Help!- Day time or evening wedding?

Yes, I would still drink and eat a big meal! There's always dancing at earlier weddings, however it's not as much of a party atmosphere, in my experience.

You are planning on a Saturday or Sunday right? The earlier option obviously wouldn't work on a Friday.

Regarding the ? about whether or not people will dance/drink...it will depend on your crowd really. Does your venue allow for any natural light that can be blocked at some point so that you can control the ambiance? Our ceremony started at 11:30a and we ended at 4. We had a cocktail hour, full open bar and served the same food we would have at dinner, and saved at least $20k Our venue let in in tons of natural light, which I for one LOVED. DH was worried it would kill the "party" mood when it was time to dance. So, our coordinator offered a compromise. We kept it light and bright through all parts of the reception until it was time to dance. At that time, the venue pulled shades on all the windows, dimmed their lighting and our DJ turned up the uplighting that we had through them. You would have never known it was 2pm. I had plenty of guests tell me when it was time to leave and they went out to the valet stand they were confused for a second because they had forgotten it was still daylight Also, our dance floor stayed full...ambiance, a good DJ, adult beverages and a fun crowd will play into this though. DH and I both have families that enjoy a good excuse to party, so we knew time of day wasn't going to matter. The bonus for us too was that it opened up the possibility to have an after party at another location, which we did, and had THE BEST time! It was quite a long day though, I'll tell you that. I was up at around 330am that morning to get showered, get things together and get to my venue by 7am for hair and make up to start. We were the last to leave our after party around 11:30 that night. I was tired, but I wouldn't change a thing now...I'm very glad we did it the way we did.

Summer T that's a great tip. I would have never thought to shade the windows! There is tons of natural lighting there. I'll have to talk to our coordinator about that and see if it's an option. And I'm glad to know people will still eat and drop the same. People are always saying they expect a bigger meal at later receptions so I wasn't sure.

I always think serving a brunch menu at a daytime wedding is a fun idea, maybe that would be a possibility if you are unsure about your meal? Our venue (which had in-house catering as the only option) had a pretty dismal brunch offering, which was really surprising compared to their extensive choices for dinner, so we didn't go that way but definitely would have if the menu would have been better. I'd love to go to a brunch reception!!!

Save the money and go with the earlier time. I'd love this as a guest because I'd still have the night to do whatever I want. I would definitely eat and drink, if it's in front of me I will gladly consume it.

Thanks ladies! If drinking and eating wouldn't be affected then I think daytime is the right choice!

We are having a luncheon for our wedding. Ceremony and reception are in the same place. Reception starts at noon and ends at 4 pm. It is saving us money.

I am not a night owl by any means, and I love attending day time weddings! I say go for it!

You could definitely still serve the same food and drink.

We saved the money and went with a daytime wedding. Our ceremony starts at 12:30 and reception is over at 6pm. Our venue is a restaurant/brewery and offers the same options whether is a daytime or nighttime wedding. We are having a full meal and open bar. We also plan to have a bit of an after party. We expect the atmosphere to be pretty similar to an evening wedding. I say save the money.

Our friends had a noontime wedding. They have a full meal (which was delicious), everyone drank and danced. We all went out after for an after party too!

I think people will definitely still eat, drink and dance at a lunch wedding. If you're providing food, drink, music and a dance floor, then they'll be into it.

Just keep in mind that it can take a while to get ready for a wedding on the day. We have a 4:30 start time, and my MUA/hair stylist still wants to come in the morning to get us styled. So if you have a noon start, you'll probably need to actually begin the day really early.

We're having a lunchtime reception as well and getting married in the morning (on a Saturday), all at the same venue. I love it because I don't have to wait all day to marry my best friend We get married and then get to celebrate all day with our friends and family! I also felt like it was the right choice because it gave our guests options. For example, those that are older can leave, relax, take a nap and enjoy the rest of their evening. The rest of us that choose to will be moving on to the hotel to keep partying together - this is your day, why not have the whole day?! lol

Our wedding will be at 10:30. We'll have cocktail hour with hors d'oeuvres and bloody mary and mimosa bars. Then we're having a brunch buffet with different stations (eggs, waffles & french toast, quiche & tarts). We're not having dancing at the venue. Instead, we're going to have a big after-party at our house starting at 7:00 pm.

Thank so much everyone for all the helpful advice!!

Sabrina G I would love to do breakfast stations! Waffle and omelette stations is my dream! But my parents think it's too weird. So it's probably not going to happen. And it's not worth the fight

Brunch wedding all the way! Save the $$$ and have an exclusive 'after party' with your favorite people. PLUS when else in your entire life will you get to bar hop in your wedding gown and actually be able to justify it?

Bar hoping in my gown does sound like a blast!

We had a noon reception with food stations. People enjoyed themselves.

It's 5 o'clock somewhere. I would be all about this!

Great!! I'm so glad to hear people wouldn't be put off to drinking! I personally would still drink and dance!