Should I change our time?

My venue and TOG suggested 2pm if we could get it but its down to the individual!

2pm. The day will fly by and you will want to spend it at your wedding not waiting around.

I'd go for 2pm too. (Possible bias as this is the time of our ceremony!)

Thanks for your thoughts ladies. I would much rather have it sooner in the day and relax more with the guests rather than try to cram it all and be done by a certain time.

Then again there is a seperate bar area if evening guests arrive before our breakfast is done.

Is it feasible I can get ready in just one and a half hours though??? That is my main concern if we change to the earlier 2pm slot. With the 3.30 pm it gives me so much time to calm down and fiddle with hair and make up and so on.

If only they had 2.30 or 3pm available!!!

Is 1.5 hours enough time to get ready?

To help at 11 i would enlist some help to check over things and sort certain aspects out as well. If you have detailed plans the venue should be good at organising it all for you to have a quick check over just after the service. Also is the ceremony and wedding breakfast in the same room? if it is then there wont be a huge amount you can do before hand and so will have to trust in the venue.

Thanks all.

The ceremony and breakfast are in seperate areas of the same venue. The ceremony room will be set up with chairs etc, I just need to put the table decoration on. And make sure someone will move it to top table later.

I am setting up centrepieces and place cards myself as the venue charges a stupid HUGE amount per table to have one of their staff do it, and I would be happier knowing table centres and names are exactly right (yes I am a weirdo control freak, I do realise!)

I want to allow myself plenty of time to do this and check over everything, then get showered and ready without being too rushed. I estimate 2 hours to do hair and make up, then possibly re do both if need be! Obv then get into dress and meet quickly with registrar. I would also like some time after I am ready to have some calming sips of bubbly with mum and bridesman!

OH thinks 3.30 is fine, as he wants to make sure I don't feel panicked and hurrying to get ready, but wishes the evening guests could come a little earlier than my guesstimation of 8/8.30.

We are trying to figure out a way to enable the guests to be invited from about 7.30 onwards, it may be doable bearing in mind we want to keep readings, photos and speeches to a minimum anyway.

For some reason I keep second guessing myself at the moment on decisions we sorted long ago. Maybe I need a new project instead of stressing about these details!

How about asking some bridesmaid to help you with the table decor? That will take some responsibilities off your shoulders and you can trust them to get right? You can always check it over.

We're getting married at 2pm, drinks reception 2.30-3.45, receiving line 3.45 and meal to start at 4.15, evening guests will come by 7pm. How about having shower at home before going to the venue, dedicate bridesmaids(or friend) to do your table decor and you can just RELAX while getting ready?

My bridesman is not entirely reliable, I will be amazed if he makes it on time so though I love him to bits I am minimising his jobs! My mum will help though so it won't take ages, I just like to allow plenty of time on the off chance.

The venue is roughly an hour away from us, which is why I planned on shower etc once there and after a scary journey up giant hills into the middle of nowhere then carrying centrepieces and postbox and everything else in I will want to shower then and be as fresh as possible.

I will be able to relax once I know everything is set up and me mum and bridesman are changed and ready.

I just need to work out if I can get it all done and ready by 2... I figure I can take an hour and a half doing regular night out hair and make up, never mind my wedding day, plus then getting on and into a corset dress!

I want to make sure our guests have a lovely time, but a friend who got married last year told me 'take the amount of time you thought you would need and add an hour!'

Ok, I understand...bridesman wouldnt be too reliable. I start getting ready at 10.30 and arrive to the venue at 10.00 to set up the cake, only because I dont trust anyone with my cake!! (home baked and iced plus handmade cake topping, so I do have clear views how it should look like!).

Probably 3.30 would be safer option although the night for the evening guest will be super short IMO.

Any chance that the venue will let you set out the centrepieces etc the night before? This is what I'm doing. My wedding is at 11am so there's no way I would have time to do that on the day. Plus its a lot of stress I don't need on my wedding day!

Exactly what we have been thinking about - 3.30 is safer, but not great for evening guests. The venue will kick out at midnight or just after so really for evening guests being invited from 8pm ish it will be 4 hours, which some people may not be happy with. Then again as OH said, they are all grown ups and can decide for themselves and if 4 hours of drinking and partying to celebrate our marriage, plus food and cake, is not good enough for them, then stuff em, more room for us and the day guests!

It is your day and you got to enjoy it, go with 3.30! Rushing around and worrying about the time all the time will not make it enjoyable and relaxing!

Thanks! I had totally forgotten this might be an option.

I have remembered now when we looked round the man said because of partitions, they can set up a whole weekends worth of weddings and pull each one forward on the morning of, if that makes sense.

I suppose if the 2 weddings on Fri and Sat before mine (on Sun) are huge, then the venue will use all the space, so I cannot hide my tables and centrepieces etc behind the partition. If they are smallish then I guess setting up on the Thurs before would be an option, so free up time for me on the Sunday morning.

I am going to the venue again soon so must remember to find out if they could definitely get my tables set up a few days before. Duh! Can't believe I forgot that! If they are able to confirm the other wedding sizes for sure then maybe I can get myself sorted in time for the 2pm slot. If they can't then I will stick with 3.30 and just enjoy the extra time to get ready and drink bubbles and deal with any nerves!

Thanks all.

Woo-hoo! I changed my time to 2 and feel loads happier. Venue said if I can't set up a few days before cos the Fri/Sat wedding are big, then I can have access from 9am onwards, and can def guarantee getting into the bridal suit/preparation room from 11am so that give me loads of time to be ready by 2pm. The day is spaced out so much more relaxed now!

The only prolem I have now is deciding the best time to invite the evening guests for, and what time to start first dance and buffet.

Evening guests for 7pm, first dance and buffet bbq open from about 9pm? Or is that too late?