Is anyone planning on being late?

It's less of an option with civil weddings as the registrar may just leave if you're not there.

I was a few minutes early as the traffic was less bad than I thought. We had one or two late-arriving guests rushing in as I was waiting outside doing my pre-ceremony interview with the registrar, but I didn't really care.

I'm with Bill... It could have a knock on effect on the timings for the rest of the day too if it's anything more than a few minutes. You could maybe make a quick detour if the coast isn't clear..?

Don't plan to be late .. I really dislike lateness in any situation, I find it disrespectful - your guests should aim to get there early (shouldn't they!?) whether your venue is easy to get to or not - if they show up after the bride, they ought to have the respect not to queue behind the bride and certainly not to enter the venue after her.

Driving around the block is not an option...there is not block. The lane stops at the church. I'd have to turn around and come back down. I'm just thinking logically, no one can find my parents house so it would just allow for latecomers. As I said, there's isn't room for cars to pass so while my car is waiting outside my parents house, potentially there could be cars waiting behind on their way to church.

I don't like being late amd would rather not...I'm thinking more of the guests.

I don’t think you can really ‘allow’ for any latecomers, if they aren’t there on time there isn’t really much you can do.

I assume you’ve mentioned on your invites not to use the postcode and how awkward the church appears to be to find?

As Helenia said, our registrar (civil ceremony) said under no circumstances be late as they had other weddings the same day. Are you sure your church isn’t the same? I know when my SIL got married there was a christening afterwards so it can happen for church weddings too.

Could you perhaps have a few homemade signs directing people to the church to try and minimise the people that will potentially get lost or have someone waiting at the end of the drive to make sure no one takes the wrong turning?

I am always late. For everything! I don't plan to be late, I am just that good at wasting time! We are aiming to have the ceremony after lunchtime, so I will have plenty of time to faff about and not get my man all worried haha!! Plus, I intend on staying at the venue the night before, so I only need to walk downstairs and not have to rely on cars etc.

vvvvvvvvv

This is what your ushers are for.

You can never allow enough time for guests to be late, countless times ive been photographing from the back of the church and they come in all quietly and sheepish, up to the last hymn (they wait outside untill everyone stands and sings ) and use that as cover !

How long is the lane, could you say no parking down the lane and everyone is to park at the enterance to the lane and walk down, but you still drive down

It sounds very much like this wedding, if it was raining the bride and Dad would of gone down in the car but all was ok and they walked down. Afterwards everyone was escorted up the lane by an acordian player as they walked.

Our church has requested Im not ate as it is disrespectful to the people who are volunteering their own time for my day such as the choir and bell ringers etc.

Plus they said by the time I get to the church it will take me about 10 mins to sort my dress, flowers, BMs etc out xx

Absolutely not... how rude

I'm NEVER late to anything unless there is a genuine reason like unavoidable traffic jam or bad weather (we get quite a bit of snow here and it plays havoc with roads) and nothing annoys me more than people who show up late (we all have that one friend that will keep you waiting 2 fecking hours before she bothers to show up)

and I agree about losing your spot, if people are going to do that they should lose their spot - its like how the doctors always have a 30-40 min delay your selfishness will most like effect other people appointments throughout the day which isn't fair

if your guests are late then they dont get in... it should be common sense you dont enter after its started surely that's as obvious as other simple manners like not answering your phone during the ceremony

Hello,

I would be too worried to run late because I know the 'is she having second thoughts?' Comments would start, and I wouldn't want anyone thinking I was doubting my relationship with my husband to be.

As for late comers, I wouldn't stress over it. You may not even notice them enter as you will concentrating on getting married and I'm sure at that moment in time late comers will be the last thing on your mind.

I've waited long enough to get married, I plan to be on time! I am planning on sending the BMs off 15 mins before service start, and then I'll leave 5 mins after them. It's only round the corner so after a few photos we should be max 5 mins late starting.

As for the guests, they should be in well before then anyway!

If you are really worried about guests being late why not write the time on their invitation 10-15 mins earlier than the real time. That way the vicar etc are not inconvenienced, guests are there before you and everyone is happy.

I don't like being late for anything so I will be aiming to be there on time. OH will be an emotional wreck as it is without him thinking I have done a runner!

I won't be intentionally late but if it's 5 minutes I won't worry. I'm sure churches plan as this is a tradition to avoid bad luck. Don't plan to be late though, that is just tempting fate!

I wouldn't have planned to be late - always a risky game if you ask me.

As it happens, I have no idea if I was on time or not, I didn't have my watch on. I do know that I was ready when called for though.

I'm not planning on being late as I'm getting ready at the venue. But I was writing our invitation wording the other day and wondered whether I should put the actual ceremony time down or 15 mins earlier to ensure everyone is in and sat down when I start walking down the aisle. The venue is a fair way from where most people live so I'm conscious that traffic etc could be a problem.

Sorry to hijack the original thread but have people put down the exact ceremony time or earlier?

Re friends and family getting there before you, I would have thought it was common knowledge that one is supposed to arrive up to 15 mins before the ceremony time - I'm going to deal with it by having it on our online itinerary though, just in case.

Dad and I were talking about this at the weekend, and although we would love to arrive late to pay OH back for his complete lack of punctuality, it would make us both very twitchy (and yes, I think we both have slight OCD too) so if I'm not on time, if not early, then I shall be very surprised indeed!

I'm planning on being early just because I'm always late and don't want to keep everyone waiting. If guests arrive late then they'll just have to miss a bit.

I am never late. On time for me is late, early is on time. I think its rude and annoying in general life. If people arrive late to your wedding that's just rude, most people plan to ensure they are there on time, If they are late so be it...why keep your h2b waiting just in case some people are late. x

I think it's quite rude to lie to your guests. Most people will be early for a wedding, and if you put the wrong ceremony time down, plenty of them will have been sitting for 45+ minutes before you arrive, and might even be worrying if you're coming or not! It would make me grumpy at the start of the day, which isn't a great start to a wedding ceremony.

Write something like "Please be seated by 1.15 for a 1.30 ceremony" (alter times as appropriate!) and most people will be there in plenty of time.

Even if they are late, it's not going to ruin your day. They can either wait outside or sneak in at the back (in church weddings hymns are a convenient time to do this!) - you will be far too wrapped up in what's going on to care.

I wasn't actually suggesting I would lie to the guests. Most invitations wording samples I have seen simply say the time without the invitation referring to what this is. A family wedding I went to last year just had a time on it and when we asked we were told this was the time they wanted us there for not the ceremony time. So my question should have been 'is the time you are putting on the invites the time you will be walking down the aisle or the time you want people there for'. I have googled it and there appears to be some confusion with some saying it is the ceremony time and some saying arrival time. I wanted to know the opinions of others. I hadn't thought of being more specific on the invite as was just following the traditional wording templates so might do this just to avoid confusion.

We are having a small civil ceremony wedding so yes, I might well notice if people are late.

The signs suggestion is a very good idea. I'd also forewarn the guests to follow the directions, not the sat-nav.

I find tje layout of your hamlet very difficult to picture.... Not sure why any guests would be anywhere near your parents house at the end of a lane, if you're getting married at a church, not in your parents house.

However, I digress. If somehow, your car will be in the way of people parking at the church, I'd suggest that you get in your car 15 mins beforehand, and get your car out of the way by going on a lovely little country drive for 15 minutes. Then head back to the church, bang on time, and no one should be arriving after you.

Like others have said, you can't stay away 'just in case' some people are late. That would be rather odd.

Wow, so being a couple of mins late to ensure any guests who may get lost make it in time is selfish of me...

Basically, the lane my parents live on has 6 houses and they share the same postcode as another lane on the opposite side of the main road.

There is a main road separating the two lanes.

My parents house is the 1st house on the lane, the church is at the top of the lane along with the farmhouse and industrial units with car park (which is where guests will park). That's it...nothing more & no more lane, just fields So what goes up, must come back the same way. We cannot ask people to park at the bottom of the lane as it leads onto a busy main road. My car will stop outside my parents house therefore blocking the road for however long it's there (it's currently due to arrive at 11:50...service is at midday) If we have guests running late, they will most certainly be stuck waiting behind my car.

It take 30 seconds to drive from house to church. If car comes for midday exactly, I'm hardly going to be late enough to put the whole day out of sync etc...a couple of minutes at most.

We have a sign and an usher directing to the car park but no one spare to stand on the corner by the main road.

Hopefully my directions will suffice...

Ah-ha, with that configuration, it's probably likely that your wedding car will also be in the way if it comes early, and you go for a country drive to get out of the way. In which case, scrap that suggestion, and ask the driver to arrive in your hamlet at 11.50am, sit and park. He can then enter your lane at 11.55am, leaving you enough time to get into the car and drive the 30 seconds.

Boom - you're not late, and you're not really blocking the road. I would honestly believe that people will arrive before 11.55am. You have to trust them a little!

How about the car waiting out of the way around the corner and then picking you up at midday and you will then have your 5-10 mins

(edit posted same time as ClaireDawnB)

As I've only got to come downstairs and into the back garden being late really won't be an issue :-)