Hi Ladies, So me and H2B have decided that to cut costs and to avoid previous dilemma of seating plans, we are going to skip the wedding reception and just have the ceremony later in the day, then buffet and evening function. We still would like to do speeches etc though and just wondering how we could do this with the setting being different from the usual being sat at top table. Does anybody have a sort of wedding itinerary for this type of wedding? Also, when would you invite evening guests to join?
Got together on 14th March 2010
Got engaged on 25th December 2013
Became Mrs P on 14th May 2016 - best day ever!
CommentAuthorFlossie
A lot of people are going down this route now. A huge cost cutter!
I would invite the evening guests straight after the ceremony. Maybe have a drinks reception for your day guests, then invite the evening guests after this in time for the buffet and the start of the entertainment. Unless you want your day guests to eat first and then bring out extra food later on in the evening for your evening guests?
As for the speeches, maybe just ask someone to announce when the speeches are to commence and everyone who is making a speech can just walk up to the front of the room from wherever they are sat/stood :)
Happily married
18th June 2016
xx
CommentAuthorAndreaE20
Id do your speeches once everyone arrives before the entertainment gets in full swing xx
Future Mrs Ryan
First Date 4th July 2009
Asked me to be his wife 6th Augest 2014
Hoping to be his wife on 4th July 2017
CommentAuthorMrsEmmaP
Thanks ladies. We are thinking of doing speeches once everybody has got food, sort of the same as you would in a reception. The problem now though is when do we cut the cake?! Never been to a wedding that has done this before so not sure what I'm doing! :(
Got together on 14th March 2010
Got engaged on 25th December 2013
Became Mrs P on 14th May 2016 - best day ever!
CommentAuthorFlossie
Our wedding coordinator has put cutting the cake just before the first dance xx
If it were me I'd probably do it roughly as follows:
Ceremony Drinks reception with nibbles/canapés (you can have photos done during that time) Evening guests arrive Speeches Cake cutting Food First dance
We had our speeches before the meal and it worked really well and meant no-one was nervous. I also think that in your case doing them first will provide more 'structure'; if you're having a buffet and no seating plan it might be more difficult to organise/get everyone's attention if you do them after everyone's eating plus for me, the whole point of an informal buffet is that people can eat when they want (eg a lot of evening guests might not want to eat straight away).
CommentAuthorMidgetGem89
we are getting married 3.30pm church will finish round about 4.15ish photos maybe 20mins to half an hour depending on how easy ppl want to b with them lol ppl can make their way to reception as they please stay for photos or not its fine bt me and h2b plan and going to a dif place near reception on cliff where he proposed if its nice day so id say we be at room by 5pm.. theres a bar while they wait and we make.our way up im having a recieving line just incase i dnt get round every2 as got 2 kids to watch aswell lol(altho my parents r on baby sitting duties too thankfully) cut the cake speeches food then people will leave unless they stay for first dance (my nana and a few other oldies) then party begins its a hot and cold buffet should be plenty to keep people going for a while :-) we arent having a seating plan as such but a table plan as there is some people id rather sit oposite ends of the room lol itll change up through the night tho no one will stay on "their" table
CommentAuthorScottishbride2016
My friend recently got married and she only had ceromony thrn straight into evening reception but still had the top table at reception for speeches etc x
CommentAuthorGlitterfairy
This was my original plan, just to do a later ceremony and buffet reception, however as the venue was set up for doing sit downs this was not possible. I also was not going to have a seating plan, then it got mentioned to me that if people will sit where they want there may be tables that have an odd seat and some may not be able to sit together, so decided to do a plan instead. This was not too much of an issue, I had two tables with one seat left on each so just stuck my sons girlfriends on those as they were on the top table with me. We also did not have the traditional top table as between us we have 7 children and I wanted to make it special for them as well so top table consisted of our new family together.
