of that happening here in Wisconsin, but I'm not planning on doing this for our wedding. I think it's a waste of time, and I don't want FH's groomsmen to get too drunk early on.

That's rude, midwest or no.

It's normal where I'm from (midwest) and pretty expected. Mostly everyone has catholic weddings with a small gap or if they don't they skip cocktail hour to go bar hopping.

Never heard of nor experienced it.

Yeah, I'm from the Midwest and I think that's rude AF and very tasteless.

So glad Im not the only one to find it SUPER rude.

Yes, this is common in areas where there are long gaps between the ceremony and reception.

And this is what happens when there's a gap that the couple believes "everyone was fine with."

Out of pocket expenses aside (which is unforgivable), who wants drunk guests who are fading before dinner at their wedding reception? Host a proper wedding that includes a ceremony followed by an immediate transition to a cocktail hour and a reception, Anything else is rude (and expensive).

ETA: And it's horribly rude if the invitations said "reception immediately following". Yuck.

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In my first wedding we stopped at ONE bar for a shot and a drink. It was on the way to the reception hall. Catholic gap also of like an hour. So no one really waited for us.

No not at all! First time, I have heard of this.

I'm from Wisconsin and until my fiancée (he's from Boston) and I started planning I always thought this was a thing. Every wedding I have been too has had this. Big catholic mass wedding and then you bar hop to the reception. Just shows how much of a drinking problem we have.