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W
Newbie July 2019 British Columbia

Gap between lunch reception and after-party

Woolakidas, on September 19, 2018 at 21:27 Posted in Wedding reception 0 6
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Hello there. We are having a morning (10:30am) church ceremony followed by a lunch reception at a restaurant until about 3:30pm. We would like to have an after-party and are considering having it start at 8pm at a bar, so we can nap and have dinner and some down time in between - and everyone can enjoy the July sunset from the bar's patio and party into the night. We are having open bar at the reception but will probably only buy one round of drinks (and snacks) at the after-party. My questions are: would the 4+ hour gap be annoying to you as a guest (especially if you enjoy drinking and plan to drink a lot at lunch)? Would it appear cheap to have an open bar at lunch but not at night? Would you prefer the after-party be immediately following the reception (even if the bride and groom would need to call it a night by like 7pm)? Or would you appreciate the time to recharge and rest in between?

Would really appreciate your input on this (from the perspective of a guest - most will be from out of town)! If you're planning a similar timeline I'd also love to hear other considerations you've thought about. Thanks in advance!

6 Comments

Latest activity by Woolakidas, on September 23, 2018 at 18:04
  • W
    Newbie July 2019 British Columbia
    Woolakidas ·
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    Thanks everyone who responded! I really appreciate the input and am glad to hear the plan sounds reasonable to you on the whole.

    We expect all our out of town guests will be staying in the city, plus we are only expecting 60-70% (the younger people) to show up anyway so if some don't want to come back out it's totally okay. Just wanted to make sure we're not doing anything guests will be too annoyed about haha.
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  • Bianca
    Master August 2019 Ontario
    Bianca ·
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    As a guest, if I were from OOT and didn't have a hotel (drove in from OOT), the break might bother me. It's a long day from 10:30am-the evening so I would expect guests not making it to the after party.

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  • Allison
    Master October 2019 Ontario
    Allison ·
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    The 4+ hour gap would not be annoying to me at all! I would need to nap/recharge/change for the after party, especially if I want to stay late. You'll be exhausted from the early ceremony, and I'm sure some of your guests will too. I'd rather have the time in the night to visit than the after party wrapping up at 7pm.

    I don't think it would seem cheap to only have the open-bar at lunch, especially if guests know it is at a bar, they might expect to pay their way through. I like the idea of buying a round at the beginning and then let your guests go from there. Plus, if you have the open-bar earlier, some might not feel the need to drink.

    Again as mentioned, you're not going to be able to please everyone, especially if you go off the traditional reception layout (Think banquet hall with open bar with dinner and the like). Not everyone can afford it but the people who matter to you will be happy for you and enjoy a different reception setup! I've only been to weddings with the dinner/bar reception but I wouldn't be opposed to going to a brunch/lunch reception/something different.


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  • Vinod
    Top August 2017 Ontario
    Vinod ·
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    You're settong the time to let everyone enjoy lunch and free drinks rather than overspending at night too. Its not sounding cheap to how you see it. As a guest, i would want to get some rest and relax after lunch to enjoy the night time party.
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  • Tori
    Top October 2019 Manitoba
    Tori ·
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    I don't think it would be cheap at all - to me it sounds like you just need a break in the day is all!

    And as for looking cheap, I doubt that anyone will voice that opinion to you but you will get some who say that regardless of your wedding vs. somebody else's that also doesn't have an open bar. Like Stephanie said; there is no way of pleasing everyone.

    And I would much rather prefer the break over coming out having the party right after and you and your FH (at the time just H) leave early.

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  • Stephanie
    VIP May 2019 Ontario
    Stephanie ·
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    Think the open bar at reception is fine and an after party at a bar I would assume we would likely need to pay so that's no problem! And honestly I wouldnt mind time to nap/shower/change too! The gap would be good! I'm sure there may be some who may not like it but it's your wedding and this sounds like a great day! Always remember you.... sadly.... cant please everyone!
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