Would you be offended if you were invited to our wedding and we did not

[cupcakesyum]

have the traditional wedding breakfast.

The reason being ,we dont want tradition in our wedding or speeches ,we want it to be very relaxed and informal.

We are planning to marry later in the day,and the wedding ceremony and eve is in one place,after we would offer drinks,canapes sandwiches,then wedding cake.

What are your thoughts,thanks in advance Mnetters I know you wont hold back.

Up to you entirely what you do. BUT just make sure that there is plenty of food if you expect guests to be around over what would be a mealtime.

Drinks, sandwiches and cake would work for me!

It's your wedding and your friends (if they're real friends) will want whatever you want.

We had a later in the day wedding:
3pm wedding
4pm - pictures
5pm - hot fork buffet with speaches
8pm - disco with finger buffet (which no one ate and DH's mum ended up sending home with our guests!)

You may not need the second buffet.

Sounds lovely. If that is what you want,do it!
I went to a wedding last year which was one of the oddest I've been to. I knew couple were v unconventional & were having more of a party. I was really disappointed that I didn't see them married which I didn't realise before. They had a Glass of prosecco as you went in to wait for them. We got there at 330,they didn't arrive until way past 5 & the only food was brought round at about 8,which was a canapé size veg curry thing. The bar was really badly stocked & we left at 9 because I couldn't drink any more flat drinks or rough wine & was bloody starving! It was a good hour & half away & I felt they had hired a massive venue to fill with hundreds of people all giving presents etc but that no thought had gone into their guests at all. I just found it odd as did the friend who I went with,we were like I'm starving,feed me!!!
Sorry went off on a tangent there :o
If you are doing buffets & serving drinks that seems great,no one is really listening to speeches anyway. We didn't have speeches at our wedding.People do like to see the first dance though. Is there plenty of seating? If so you have it covered!
Whoops sorry for the essay!

should add at both the reception and the disco we served cake. Traditional cake at buffet and a fab gold-leafed chocolate cake at the evening do.

Both do's had payed bars although we put 2 bottles of wine on each table at the buffet and at both had a glass of fizz for a toast.

Fine as long as you warn people. We went to a wedding with our DS assuming there would be a wedding breakfast as wedding was at 2pm so didn't take any food as DS BLW (still never take food anywhere!!) and the food didn't come out until the evening guests arrived. Luckily it was at a golf club and they had food but meant we felt a little embarrassed coming into reception with junk food (all they had). If I had known we could have bought food for him and made sure we had had lunch ourselves.....we were starving too!

I went to a lovely wedding where the groom's family had all brought home baking for us to eat straight after the wedding with a cup of tea while family photos were taken. Very homely and friendly.

I went to another wedding where they had a carvery buffet for the meal which was quite informal and meant people could eat more or less, as they wished

At our wedding we had a table plan to tell people which table to go to, but once at the table they could sit where they liked. This definitely made it less formal

If you have lots of children you could do a separate table for the children and decorate it with streamers etc - this is quite a nice gesture as kids often feel as though they are not really welcome at a wedding

I think it's important to feed your guests properly, or else warn them if you are doing snacks only, so that people don't go hungry

OOH can i come? That sounds like a great wedding, none of all that daft stuff. Probably should let people know though, manage their expectations and all that.

we had a later wedding,
3pm got married
4.30 champagne and canapes chatting and catching up
6pm wedding breakfast (could easily have been buffet)
7.30pm band and dancing
10.30pm bacon butties.

The day is only special if you and your Dh to be enjoy it. so no one who loves you and cares for you will give a stuff if it isn't the stiff collar traditional stuff

DH and I went to our BF's fab wedding last summer.

3.30pm Marriage service.
4.30pm Champagne, canapes and cheery guests whilst pictures were being taken.
7pm First dance (a brief thank you from the bride and groom before hand)
7.30pm BBQ opened! (The hotel did the following for £9.25 a head: Frankfurter sausage, chicken breast, burger in a bun, relish, tomato, cucumber and lettuce. A steak could be added but made it £12.25 a head)

Everyone loved the food, and for all it was a little more than a simple buffet it ment they didnt have to put on two lots of food.

Wedding cake was served at 9.30pm to soak up the booze!

Lolling at everyone worried about their hungry tummies :D Girl is for serving TWO buffets, it's not like guests shall have to hide sandwiches in their bejewelled clutch bags, under hats etc. And fyi if a buffet's good enough for Will and Kate's post-wedding bash it ought to be good enough for everyone else, don't see why guests need "warned".... I would definately warn them if they were going to be subjected to the dry-chicken/salman inna white wine sauce scenario of the trad wedding breakfast though ;D

@OP - just fyi, my two favourite wedding sites:
www.eastsidebride.com/
apracticalwedding.com/

Honestly, so long as it's good food, guests LOVE a buffet as they get to pick and choose how much of what they fancy. They. Love. It.

Two buffets is a bit difference to sandwiches & canapes! That will be fine. I have been to several buffet weddings and liked the informality.

www.indiebride.com is another nice website for people who are looking for different ideas for weddings.

When we got married, it was at 3pm, got taken for out photos and back for our cold buffet at 5.30pm, then mingling and chattin with the day guests till 7.15pm when the bus with the evening guests arrived, We had a marquee in my mum and dad back garden witha free bar and stovies and chilli for a munch later on. We had a fantastic day, would do it all again in a heartbeat!! Think your idea sounds fantastic, all the best xx

Bestw edding I ever went to, wedding at 6pm on 12th night, candle lit Church service led by a family friend followed by tea and biccys whilst pics taken. Afterwards a buffet made entirely br friends and family - the family were cheesemakers so lots of cheeses (am dairy intol but found enough to eat myself). fresh breads etc.

Actually sister's was pretty good too and theirs was of the 'please bring a plate' variety.

Sounds fine. I always appreciate good food, rather than fancy surroundings, or formality.

My favourite was a small wedding (30 guests), with town hall, followed by garden, with an outdoor wood fired pizza oven, and had lots of salads, and pizzas (with interesting toppings). We had sparklers too. The couple had built the oven themselves. They got a very good caterer in for the day, who was a family friend.

I wouldn't be offended but I would probably be hungry!

I was recently at a wedding where we were evening invites and the buffet really wasn't sufficient to feed the amount of people there, so make sure you get enough food!

Hell no! I have no expectations with weddings, and whilst I know that at the majority there is either a sit down meal or a buffet or both, I'm not there for the food - especially when I know from experience now how bloody expensive it is!