Perfect wedding time?

[Alyosha]

Not sure when we should start our wedding.

We are marrying in church and then transporting our guests to the reception venue. We would like to do a few photos in the church as it is in a beautiful location (a University college), but don't want to keep people waiting around with no food/alcohol!

We then want to receive people at the reception venue, mingle a bit, and spend another 45 mins on posed photos at the venue, before enjoying mingling before the meal, which we're not sure what time this will be.

During that time I want people to feel well looked after, plenty of canapes, perhaps a table with other, cheaper snacks (crisps/biscuits/ - is this ever done) and a fair amount of booze.

An additional complication is that most people will be staying at the venue and will check in at 3...so not sure how long after this we should have the meal.

Thoughts on good timings?

I suggest you have the service at 11ish, to the venue for canapés mingling. Lunch at 13:00.

Or: wedding at 4pm, then mingling, and meal at 6:30-7:00

Don't ever expect people to eat at peculiar times!

I think the main consideration needs to be minimising the times when guests will be hanging around aimlessly without a drink/nibbles in their hands. Whisky's times sound fine.

Thanks guys, lots to think about!

I think a 2 or 3pm wedding is better. Gives people a chance to travel in the morning and have lunch before. Food at around 6 and maybe nibbles later in the evening at about 8/9.

"I think a 2 or 3pm wedding is better."

Not with a 3pm check in, it isn't.

You either need it over (or at least at a natural break point) before check in, or starting after.

2pm wedding
3pm photos and mingling
4.30pm wedding breakfast
6.45pm speeches
7.30pm evening guests
8pm cut cake
9pm evening buffet comes out
Drinking and dancing
Midnight: carriages

Who is actually hungry at 4:30? For more than a small afternoon tea, that is.

Or would scheduling then be a deliberate ploy to reduce costs because less need be provided?

The 4.30pm wedding breakfast is a full sit down three course meal as guests won't have eaten since breakfast apart from canopies in most cases. Then another evening meal (buffet).

I find now a lot of people do try to save on costs by only providing one meal and no buffet just cake which is a bit stingy.

My sister got married at 11am was a very early start for the bridesmaids as had to be at the hairdressers for 7am for hair and make-up to be done before the ceremony. Then we had to get to the reception venue from the church. Was starving by the time the wedding breakfast was served and it was a very long day.
Getting married early afternoon (2-3ish) gives guest a have some lunch before the cermony. Food times at wedding are always a bit weird.

People advised me to get married later or people will be more likely to leave early. I'm getting married at 1pm.

Yes and if you let guests know (some do on invites now) what a tough schedule is, guests will know just to have a light brunch beforehand as they know when they are getting a meal etc.

Good ideas here - we are definitely planning on three sets of food, lots of canapes, then wedding breakfast, then cake served in a break in the ceilidh we are having, then bacon rolls :D

I think we will probably go with the later option as we want people to feel comfy and not have all their bags with them at the meal and be worrying about checking in!

I'm most worried about our friends with smaller children, don't want them to be hanging around to much outdoors so we should probably get them all to the venue for drinks & canapes ASAP after the ceremony.