Wedding day timetable - comments please...

[VenetiaLanyon]

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

We found that cutting our cake before dinner allowed us to use the cake as a dessert after dinner. If you are having pictures you want more done before you eat as some of your make up will come off when eating. Also, everyone gathered for cutting of the cake so movement into the tent for dinner was easier to control. To speed up the seating process we had three people with table plans help direct people to their tables to speed the process up. I would also plan to have your dinner start at 6pm so the children can go to bed if needs be and adults won't be too drunk.

Also, it might be an idea to do the line up at the church. You leave first so wait just outside the back door and thank everyone as they walk out. We got some great photos doing this and it saved a lot of time as everyone wanted to get to the reception. After they have all left you can go do your photos while guests have their canapes.

I second nickel's idea - why not just have someone call that dinner is served, then have someone announce you and DH's entrance when the guests are seated?

I do love the creche idea though! I'd be really pleased if friends/family did that at a wedding DS was invited to

Line-ups are a bit formal, but I've been to weddings where I don't really know the bride, and it's a good way of getting to say hello, and making sure that parents meet everyone. Plus as the b and g you know that you've definitely said hello to everyone that way.

There will probably be a couple of DP's old friends' wives who live abroad who I don't know, so am thinking that this would make it a bit nicer for them.

But timing wise it sucks, agreed. Oooh, decisions....

I used to eat late quite a bit so that DP and i could eat at the same time after he finished work, but i couldnt go 9 1/2 hrs without eating!

eeek, reading all this is making me a teeny bit nervous about my plan now. We aren't doing the sit down meal thing, we are getting married at Registry office which is only for 30 odd people who are all family and close friends and my timetable at the moment is:

330 p.m. get married.

4.50 p.m. ish photos at the registry office say hi to everyone etc

4.30 get to afternoon venue, photos, drinks, canapes and speeches/cake cutting

7.00 p.m. evening guests invited

7-730 p.m. finger buffet for everyone.

To be honest I'm thinking about seeing if we can push the time back of the service to 4.00 p.m. I hadn't realised how quick registry office things were when I booked! Plus, as it's a Friday and its actually going to be a very informal do, we are just going to tell people to arrive whenever they like after 6.00 p.m. but will put 7.00 p.m. on the invitations.

What do you think?

I should probably add that everyone coming to the registry office bit is local so at the earliest would leave home at 2 to get to town so they will have eaten before hand

oh and 4.50 should be 3.50 p.m.!!

Your new timings look great! Go for it!

Op - your new timing look great.

Raspberry - your timings are fine. As you say people would be able to eat before they came to either the actual ceremony or the evening do. Hope it's all going well.

Thanks melody, all going well now. How about your plans? Your June aren't you?

thanks all; Raspberry, your day sounds great