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Savvy May 2021

Wedding Day Timeline? Reception? Help?

Reagann22, on March 16, 2020 at 2:37 PM Posted in Wedding Reception 0 13

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I need some opinions! We are thinking about having our ceremony at 1 pm and following it with a “Cake & Punch Reception”, would it be okay to have the reception from 2-4:30 pm? Or even 2-5 pm?
People could get out in time for dinner, we plan to serve snack trays and a dessert bar, and we would definitely let our guests know on their invitations.

I was also curious if guests who are traveling from different states would find this rude? That it’d be a short wedding and a meal wouldn’t be served?
I feel like I’m overthinking every detail. Thank you all so much in advance! 💜

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13 Comments

Latest activity by Reagann22, on March 18, 2020 at 8:29 AM

Legend June 2019
Melle · on March 16, 2020 at 2:39 PM
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My thing is.. that sounds kind of long for three hours to be just for cake and punch. Were you thinking of doing things during that time too?
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Savvy May 2021
Reagann22 · on March 16, 2020 at 2:40 PM
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Yes! We’d love to do the traditional first dance, father-daughter dance, mother-son, speeches, cake cutting, bouquet toss, all the fun stuff lol.
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Legend November 2019
Caytlyn · on March 16, 2020 at 2:50 PM
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I think 2-4:30 is fine for a cake and punch reception. A 5 pm end time would also be fine, I'm just not sure how you'll keep guests entertained for 3 hours without a meal. Etiquette-wise there's nothing wrong with inviting out of state guests to a wedding with a cake and punch reception.
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Savvy May 2021
Reagann22 · on March 16, 2020 at 2:54 PM
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We still plan to do dancing, speeches, cake cutting, bouquet toss, etc. maybe I could even look into some wedding games! We plan on doing like meat and cheese trays, vegetable trays, fruit trays, and then the desserts bar. Do you think that’d be enough?
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Legend June 2019
Melle · on March 16, 2020 at 3:00 PM
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Ah in this case what you’re saying sounds pretty sufficient!
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Legend July 2019
MrsD · on March 16, 2020 at 3:29 PM
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I think 1-4 is long enough if no full meal is served, but I think having the venue until 5 just in case is fine too if guests end up staying longer. I personally would be bummed to fly in and pay for a hotel, but not be served a full meal. If we were close enough to the bride & groom, we would still go. But if not, we'd probably skip it.
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Savvy May 2021
Reagann22 · on March 16, 2020 at 3:44 PM
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That’s what I was afraid of 😕 it’s close family so hopefully they still would come. Thank you!
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Legend July 2019
MrsD · on March 16, 2020 at 4:04 PM
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You can get BBQ and Mexican and Italian catering from restaurants for $10 per person. I'm not sure what your budget is but it's another option.
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Savvy May 2021
Reagann22 · on March 16, 2020 at 4:11 PM
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Not a very big budget to be honest lol. Im trying to cut costs where ever I can already and still try to have a nice wedding. We live in New Mexico but are getting married in Missouri since that’s where the biggest majority of our family is and our venue is out in the middle of nowhere so there’s not really an affordable place close by we could cater from. I am a mess girl 😅
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Master August 2019
Rebecca · on March 16, 2020 at 7:46 PM
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If there are a lot of things to do, or family to see, in the area, then a short wedding isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Do you anticipate having dinner with any of the guests after?
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Savvy May 2021
Reagann22 · on March 17, 2020 at 1:47 AM
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Absolutely! We plan to do dinner and drinks with our groom/bridal party and parents afterwards (and anyone else who wanted to come along) 😊
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Master October 2019
Meghan · on March 18, 2020 at 8:28 AM
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2:00 - 4:30 (or 5:00) with the dances, speeches, etc. is completely fine for a cake a punch reception. I think pushing it to 5:00 is a good idea to allow your guests time to visit with you longer!
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