Heavy hors d'oeuvres & cocktails reception

How long will your reception be for??

My concern is people will not know and be hungry after time.

That is what we're doing, although we aren't a destination wedding. As long as you mention that it will be that type of reception, people will be sure to *hopefully* eat lunch and thus, ready for a good snack around that time.

One wedding that I attended with 'only' hors d'oeuvres actually turned out to have three carving stations and pasta stations. Do you have any preliminary ideas of your menu yet? To answer your question, I would be fine with attending your wedding with this kind of reception. However, I think that etiquette is relative. Like FutureMrsPrada said, let your guests know via a wedding website/reception card/word of mouth, whichever route is feasible for you.

If you're having a destination wedding on NYE, please have more food. Your guests are coming from out of town and will have to then fend for themselves in a strange place on one of the more popular nights of the year.

3pm sounds a bit early for an hors d'oeurves only NYE wedding, only because that's a night when people will want to stay up an out partying til later (at least til midnight). Would it be possible to make it more of an evening event?

We are thinking 3pm because of the tide (trying to hold a quick ceremony on the beach early afternoon) and it probably wouldn't be a terribly long reception if we didn't do a sit-down meal. Whatever we decide to do, we will definitely keep everyone well informed of what exactly is happening via our website, invitations, word of mouth, etc., and if we did hors d'oeurves only, they would be heavy (sliders, different stations, etc.) Thank you guys for the thoughts so far -- I will have some further thinking to do on this.

In my opinion, a NYE wedding - especially a DW NYE wedding, needs to be in the evening. People want to go out and celebrate on NYE. I am happy to do it at a wedding with friends, food, wine, etc. But I wouldn't be thrilled about travelling, then a wedding that ends at like...6 or 7...and then being on my own in a strange town to find dinner and a place to celebrate. I have no problem with apps and cocktails but I think it should start at 7 or 8.