Best time of day for a wedding

[jendifer]

What time to get married?

The plan is the service, then afternoon tea, followed by an evening party.

Most guests will be travelling about 30 minutes to the church, and any coming further will be staying over at a church.

So after lunch you mean? Make dure you have plenty of time for them to eat, get ready get to the location with time to spare, allow an hour for the wedfing part, the photos etc will you have drinks, will there be food in the evening? These all make a difference.
Hungry guests will be miserable so its really important to make sure it can all be fitted in.
Guest will probably want to allow the best part of an hour to travrel and to be there in good time.
If you say 1,45 they have time to get and get ready and arrive and get in (if they have lots of small children its a bit chaotic),
Out of ceremony at 2.30ish. Mingle and pictures for an hour max (is that enough for you?)
Tea 3pm. For a couple if hours maybe 2.5 takung you you 5.30.
What will the guests fo between then and the party? I woulfnt ecpecf thrm yo ho home and return but they will need something to do. Otherwise push the whole thing gavk so its an hour kster and ends at 6.30 jyst before a 7pm party start.

We’re thinking possibly 2pm wedding, 3ish for cake and afternoon tea and some photos then 530-6 for the evening stuff. Not everyone will be at the evening so some people will go home and others can go there- so lunch at home, then cake at 3:30 and food at 7? Evening venue has an adult and a child adventure playground so people can go straight from one to the other?

We had a 2pm wedding.

We had a full 3 course dinner between 4pm and 6pm.

Evening buffet was at 8pm. Most people aren’t overly hungry. The venue noticed, stopped any more food coming about and tried again at 10pm when it was devoured.

Last guests left at 4am. We were in the residents bar. The Room service chef played a blinder at 2am when he popped his head in and asked if anyone wanted a bacon/sausage/chip butty. He was my hero

Ours was 5pm, followed by drinks and then into dinner. We wanted to keep hanging around to a minimum and allow people to eat at regular times

Is your afternoon tea a full afternoon tea with sandwiches, pastries, patisserie and cake, or is it afternoon tea as in a few cakes mid afternoon. That would probably change my answer.

Personally, I don't like long periods of hanging around and long gaps between food .

We're going for 1pm, followed by drinks reception, canapes and sit down meal, then an evening reception starting from 7pm with mulled wine, won't do evening food until about 9 though - we're having sweets and cookies etc so plenty for people to nibble on.

I'd say 2-3pm is perfect.
We once attended a 10am wedding and the day really dragged.

As late as possible to avoid loads of hanging around for guests.

And I’d do a substantial afternoon tea or people will be hammered 😃

The worst thing about wedding receptions for the guests is hanging around hungry. It is particularly difficult for the elderly who might have had a long and uncomfortable day. It is an absolute bug bear of mine to see guests kept hanging around for an hour or more just for the B and G to go off having their photos taken.

I’m possibly in the minority but I hate weddings that go on for 9 hours with that 2 hour gap where the guests twiddle their thumbs while the wedding photos are done. Daughter’s wedding ( they organised I had no input!) was all at the same venue, beautiful restaurant at the end of a pier. 6.00pm cocktails and nibbles, 6.30pm ceremony, sat down to eat around 7.15, dancing etc, they left at 11. It was great and all the guests loved it

@Cocogreen I certainly agree! That sounds a great way to do it (possibly because mine was similar 😃)

4pm wedding for us and then drinks, canapés and meal. We did not have evening guests though. Late buffet about 9.30 to soak up the booze!