Ceremony Call Time

If the ceremony starts at 6pm, put 6pm on the invitation. Adults know how to be at a place at a time. I'd be extremely annoyed if you wrote 5:30, I got there before that and then had to wait almost an hour for it to start because you didn't write the actual start time on there.

Definitely put the actual start time. Most people know to arrive to a wedding early and if you put 530 you might have people showing up at 5 and then waiting an hour.

I'm struggling with this too... Went to a wedding this weekend and the ceremony was supposed to start at 4 but started at 430. I'm thinking about just putting the actual time I want the ceremony to start on the invitations and hope people get there a few minutes early to get seated. Then maybe start 5 or 10 minutes after the ceremony time.

I agree with PP, put the actual time it will start.

Yes, put the time it will actually start. If I saw "5:30" on an invite, I'll likely get there 15 minutes early to be seated. If it really didn't start until 6 and I was sitting, waiting awkwardly for 45+ minutes I'd be annoyed. Put what time it will start on the invite.. and start at that time. I think most people know to get there a little early to be seated.

I think this depends on the area you live in & what people are used to. We are in NYC & every wedding we’ve been to puts start time 30 minutes before the bridal party actually starts walking down the aisle. I think it’s mostly due to the fact that New Yorkers are always late because traffic is horrible, nobody ever comes early 😆 Plus it gives guests 10-15 minutes to settle down, find their seat, grab a drink if offered, and say hi to each other prior to ceremony.
For your venue, I would definitely add some buffer time, because chances are it will take time for some people to find their way around, just like you mentioned.

View Quoted Comment Thanks Iva! Since we're getting married in NYC, I feel like this might make sense, especially when you consider that our site is not right at the entrance. Worse comes to worst, guests can just look at the animals while waiting.

Ours will start at 5pm, but we put 430 on the invites because FH's family is ALWAYS late, regardless. We don't want people coming in late, disrupting and getting in the photogs way

You should put 6 pm. No need to give a false time or specify “6 pm sharp.” Adults know how weddings work. If your invitation said 5:30 I would arrive between 5 and 5:15 and would be extremely frustrated if the ceremony didn’t begin until 6.

View Quoted Comment Totally agree! When we toured Brooklyn Botanical Garden (which is similar to your venue in size, having multiple entrances & multiple ceremony sites) their event manager told us to put start time 30 minutes before the actual walk down the aisle time, as it usually takes the guests some time to park & to find the specific garden where the ceremony is.

Just say 6pm. I would be super pissed if the invite said 5:30, i showed up at 5:15 and then you didn't start til 6. IF ppl are late, they're late - but don't punish the majority of people who show up on time.

View Quoted Comment I understand that side of things (not wanting to have people wait around), which is why I posted about it in the first place. However, this is summertime in NYC (crazy traffic, construction, subway transit issues), and our venue's event coordinator was the one who suggested we change the start time (apparently that's what most couples do with their invitations when they get married at the zoo). So, maybe I'll push her for more clarity...

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I would think though that with google maps, iphones, real-time transit data people will be able to make informed decisions about when to leave to get places on time. Especially if a lot of your guests are local.

If people are late, they will slip in quietly - I don't know why or how they could get in the photographers way. You'll be looking at your groom and the officiant, not the crowd anyway so i highly doubt you will notice if a few people are late.

I agree with everyone else. Put your actual start time on the invitations. It is up to your guests to plan their time accoridingly to ensure they will be at the ceremony on time. If you put an earlier time on the invites guests will think that is the actual start time and could possibly get mad on your wedding day when the ceremony starts later than what they initially thought.

Only you know your guests and how responsive they are to time. Coming from NYC, the subway and public transportation is unpredictable which means you can leave your house 2 hours early and still be late (been there, done that) and it's out of your control when you're stuck in a subway tunnel. Sure, you can grab a cab or an uber but traffic can be ridiculous and the fee is outrageous when those meters are running. When I printed my invitations I made a mistake despite having two other sets of eyes review it and our ceremony starts at 5:30 PM sharp but mistakenly wrote 5 PM. I almost freaked out because I had no intentions of writing 5 PM, FH told me to relax it wasn't a big deal. Yes, our guests are adults and they can weigh out time, etc. but there's always one or two that are late for everything! You can't help other people's habits. Plus in my case, we have a lot of friends and family that are flying in and don't know the area at all! The venue is on a strip by beachfront hotels and it's a crowded narrow area. Because many are taking Ubers, etc it gives them time to find the location, and the venue has a foyer area where they will be in A/C and have infused ice water until seating begins at 5:15 PM and they can use the restroom and say hello to one another in the mean time. I had forgotten that the venue manager suggested we put 5 so seating can begin promptly, the bridal party has time to arrive, line-up and begin on the dot.

View Quoted Comment I agree with you....I’m from Florida and my family and his family is from the islands and you have to put at least an hour and 1 1/2 on the invite or nobody will come on time... South Florida is very relaxed when it comes to events!!!! I completely understand about the start

View Quoted Comment Oh yes, I definitely know about Miami in particular. It’s the only place where I’m always early, because everybody else is even more late than me 😆

View Quoted Comment 😂😂😂😂😂 OMG!!!! Yessssss me too!!!!

There are a lot of answers here so I didn't read through them all, but I agree with others that you should put the exact time it starts. However, what I'm thinking of doing (and what may work for you, as well) is to say "oors open at X time" or something similar. This could give people the certainty to know when they could arrive but what time they need to absolutely be there.

Unless you are absolutely certain you will start on time, putting a bogus time on the invite could be VERY annoying. So if you put 5:30 instead of 5, when you expect it to start at 5:30 and then you are late, this will be annoying.