Time Written on Invitation - Help

I would split the difference and put 6:15. So your early guests will have the refreshments first, but you leave yourself a little buffer for people who will show up in the parking lot at exactly the invite time, and would be interrupting the processional if you did start right at the invite time.

For how to phrase it, I'm not sure how levels of formality change it, but I would want it listed as clearly as possible.

Maybe right above the "dinner and dancing to follow" or "reception to follow" at the bottom of the invite, you could do "refreshments and mingling at 6p prior to ceremony."

People will naturally show up to weddings early, so if you put 6p or 6:15p, and it really starts at 6:30p, people will think you are starting late, something is wrong, etc.

For a formal event, "half past six o'clock in the evening" is correct.

If I got to a wedding on time (ten minutes before invite) and found out I missed a free cocktail I'd be bummed. I'd say 6:15.

Personally I like Linda's suggestion of adding it to the bottom of the invite. Because the start time of the ceremony is the start time, bottom line. Also I dunno how many people will be there but even if they arrive 15 mins early the lines could end up too long for everyone to get a drink.

You need to put the time you are starting. If you put an earlier time, guests will think you are rude bc you are late starting.

I'd say 6pm.

I know it may be an UO but I'd rather have an earlier start time especially if there will be refreshments served.

630pm on the invite for sure.

If you put 6pm, guests will start arriving at 530pm.

'Half past six' If your wedding is more on the formal side. Just put 'Ceremony to start at half past six/6:30'. No need to put PM because it is implied that you mean in the evening, and not 6:30 in the morning.

Every venue I work in would tell you to invite at 6:00 PM. Guests can mingle, have a drink, and be led out to the ceremony site at 20 after. It's not rude, it's called pre-cocktail,and everyone does it.

If you put 6:30 on the invite, in any form, be prepared to either start at 6:30 sharp, regardless of who is there, or start at 7:00 and lose some of your cocktail hour. People do not naturally show up early, at least in the NYC/north NJ area. Every week, I see people arrive in the middle of the ceremony.

All that being said,there is usually not an open bar, but wine, sparking water,maybe a sig drink to keep bar service fast. And much of it is pre poured.

Thanks everyone. If it were my preference only, I'd put 6pm because I want the ceremony to start promptly at 6:30pm (mostly because I've been looking forward to this cocktail hour all year and don't want to delay it any further, lol).

My concern with 6:30pm is if people are aiming to show up at exactly that time: it will be a Friday evening in the summer during NY rush hour traffic.. we're bound to have stragglers during the ceremony.. in which case putting 6pm would make everything run a bit smoother. On the other hand, I'd hate to make people rush from work to make the 6pm invitation time when the ceremony doesn't actually start til 6:30pm.. arg.

6:00PM - pre-ceremony drinks (or whatever you're having)

6:20PM - ceremony seating

6:30PM - ceremony begins

We wrote 5PM and everyone made it on time except maybe 1 person I heard. I didn't know because I did not notice and we just went ahead at 5PM. Most were very early in fact even with us being downtown, road closures and traffic/construction in the immediate area and highways lol.

NYC? Friday afternoon in the summer???

No freaking way you put anything but 6:00. If they rush to be there at 6:00? They'll get drinks and you'll start on time. They have to park or get a cab, figure out where you are, go to the rest rooms and find their way into the ceremony.

People who are not from this area, don't really get this, but I see it every weekend.

@Celia LOL!!! Exactly. Our venue is on Long Island (Bridgeview Yacht Club) and there are really only two ways of getting there by car, and neither is fast (streets only, no parkways nearby). 6pm is our preferred time for guest arrival, we just don't want people showing up at 5:30pm or feeling misled because the ceremony isn't starting at that time.

As long as we're not breaking any etiquette rules, I think 6pm will be what we use (though I'm still always interested in feedback from a guests' perspective).

Any suggestions on how to word this so it isn't misleading? I truly, truly just don't want to piss off our guests.

FRIDAY IN LONG ISLAND IN THE SUMMER?

Stick with 6:00. Those from the area will leave at noon, lol.....

@Celia: Very true, and they'll still barely make it on time lol.

Thanks for all the patience on my invitation questions. Nothing else has stressed me yet the way this has!

ETA - Removed my invitation photo, I'm not sure if it included too much personal information.

There is nothing rude at all about the ceremony starting a half hour after arrival time, especially if drinks are served upon arrival. I never expect that the ceremony will start at the call time on the invite. Not everyone can walk in the door at the same time. Grownups know how to talk and mingle, some may want to use the rest room, it takes a few minutes to get people seated, etc.

Thank you all for your feedback. It seems to be the general opinion that 6pm is an acceptable time to put for a 6:30pm start, so we'll go with that. My mom brought up the same point some of you had mentioned: it'll give people time to use the restroom, grab a drink, find a seat, etc. I hadn't even thought of that.

We may still include some wording to indicate that 6:30pm is when the ceremony will begin, but I'll work on that (not sure of an elegant way to say it). I'm just nervous that a 6pm time on the invite will have people showing up at 5:30-5:45, in which case nothing would be ready for them yet.

Thanks again everyone!

Our venue told us to do 15-30 min before the ceremony, that way everyone is settled before the actual ceremony starts.