Morning wedding ceremony: not sure on best timeline for day

I would go with option 1. Having a huge gap between ceremony and reception is really inconvenient for guests. Have the traditional reception right after and then if anyone wants to continue the party afterward, they can.

I went to a mid morning wedding, plated sit down brunch served around 11am, followed by toasts, cake cutting, and first dance with table visits by bride and groom immediately afterwards. It was GORGEOUS and perfect. Everyone was leaving by 2:00. I gave no idea what the bride and groom did later that day but my experience as a guest was wonderful.
BTW: everything took place at same location. We went from chapel to reception/sit down.

Option 1 sounds better. Having a big gap of time in between would not be something I’d sign up for if I was a guest.

You can have a reception start immediately (not counting travel time to the reception venue) and dance all night. Do not have a gap. Guests will skip the ceremony if you have one...and do not freshen up, windowshop, sightsee and everything else in fancy attire that people say they can do during that time.

I definitely like the sound of option 1 better. I've been to one Catholic wedding with a gap and it was just the worst. Not to mention, my ex was a part of the wedding party and so I was alone trying to find things to do to entertain myself for the hours between the ceremony and reception. As a guest, I hated it.

View Quoted Comment I agree with this! The huge gap would be inconvenient because guests would have to find something to do and possibly spend more money.

It depends for me. Are your guests from out of town? Do they live close by?
For example my cousin did option 2 for his wedding. We were from out of town so honestly I didn't mind, after the ceremony I had time to go back to hotel, let my kids relax, freshen up, at a snack from the snack bag we got from said cousin. Then it was time for reception. You know your friends and family, are they more on schedule for option 1 or relaxed for option 2. Also option 2 gives so much time for photos.
But now I'm seeing the issue with option 2 and vendors, would you pay for them during the gap time? Like videographer and photographer.

I would just have a brunch reception at 11/1130

Thank you everyone for your thoughts!

Some of the guests will be from out of town but a lot will be directly in town or within a short drive.

It's sounding like the daytime reception is most likely going to be the way to go

I love the brunch reception idea!
I’ve been to a catholic ceremony with a 3 hour gap before the reception. It sucked. While we were technically not “out of towners”, the venue was about an hour from our house so driving home and back wasn’t an a option. We literally just went to a restaurant and hung out for the time. It was not fun and put a sour taste in our mouth for the reception before we ever even got to it.

I agree with most of the others- no big gap between. Do the earlier reception

Definitely no gap. The brunch or lunch would work fine, and bonus, it's cheaper. You can also save on the alcohol bill. If it's a brunch, champagne/mimosas would work fine. That's what we did, and nobody complained. With a heavier lunch, wine and beer would do. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that depending on your venue, they may have another reception (in the evening) after yours. If they want to set up early, that could cramp your style.