I was thinking 11 would be a nice time to get married as I want to make the most of the whole day, but other people are suggesting in the afternoon.
After the service we'll obviously have photo's, 30 min drive to reception venue, canape's and drinks, more photo's, 4 course meal all before the evening reception. I've probably missed some things off as well.
Also if your having a Catholic Church wedding are you opting for the short or the long service, I would like the long service but I don't know how many of my guests are Catholic, I would have to check. I know this doesn't matter, but I don't want them to not enjoy the service and also it might look a bit funny to the priest if we have the long service and then less then half of the guests take communion
CommentAuthorShowgirl
We'll be taking our timings from the registrar but I'd prefer it in the afternoon so that OH can have a lay in, I have more time to get ready (I need a lot of beautifying) and it'll hopefully mean that guests who are travelling (which is most) won't have to set off too early and can avoid the morning rush hour traffic. I can absolutely understand you wanting to make the most of the day and I'd say if you want a morning service then definitely go for it. I'm sure your guests will still enjoy the long service and I don't think it would look funny to the priest at all - he'll understand that not everyone shares in the Catholic faith but they do wish to share in your special day.
CommentAuthorBethanyS
We are thinking about 1/2 o'clockish. Then its, as you say, sort of a all day thing, but then people are able to grab some food before the ceremony as food wont be served until about 4/5ish. x
CommentAuthorLoisD91
Before I started planning I always thought I wanted a late afternoon ceremony. However, once I got into planning I just kept thinking 'hang on, I'm paying all this money for just an afternoon'! In the end we compromised and the ceremony is at 1pm.
CommentAuthorDonnaH39
I think I'm just going to have to sit down with the priest and see what his opinion on a lot of it is, we're not sure exactly what's going on yet. My partner is unbaptised but he wants to get baptised before we get married, so I suppose the long service may also depend on whether he gets baptised or not as well.
Thanks for the advice, I'm still sold on a 11 O'Clock wedding, but suppose I'll have to really think about how early that would mean I'd have to get up in the morning. Fiancé is stopping 5 minutes away from the Church so not an issue for him, but I'll be stopping 30 minutes away either in a hotel or at our reception.
Our ceremony is set for 1:30 and our wedding breakfast for 4:30, but thinking of moving the ceremony to 1 to fit everything in! I have bm's and myself to get ready, but nowhere to get ready!
I think if mine was at 11 I'd be rushing around and I'd be shattered from getting up too early,x
CommentAuthorKellyD31
edited
Hello...my first wedding post, just got engaged at Christmas to my gorgeous Italian fiancé and we hope to get married in Italy in the summer of 2015, we don't want a church wedding but do want a ceremony outdoors preferable....I'm concerned about my Irish guests (including me!!) with the heat at that time of year especially July when he says is the best time to go!! Anybody have a wedding in Italy and got any advice on a non church ceremony etc etc!! VERY new to organising weddings!! Thanks in advance for any help or advice! and I would like to buy the dress from LINK REMOVED
CommentAuthorCatherineR
Ours is at 12.45pm and even that is going to be a rush tbh! Beautifying me, my OH, bm's and mothers is going to be a very early start especially as we have a 40 minute drive not unsimilar to you and needing to be there 15mins beforehand! Dreading the early morning wake-up call tbh as cor-ordinating all of that is going to be interesting to say the least! On the flip side, I think you should have it whenever you want as long as you are prepared for the long, tiring day. My cousin had the full Catholic service for her wedding last August and wasn't a problem being long for those not baptized whatsoever, everyone appreciated the meaning behind it and how special it was. Ultimately it's your day and if you can't decide on your own marriage service, then what can you? What I would say is 11am is very early for the guests to get there and what are you going to do the rest of the day? My cousin was at 2pm and we were hanging around for a good hour while everything went on and we got very bored! Just a few considerations that's all :) xx
Married my wife on 15.08.15
Honeymooned on the Isles of Scilly :)
CommentAuthorDonnaH39
I think I might *might* agree 11 may be too early then, but don't think I could do later then 1 either.
I suppose working out when the evening do would start could help as I could just work backwards from there, I just don't want the wedding breakfast ect. to all feel rushed. Just talking to my bridesmaid about it and I think we've agreed that whatever time you get married meal times are thrown completely out of wack.
I just remember my friends wedding a few years ago, I think she got married at 12 I'll have to check and everyone was moaning at the drinks reception (there were canapés) that they were starving... a lot of them said they hadn't eaten breakfast though which I thought was extremely daft on their part.... don't know what time they expected to eat after a 12 O'Clock wedding. I think those sort of people are going to moan no matter what though. They also had a big meal before the evening do and then had a gorgeous looking buffet, but I remember not touching the buffet as I was still so stuffed from the meal beforehand
CommentAuthorEllenH27
I think it depends on the time of year too. We're geting married at 1pm in April 2015, My sister had a winter wedding so got married at 12 to make the most of the natural light.
Plus the earlier you get married the longer the waiting time between then and the wedding breakfast which means people will prob get hungry, but you can always have an earlier wedding breakfast and evening food can be served earlier
xx
CommentAuthorMrsMaherToBe
I'd probably do mine around 12 I think as like you say it spans for the whole day :) I remember my future sister in laws wedding I think they had it about 1 but no food until 5pm we were starving as hadn't managed to grab breakfast as was busy getting our daughter ready and over to there's for early getting ready photos ect. But I think your right your always gonna have moaners :) xx
2009 met my boy.
2011 had our baby girl.
2013 had our baby boy.
2016 we'll live happily ever after.
CommentAuthorDonnaH39
I suppose I should really check with the venue what time they will do the wedding breakfast as well, I'm assuming they will do it earlier but maybe they suggest a certain time
CommentAuthorclairenina
We are getting married at 3pm, as we think any earlier will be such a long day for people
CommentAuthorgonzo
Were getting married at 2pm sit down meal 4/4.30pm evening guests 7pm evening buffet 8.30pm? x
CommentAuthorAllishiaW
We are having a church wedding at 2pm,hog roast at 4.30/5 and evening guest to come around 7-7.30 and buffet at 8.30ish :) x
CommentAuthorMarrying.Ryan
We are getting married at 3pm. We are on a budget and are only having one guest list, so we did it on purpose. That way we only have to cater to one set of guests. They can have their own lunch before we get married and then we feed them in the evening.
CommentAuthorElinor Claire
We've gone for twelve, so it's early enough that we get a good chunk of the day, but late enough that there's plenty of time to get organised. We're having an anglican ceremony, but the same option applies as to whether to have communion. We're not, as we feel there's enough going on in the service without it, and with about 200 guests if they all receive it will take a long time and will require more than one station. You'll need to bear in mind not only those who might choose to have communion, but also that those who are Christian but not Catholic wouldn't be able to. That's something to consider where your H2B is concerned. I would imagine he would have to do both baptism and first holy communion in order to be allowed to receive, and then he would only receive the bread unless he also does confirmation. I know that's what happens with children, I don't know if it's different with adults. It wouldn't really work to have communion if only you could receive it.
30th August 2014 was the best birthday ever.
It was the day that I became Mrs. Dixon.
CommentAuthorDonnaH39
As far as I can tell from online research its not the same for adult baptism as it is infant, they do it all at once, I think that's because as an adult you are choosing to follow the faith yourself, you need to confirm your faith once your old enough to do so when you've been baptised as a infant because you didn't choose to be baptised yourself.
I was grouping all none-Catholic Christians and none religious people together, I know both my bridesmaids are Catholic, my family are all Catholic and friends are a mixture, his family are none religious. We're only having 40 guests, I'll have to go over and count how many are Catholic or not, I just thought especially since he wants to be baptised before we get married it would be right to have communion together on our wedding day, plus as its a Saturday wedding chances are we won't be making mass that weekend.
CommentAuthorMrsCS2b
Our church ceremony is booked for 12, any earlier would be too much of a rush for me and later would feel like I wasted half a day waiting around lol. Sil2b got married at 4pm in church the straight on to evening do in football club after the pics and it did seem like we were waiting around a lot before the ceremony.
First met 01-08-1996
Together since 02-08-1996
Getting hitched 15-08-2015
CommentAuthorDonnaH39
I think all weddings involve some element of waiting around for guests. I'll just wait until we've spoken to the priest and the wedding coordinator and see what works out best. I'm hoping to get ready at the venue, so fingers crossed I can and if I can at least I'll be getting my moneys worth by spending my time there with my bridesmaids, mum and brother in the morning :)
CommentAuthorLinzi-jo
I'm getting married at my church at 1.30pm but my reception is only 5 minutes away, if I had to travel further then I would have done 1pm, and it was my vicar who told us that in his opinion 1.30 was the best time to have the ceremony :) xxx
Got together 14.02.2008
Got engaged 31.12.2010
Will become a Mrs on 30.08.2014 xxxxxx
CommentAuthorLauraF89
I was wondering what the best time to get married is as my mum's been telling me 1pm is too late!!! I was thinking ceremony at church for 1pm, hour ish for service and then and hour for photos and half hour ish to get people over to the reception venue so maybe eat at 3:30pm..allow 2 hours for dinner and speeches etc which only takes us to half 5... I don't want to be waiting around for the evening guests so i though maybe half 1 wedding and that way if things do run over then the latest it would be would be about 6/half 6..which would be better so that there isn't a massive gap between breakfast and reception.
Guna have a word with the vicar and the venue to see what they think would be best times.
I think a lot of brides get guilted into eating early and rushing things so that you're guests get fed but it's up to us at the end of the day and if our guests have sense they will eat before they come..
I've thought about maybe telling people to eat a good breakfast so they don't whinge at having to wait..Put a kitkat in your purse if you get peckish or hand out them out at the church lol!!!!
xxx
October 31st 2015
I will be Mrs. Henry
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
CommentAuthorDonnaH39
Haha I love the idea of handing kitkats out at the Church :p
CommentAuthorLauraF89
Now i've said it i'm tempted to have a stash of crisps and choc to keep people happy!!!
October 31st 2015
I will be Mrs. Henry
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CommentAuthorMrsCross2be
I am going for 1pm. I to want to make the most of the whole day. The hairdresser has told me she will want me in the chair between 7 and 8 am, so if I am done there for 10 I will be able to leisurely do my make up and I want to be in my dress for photos at home for 12. We will only need to leave the house at 12.55 as we basically live across the field from the church as the crow flies.
Service finished for 1.45 then pictures- arrive at the reception venue about 2.30 for drinks, canapes and photos. Sit down for wedding breakfast at 4.15 and speeches. Magician arrive at 6.30 to entertain between day and evening, evening reception begins at 7.30. Cut cake and first dance 8.30, sausage butties 9pm.
CommentAuthorprincesspixie
one of bridesmaids got married a couple of years ago and that was at 11. we were up at half 5 to make sure we got everything ready in the morning and get to the venue on time then there was about an hour or two in the middle of the afternoon before the evening party started where there was nothing to do (some guests went to their hotel rooms and had a nap) i would do it a bit later then you can relax a bit better while getting ready xx
Officially married my best friend 2/5/2015 (secretly)
Big wedding 18/06/2016
CommentAuthorInDreamland
Our ceremony was 1.30pm although I was 20 minutes late. We fitted in photos, a lot of photos, canapés and welcome drinks, traditional wedding breakfast and speeches followed by cake cutting before the evening disco party reception at around 8pm until midnight.
We opted for the wedding service with communion but without the full mass, this is where the priest blesses the communion before the service so I and Catholic guests can have communion without making our non Catholic guests having to sit through the full mass. It was a good compromise.
Married the love of my life on Saturday 11th May 2013 xxx
Had our dream perfect honeymoon in Hawaii!
CommentAuthorDonnaH39
Your definatley talking me round to a slightly later wedding 1 or half past sounds good
Oooo the communion sounds good without the full service, although I would also go for the full service. Getting excited about talking to the priest about it now :) (best get the Church booked first mind)
CommentAuthorBeckyU98
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our church wedding is 12.00 so that we can make the most of the day as we have a 30/40 min journey to reception venue. thats the earliest i would go for to make sure we are all ready in time x
CommentAuthorLauraK7
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We've applied to the registrar for 1pm and our evening starts at 7 gives us time for the meal and a bit of mingling with our day guests before the evening starts
