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Original poster

Wedding day timetable - comments please...

86 replies

VenetiaLanyon · 07/04/2011 10:31

Church service 2pm - 2.45pm / 3ish. Few photos outside church.
Coach to take guests to reception 15 mins away
3.30ish guests arrive at venue for reception. Photos, plus drinks and savoury canapes served from 3.30pm. Children's entertainers from 3.30pm
6pm Children fed in separate dining room and then entertainment in evening creche
6pm Line up
6.30pm speeches
7.15pm wedding breakfast served
8.45pm cake cutting and coffee and cake served
9.15pm cocktails and first dance (DJ)
10.30pm evening food
All over at 1am.

In particular am worried that: 2pm is too early to start, and is drinks reception bit is too long before the breakfast; will people get bored /tired / twitchy? Would you shorten it by starting everything 30 mins later? Any other concerns?

T v much Smile

OP posts:
Leverkusen · 07/04/2011 10:39

Not ure about the children being fed elsewhere, why is that? I think they would prefer to be with their parents surely? And they might need a hand cutting up food.

Leverkusen · 07/04/2011 10:39

sure*

katz · 07/04/2011 10:40

you'll need longer than 30 min for photos, try and least an hour

emsyj · 07/04/2011 10:42

The only thing I would say is that if your church service ends at 2.45pm there is no way you will have photos done and dusted and guests on coach, transported 15 mins and off again at the venue by 3.30pm.

We had reportage style photos with only five posed shots with family, all in all took under 30 mins which is very quick for wedding photos, but then you would not believe how long it took to herd the guests onto the bus to go to the reception - was astonishingly slow and hard work. I ended up rounding them up like a sheepdog and it took forever.

So I would estimate that you won't actually even leave the church until 3.30pm at the earliest, giving you til say 4pm to get there and get everyone off the coach which gives you 2 hours of drinks. Provided you have plenty of drinks available that is probably ok - but you could cut it down to 1.5 hours if you're concerned.

Original poster
VenetiaLanyon · 07/04/2011 10:44

Leverkusen, we're having a wedding creche-type thing which will supervise children during the evening bit of the day, including their meals, which will be served earlier than the adults' food.

Katz, would we really need a whole hour for photos? We are not very photogenic... Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
VenetiaLanyon · 07/04/2011 10:46

Thanks emsyj. Perhaps we skip photos at the church then, and just do them later...and there will definitely be alcohol-a-plenty, so maybe we're ok...

OP posts:
WalterFlipsticks · 07/04/2011 10:47

I would say that you haven't left enough time for photos outside church, it ALWAYS takes loads longer than you think, people will be trying talk to you and you won't get to the venue until I would say.... 4 ish, that sets everything back for you and makes the wait shorter for a start.
Will you be having more pics at the venue, because that will take a while if you are doing the whole, gathering up all members of the family for a pic, some in the bar/toilet... all takes time.
I agree about the feeding children elsewhere, the parents will go and be with them, depending on age, seems a bit mean to sit them in another room, but it's your wedding Smile

thinbridewaitingtogetout · 07/04/2011 10:47

Hm im getting married and my time table goes like this;

1.30pm ceremony (45mins ish)

2.15pm photos out side the church (approx 45mins, group shots etc)

3pm arrival drinks at venue (i will be off getting more photos at beauty spot)
3.45pm bride and groom arrive back
4pm speaches
4.30pm meal
5.45pm meal ends (guests have a free hour to chill/freshen up)
7-7.30pm evening starts (at seperate venue)
9pm evening buffet
12pm ends

Looks ok but think you will need longer for photos outside church, also the guests will have just had a 3 course meal and cake then you are having a buffet 1.5hrs later think this may be too much (also they will be too full to dance!). If you are set on those times have a snack of mini fish and chips or bacon butties around 11.30pm when people are more peckish?

Also 2.5hrs is a long time to have your guests hanging around before dinner, can you not eat earlier? Say have the childrens entertainer from 3.30pm till 4.15pm then kids and adults have the meal and the kids can get a second dose of entertainment after the meal?

katz · 07/04/2011 10:50

this was our day

3pm - wedding
4pm - photos
5-5.15 - guests depart church
5.30pm - guests arrive reception venue
6pm - dinner served
7.30 - speeches
8.30 - depart for evening reception venue
9pm - evening disco in nightclub kick off
1am - hometime!

WalterFlipsticks · 07/04/2011 10:51

X posts... what the others have said Grin
ps. Never underestimate peoples dawdling power!

Original poster
VenetiaLanyon · 07/04/2011 11:51

Ok, thanks for very useful comments, revised version to build in dawdle time etc...

Church service 2pm - 2.45pm / 3ish. Very, very few photos, just of leaving church.
3.30pm Herd dawdling guests firmly in direction of coach
3.45pm Coach leaves to take guests to reception 15 mins away
4pmish guests arrive at venue for reception. Formal photos, plus drinks and savoury canapes served from 4pm. Children's entertainers from 4pm
6pm Children fed in separate dining room whilst parents are in line-up and then go on to children's entertainment in evening creche
6pm Line up for adults
6.30pm speeches
7.15pm wedding breakfast served
8.45pm cake cutting and coffee and cake served
9.15pm cocktails and first dance (DJ)
10.45pm evening food (we're thinking chips)
All over at 1am.

OP posts:
thinbridewaitingtogetout · 07/04/2011 16:03

Revised times look good, why not serve the cake with the evening chips? As i still think its a lot of food in a short space of time.

But if your happy with it thats the main thing!

nickelbabyhatcher · 07/04/2011 16:05

I didn't even want photos and they still took nearly 2 hours!

if you don't have lots of photos at church, you need to fit them in elsewhere - will that be at the reception while everyone eats canapes?
You might regret not having more pictures at the church...

nickelbabyhatcher · 07/04/2011 16:06

7:15 is rather late for dinner, too.
why can't you all eat at 6?

geordieminx · 07/04/2011 16:20

We had the speechs after the meal while everyone was having cake and coffee. It worked really well, everyone was fed and relaxed. Sometimes people are twitchy/hungry through speechs wanting dinner.

Jtst a thought

amberleaf · 07/04/2011 16:24

I know im prob being dumb but why is it called a breakfast when its served at dinner time?

Your wedding sounds lovely btw especially having childrens entertainment and creche!

nickelbabyhatcher · 07/04/2011 16:54

it's called abreakfast because it's the first meal after the wedding.

just tradition

nickelbabyhatcher · 07/04/2011 16:55

I went to a wedding once where they did the speeches in between the main and the pudding.

it wasa good way of doing it, because it meant that everyone had time for their dinner to go down, and there wasn't anyone going "i want my bloody food not a bloody speech! feed me!"

amberleaf · 07/04/2011 16:57

Thanks nickelbabyhatcher Smile

thinbridewaitingtogetout · 07/04/2011 17:01

We are doing the speaches before as h2b and fil are very very nervous and wont touch there meal with nerves if its after, so i thought if we do it first they can chillax and enjoy the meal (plus i bet they only last about 5 mins!)

MerylStrop · 07/04/2011 17:07

Ok, pardon my frankness.
Everyone is going to be Starving. Dinner is too way too late, even with canapes. Folk will be plastered or grumpy.
Also no matter how good the entertainer and crèche the kids will want to be with their parents. At least some of the time. Can you feed them with the adults, but have the crèche running throughout?

MerylStrop · 07/04/2011 17:09

I m o, the day and peoples enjoyment of it way more important than photos.

melodyangel · 08/04/2011 11:23

If your starting at 2pm people probably wouldn't have had time for a big lunch before hand especially if they have to travel any distance. I would be eating the tables by 7.15pm!

Is there a reason why dinner has to be so late? Will the canapés be suitable for the kids?

Maybe have a stash of snacks at the church. Not sure what, maybe apples and cereal bars nothing that will be too messy. Oh and baby wipes. It would at least give people some thing to keep them going.

nickelbabyhatcher · 08/04/2011 11:25

oh, yes, definitely have a stash of food at the church for the kids.

We had a bowl of mini-packets-of-raisins and mini-bags-of-popcorn laid out for the kids - they also had a a bit of chocolate in their goody bag.

cat64 · 08/04/2011 11:32

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