TWO PART Wedding QUESTION? appetizers?

Question

*** WHILE OPINIONS ARE VALUED, ANSWERS BASED ON FACT ARE NEEDED HERE***

A) What is the best time of day to have a wedding/reception if you only want to serve appetizers with your cake?

B) How should the invite be worded if a full meal is not being served?

This is being held at a church/fellowship hall, there will be no alcohol.

Answer 1

A.) From the weddings that I've been to, it seems as if you'll want to have a wedding/reception earlier in the day. Most people expect a meal if your wedding is around 4 or later due to the fact that people eat the most at dinner time. I would have it early during the daytime so that you will have plenty of time to enjoy the reception and people won't feel as if they have to leave to eat a full meal before the party gets started!

B.) Just have your invite be worded as you normally would, but make note on the bottom 'please join us for celebration and appetizers after the ceremony at such and such place' or something like that.

I hope I have been of some help!

Answer 2

The best time of day for just appetizers would be a wedding held starting after 1:30, but ending before 4 or 4:30. If you start the reception any early then 1:30, people are going to assume that a full lunch meal will be served. If the reception continues past 4:30, it's getting into dinner hour.

Also, most wedding invites have wording like this:

"After the Ceremony, please join us at (name of venue)"

You can say something like,

"Please join us on a cocktail reception, at (name of venue)"

Answer 3

Hi and congratulations!

I LOVE those kinds of weddings/receptions!

I think the best time to do this is early afternoon (after lunch and before dinner). Have a 2 p.m. wedding with the reception starting about 2:30. OR, 2:30 wedding with reception to start about 3:00.

OR....it can be a late evening wedding also. Say, 7:30 p.m., with the reception starting at 8 p.m. That would be acceptable also. But I like the early afternoon better. However, both are acceptable.

For the invitations:
All the usual stuff of course....names, date, time.

Then say:
Appetizers and desserts will follow the
ceremony in the church fellowship hall

Good luck and I hope you have a beautiful wedding!

Answer 4

A reception is ALWAYS fifty percent of your budget so if you only have a specific amount of money to spend you will either have to cut your guest list considerably or choose the least expensive meal (which is usually chicken or turkey) plus eliminate alcoholic beverages (wedding guests love FREE liquor). Budget weddings are all about making choices and determining your priorities. Here's a few budget real life recent weddings . . The Bride and Groom (# 1) got married at 1030AM in a garden. A brunch was served to one hundred people in a banquet room at a local hotel. The only liquor served was a champagne toast to the Bride and Groom. In order to keep within their budget there was only a Maid of Honor and a Best Man (two Thank You gifts). There was no band or disc jockey. A professional photographer was only hired for four hours. The wedding cake only had two tiers, the guests were served decorated cupcakes. The Bride and Groom (# 2) and two of their best friends traveled about fifty miles to a victorian bed and breakfast. The late afternoon wedding ceremony was performed under a blossoming cherry tree. After the ceremony the Bride and Groom and their two friends (Maid of Honor and Best Man) ate a candlelight dinner on the bed and breakfast's porch. At 9PM they released a bunch of balloons into the sky and then ate wedding cake and drank champagne. This wedding cost less than $750. The Bride and Groom (# 3) just purchased a new home so they could not afford to entertain their wedding guests lavishly in a hotel. The ceremony was performed on the front lawn of their new home and then the guests were treated to a chicken and ribs barbeque in the backyard (by a catering company). The Bride wore a simple white sundress and the Groom wore a dark suit. When dinner was over the Bride and Groom brought out a CD player and everyone danced under the stars. In place of a wedding cake an assortment of homemade desserts were served (pies, cookies, brownies, cream puffs, eclairs, and ice cream sundaes). Answered by: A Certified wedding specialist / A Professional bridal consultant / A Wedding ceremony officiant

Answer 5

The best time of day would be to have the wedding between the hours of 2 & 3 with the reception following in the church fellowship hall. Common sense should tell your guest that a reception at that time won't feature a meal.

You don't need to specify on your invitation that no meal is being served to do so would indicate that you're guests aren't smart enough to figure it out.

Answer 6

A) I would do the wedding around 1 pm/2 pm and then have the reception at 3:30 pm/4:30 pm because then people aren't expecting to be fed dinner or lunch. It would be early enough that people could still grab dinner after the reception.

B) "Guests are invited to join us after the ceremony for hors d'oeuvres and cake".

Answer 7

This is what we did as well.

Our Ceremony was at 11:30 AM and the Reception began at 12:30. We stated that it would be a Cocktail Reception from 12:30-3 in the afternoon on our reception cards. People knew and honestly, at least at ours, there were so many butlered trays coming out and the Cheese and Fruit table, plus the cake, people left with full bellies, no one was hungry afterwards.

EDIT
Since there is no alcohol, you wont want to call it a cocktail reception because cocktail means liquor, so I would suggest stating it like this

We invite you join us in a to toast the happy couple immediately following ceremony
Fellowship Hall
Our Church

This will imply that its a small and simple affair with no served meal and people wont be expecting much food.

Answer 8

The word "cocktail" denotes alcohol service ( as I am learning)

It would be an afternoon or "tea" time reception

"Please join us following the ceremony in the church reception hall. Light refreshments will be served"

Answer 9

" cocktail reception or cocktail/hors douvers reception" would be proper wording on the invites. 6pm - 7pm is a good time as people would be able to have a full meal either before or after the reception

Answer 10

The best time is in between meals.
The best wording would be like... 'cake and hore'dourves (sp)following the ceremony.'

good luck.