Timings

[Bunney2020]

Hi All,

Would people please take a look at timings and let me know if it's ok?

1.30pm – Ceremony
2.00pm – Drinks and Canapes
2.30pm – Garden Games and Dancing
3.30pm – Wedding Breakfast and Speeches
7.25pm – First Dance
7.30pm – Live Band
9.30pm – BBQ

Ceremony is a celebrant led ceremony so will be short.
Garden Games are large versions of board games (connect 4, kerplunk etc.) and dancing is a group that will perform but also have a few dances people can join in (it's DPs hobby and people are prepared for it haha and the people doing the dances will be at the wedding / are our friends).
Speeches will be short.
No evening guests and people will be free to mill about, play more games etc. after the meal.
No cake to be cut
Live band will have a 30 minute interval between 8.15pm - 8.45pm.

My worry was the evening bbq being too late and the gap of time after the meal and before the evening kicking off?

Sounds fab - can I come?

Haha thanks Frangipani! Get your best hat out!

Sounds fine. I don't think your BBQ is too late. How many guests are you having for your wedding breakfast? Sounds like your guests will have plenty of time to eat and then mingle before the evening reception.

There will be around 120 guests. Most timings I looked at were between 2/2.5hrs so I was worried about people being bored between the end of the meal and the band starting, but an hour / hour and a half isn’t too long I suppose is it?

No I think you will be fine if you have 120 guests to feed. Might have been a bit long in between if say you were feeding a much smaller number. Also given that you have garden games planned I'm assuming this is a spring / summer wedding with outside space to use at your venue, therefore your guests should also have some time to make use of the outside space after the wedding breakfast.

I would have the BBQ a bit earlier. Perhaps 8.30 / 8.45. If you're starting at 1.30 it's quite a long day and some people may begin tailing off by 9.30.

When are photos? Are they after the ceremony? In which case, anyone in them (everyone?) might miss the canapés?

If the band are starting at 730 is there a need for an interval at 815?
People will just be getting into the swing of it ?

Do you need a new at all? People will have eaten a bug meal at 4/5. Maybe a less formal snack is all that needs to be offered. Are you having photos taken post ceremony. If so your DH won't be dancing as photos can be quite time consuming.

It sounds great. My only suggestion is to have something to do between the end of the meal and the first dance. Even if it’s just having teas and coffees in a different room/outside just so it feels like a ‘section’ rather than milling around.