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Weddings

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Original poster

No wedding reception?

65 replies

BoldandBright · 15/06/2023 15:37

Money is limited but we still want to get married and have a lovely day. We are getting married at a local chapel around 1pm, then are going to a nice pub for a wedding breakfast with our 40 guests from the ceremony. We will be paying for everyones meal but not drinks (other than a prosecco toast during the dinner). Then we are hoping to leave around 5/6pm to go on our honeymoon (a lodge retreat for couples).
is this okay? I know people say the reception party is to thank the guests for coming.. but we really just can’t afford the DJ, set up, extra venue hire, more food etc. The wedding breakfast will be more on the relaxed side and I plan to hire a bouncy castle in the beer garden for the children.
Would you happily attend a wedding with this arrangement? Obviously our guests can stay in the pub together after we leave if they want to but would you expect the all night party?

OP posts:

Roselilly36 · 24/06/2023 06:44

Sounds perfect OP, have a lovely wedding.

spaghettimaretti · 13/07/2023 19:09

Honeyroar · 15/06/2023 15:55

Sounds absolutely lovely.

We only had a small daytime meal for 25 people and a party at night. We bought a horse instead of have the wedding breakfast! He’s still here many years later.

Love it 💙🦄

Thehop · 25/07/2023 05:27

We're going to a wedding in September that's just church. Nothing after at all. Bride wanted to spend the reception money on a bigger engagement ring so we're invited to watch them get married but then they're going either home or to a hotel and we're all going home.

TeeBee · 25/07/2023 05:53

God, this sounds like the best wedding! Most weddings are so bloody self-indulgent. Don't provide extra wine, people are perfectly happy to buy their own drinks in a pub! And only a small proportion of people drink it. And leave when you bloody well want to leave. Honestly, your choices are perfect as they are.

ivycastle · 25/07/2023 06:30

BoldandBright · 15/06/2023 16:09

Will take the comments about drinks on board and will see if we can afford to add some wine for the table! x

I think this is a good idea, I would feel a bit weird as a guest about having to buy my own wine to have with the meal. IMO wine is part of the meal and it's important to provide the whole meal experience for guests.

sashh · 25/07/2023 11:15

That sounds fab.

One of the best wedding receptions I went to was in the bride and groom's house. We ended up with an England v Scotland football match with the bride in goal

toomuchlaundry · 25/07/2023 11:25

We had small wedding, 40 guests, at a venue with just ceremony and a meal, no evening do, finished about 6pm. Made it clear in the invitation that it finished at that time. Think some guests then went on to a pub.

We also mingled with all the guests, no top table as such, made sure we spoke to everyone not just a brief hello and thank you for coming!

DraftPunk · 13/09/2023 08:16

We also did this. Can’t remember the wording we used to make clear that the reception would end about 5pm with us leaving - but that guests were more than welcome to stay on in the bar/restaurant. Have a lovely day.

saraclara · 13/09/2023 08:20

Echoing that this is exactly what weddings used to be! I got married in the late '70s. Church wedding, straight to the wedding breakfast (or reception as it was called then) then bride and groom leave before their guests in order to be waved off by them.

JaukiVexnoydi · 13/09/2023 08:25

Sounds brilliant. I agree that buying the first round of drinks with dinner would be appropriate (better than buying bottles for the table as some will prefer beer and drivers will want a soft drink) then instruct the waiting staff not to take any more drink orders from the table but ask people to go and buy from the bar.

So long as people know the plan and don't arrive expecting to be entertained till midnight your plan is brilliant.

Caroparo52 · 03/04/2024 18:24

Sounds perfectly fine arrangements and wonderful to me. Have a fabulous day

TheMixedGirl · 04/04/2024 11:14

Honestly for my wedding I am doing similar. Few close family and friends then lunch afterwards. I'm talking literally like 12 to 15 people.

bryceQ · 04/04/2024 11:15

I think that sounds really nice, most weddings are ridiculously long, too long!

ALittleBitAlexa · 04/04/2024 13:38

This thread is from last June ffs! OP is probably already married

CarolinaInTheMorning · 04/04/2024 13:56

OP, what you have planned sounds lovely. But I'm in the US where this type of wedding and reception is completely normal. (Wedding + some type of celebration, rather than wedding + wedding breakfast + "evening do")

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