Early Afternoon Wedding - Alcohol/Dancing?

I highly recommend serving alcohol if you want a festive and memorable occasion. Weddings without them just are not the same. You could do a mimosa and bloody mary station or keep it simple with wine and beer. Music is always fun at a wedding so if you can afford it in your budget, do it! A one-man guitar or a DJ are cheaper than hiring a band. You only get married once- congrats :-)

If dancing is not an option you could have beach games like sand bag toss, paddle ball, etc.

Thanks so much for the suggestions, Emilie =)

Yes I would at least have a beer/wine bar available. I also agree maybe having an extra station of Bloody Mary's or Bellini's would be nice. I think it's okay to have dancing in the afternoon.

It depends on what sort of vibe you're going for. If you're looking for low-key, I agree with the suggestion to have games like croquet available. If you want more of a party vibe, then you don't want folks scattering off to play games.

Thanks, Sharlean. I like the idea of Bloody Mary/Bellini station. As far as a vibe, my fiance is into soft jazz / lounge music and wanta a more low-key vibe. I'm not sure how games or dancing fits into that but I am definitely open to suggestions. I personally like the party vibe with dancing - just wasn't sure if that could be achieved in a daytime wedding with a mixed group of ages.

Natasha - I've often noticed that the mood for weddings at that time of day are set by the bride and groom. If you and your husband want to party, dance, and drink, your guests will be happy to join you. Also, with the earlier time, it's more likely that your guests will stay to the end if you have some fun activities planned for them.

Dan

I think you should still have a dj or a band, you need something for the background at least even if there is no dancing, but i think people will still dance in the afternoon. i know i would

I say bring on the drinks! I know we wont have an open bar or anything but we will have beer and wine

My wedding is going to be at 11am, and reception at 1:30 (cocktails in between). We are only going to serve wine and our main entertainment is a DJ. People might stay longer and have more fun if its earlier in the day.

I had an early morning wedding when I got married and we had wine and beer but no hard liquor...and it worked out nicely.... good luck!

Getting married at noon and reception at 1pm. Call me cheap but I do not care.... we will not supply alcohol. I have told everyone if they want alcohol they are more than welcome to bring their own. I have a few people who are attending that are recovering alcoholics and a couple that NEED AA really bad. LOL As for dancing, we are not big dancers but I am planning to have prerecorded list of songs playing in the background through their sound system and then some games and activities. It may not be the norm but it will just have to work itself out.

I think bloody mary's, mimosas, and bellinis sound great! I don't think it is necessary or expected for you to have more than that! Yum. I love bellinis.

Thank you so much for all the responses. We are going to hire a DJ who plays jazzy/lounge background music while we are eating and more upbeat music for dancing and all the traditional dances/activities. As for alcohol, I think we will be going with beer and wine plus mimosas. Thanks again.