Gap between Ceremony and Reception

If you truly can't avoid the gap maybe rent out a theater and invite your guests to watch a movie. If you have any independent theatres in the area that would be the best economically. My friend did is and it was well received.

The last Catholic wedding we went to had the gap. They had a relative open their home for all the people who needed something to do. It was so awkward and uncomfortable. They didn't want people in house so they had their yard open, which was beautiful, but there was nothing to do but sit there. There was nothing to drink and a couple of cheese trays.

I grew up Catholic and most weddings were like this. Still doesn't make it okay

To the posters who keep posting that gaps are unavoidable if you're Catholic -- BS. Don't blame your religious wedding for your rude gap. You have a gap because you wanted the all-important evening reception paired with your morning or early afternoon ceremony. There are plenty of Catholics, well-versed in the proper way to host a wedding, who found a way around their gap, even if it included moving their reception up. This isn't a Catholic thing. It's an etiquette thing.

Sorry but wouldn't guests have to drive 30 minutes regardless of whether there was a 4 hour gap??

I'm missing how its either a 30 min drive or a 4 hour gap. It seems to me like there would be a 4 hour gap and THEN a 30 minute drive to the reception which just adds to the shittiness.

Shuttling people from the church to your reception venue would be a nice thing to do for your guests if you are concerned about people not being able/wanting to drive 30 minutes.

ETA: words

Please don't have a gap. Gaps are really annoying for guests, especially out of town guests.

I don't like gaps most people are ready to eat. One wedding I went to the gap was so big that people ate and went straight home. I felt bad for the bride.

If I was a guest I'd skip the ceremony so if you don't mind that a gap that big would be okay. Most people will not be cool with a gap that long and then going until 10 pm. It's an 11 hour day...

@Erin the poster said that the gap is this long in one church, but if she chooses a different church which is further away from the reception venue (30-minute drive), then she can close the gap.

That's a really long gap. I'd probably go do some day drinking because I'd be all dressed up. After that I'm not sure if I'd make it to the reception.

I agree, avoid this. My roommate got married at 8am and her reception wasn't until noon. We were all tired and hungry. I just waited in my car because it was an hour from home and it was too early to go anywhere else. People were not happy and a lot of people skipped the reception all together

Do what you want, it's your wedding but be prepared for unhappy guests or guest that dont show for the ceremony or reception. I've been to a wedding with hours long gap and I was honestly super annoyed. When youre all dressed up you want to keep the flow going rather than stopping by a Target and driving around in a dress to help kill time. A scavenger hunt doesn't help unless you think your guests are really into that sort of thing. Being bored and having a choice of walking around in the hot sun in a dress would make me go home.

My cousins wedding had a four hour gap between the ceremony and reception and it was a nightmare for us guests. We just sat at our hotel room. Half the people ended up going to get food so once it was time to eat at the wedding no one are. I don't really recommend leaving that much time for your guests to have nothing to do. I highly doubt people will be interested in going on a scavenger hunt running around everywhere all dressed up. It's just not realistic. Try to either do your ceremony later or your reception earlier.

Don't do it.

3-4 hours is just too long! If you can find a new venue

I attended a wedding last October and they bride had flyer like print outs of what the bridal party would be doing at certain times of the day leading up to the ceremony. My FH was the best man and I was just a guest so I was without him for about 2 hrs at a time. I'm glad I knew a few people and I'm not shy to meet people. The guests and I pretty much hung around mingling until the ceremony started. It was pretty chilly and it was an outdoors ceremony in the mountains. I wish there was an area for guests to hang together inside because it was pretty chilly and drizzling out.

The only gap I've ever enjoyed was at a DW in a Jamaican resort. The ceremony was early, still super hot, then we all went to the pool w/swim up bar after and a dj came and played music and stuff. Then we had dinner and reception.

A 30 minute drive really isn't bad at all. A 4 hour gap is.

Our ceremony is at 1:30pm.

It will end around 2:30pm then we have a receiving line and stuff so it should take us until about 3pm.

Our cocktail hour starts at 5pm.

I would rather drive 30 mins as well, but....If you are dreaming of that cathedral--then do it. Your guests will figure it out. If they don't want to come both---then that is up to them.

My cousin decided to get married in a catholic church in the early afternoon which was fine, none of my family is catholic but we went with it and then headed over to where the reception took place (still a 20 minute or so drive) and the entire wedding party did not get there until almost 2 hours later. We weren't allowed to eat, they hadn't opened the bar, couldn't dance, and we had young kids to entertain... Other than that the wedding was a disaster but that was just the icing on the cake.