Cake & Punch Etiquette

View Quoted Comment Can you just take pics later? If you’re only talking 2 hours and your only serving guests cake and punch having a ceremony and taking pictures that’s going to take up most of your 2 hours. Will your guests have to stand around waiting for you to take pics while they wait on their cake?

View Quoted Comment Yes definitely more than cheese and crackers. Thanks for your suggestions.

View Quoted Comment That's we're the idea of cake & punch comes in, so they can eat (in this case finger foods) while we take pix. No waithing around.. witness the ceremony, grab a bite to eat, then send us off.

Evening weddings should include a meal. If you plan an after cake and punch, I think that would be fine.

View Quoted Comment What exactly is an after cake and punch?

I meant AFTERNOON. Typo

View Quoted Comment Lol. Oh ok. Thank you

View Quoted Comment So wait, you aren’t even going to be at your own reception?

View Quoted Comment So you’re not going to spend any time with your guests then?

We eat pretty late, but it wouldn't bother me at all to be invited to this type of set-up. We'd just eat early for once. I think the main event is the ceremony though.

Since you're planning only two hours, including ceremony, your guests will want to spend that entire time talking to and taking pictures with you. Can you do pictures with your FH beforehand? Also I'd be extremely clear on the invite. Light appetizers and cake to follow. And state the end time of the reception so people know it's short. Will you have a champagne toast?

Yeah I'd either do this in the afternoon and just take pics later - that way you get sunset & you can spend time w your guests, or do your Plan B as you said, courthouse. Evening weddings should include a meal IMO unless they are late - ceremony @ 8pm and heavy apps and desserts.

View Quoted Comment Including the end time is a great idea! Thank you so much! We'll most likely take pix with everyone since our guest list is so small. Throwing in a first look while guest arrive will make the process go smoothier.

View Quoted Comment Ok. Pix at sunset, then ceremony, then dessert sounds good as well. Thank you

View Quoted Comment Oh and no champagne toast necessary. But if someone really wants to I wouldn't be oppose to it.

View Quoted Comment Of course! But it won't be for hours considering no heavy meal will be served, and we see our 25 guest often. Ceremony should be about 20mins max, Thank yous, hugs, kisses, pictures, a bite to eat and a send off.

View Quoted Comment I'll be there but guest don't have to wait to eat

View Quoted Comment I feel like you aren’t giving your guest proper time to spend with you. Everyone here is saying heavy apps(which cost just as much as a full meal) take time to eat. So in between them munching on it you’re going to have those same people taking pictures with you you’re going to hug them say thanks for coming watching us get married and bringing a gift now tell us goodbye. Cake and punch is better for afternoons because it doesn’t take long to eat. 2 hours broken down 20 mine for ceremony 20-30 for pictures(while people are jumping in and out and eating apps) 15ish for cutting cake/serving people 10 for them to eat the cake 30 minutes to actually spend with guests and they send you off. 25 guests and 30 minutes means they get 1-2 minutes with you only before preparing for the send off. Heavy apps are stuff like sliders and kebabs and you’ll need roughly 5 of those per person.

I would only do this if it was even later- like 9pm ceremony, and then have a dessert reception following. 7pm says dinner to me.

View Quoted Comment I understand where you're coming from but 9pm says bed time to me 😂. Plus 2 out of our 5 children (who will be in attendance) are toddlers so they are they deciding factors when starting at 9pm vs ending at 9pm.

View Quoted Comment If this was a traditional wedding then yes, more time should be allotted. We only want to do a ceremony and I feel like something edible should be served. Our guest includes our children, our siblings, their children, and my parents all of whom know one another and get along. They can nibble on apps, mingle with one another, and/or take pix with us, no one will feel neglected. Plus, more than 1-2 minutes will be spent with everyone.