Big gap between ceremony and evening reception... What to do?!?!

Anything you want really!

Afternoon tea? a tour of a local attraction? a bus tour of the local area? just open the reception venue early and provide drinks? open a bar? provide cups of tea and board games? Totally depends on what you and your guests would like!

Even though you don't want a sit down I do think you need to feed your guests if you are expecting them to stick around until the evening.

It could be anything, a buffet (hot, cold, finger, fork), a BBQ, a hog roast...

Apart from that the choice is yours, at least an hour will be taken up with photographs, but depending on how many guests you have they won't all be needed all the time for those.

I'm having giant garden games (for sale in a few weeks time ?)and a cartoonist for the few hours inbetween the ceremony and when we sit down for the wedding breakfast. However, at weddings I've been to previously that gap hasn't felt like a long gap because typically people are surrounded by people they know and spend the time chatting and catching up. 4 hours is a long time for people to just be standing around though.

I like the idea of a tour bus, we did something similar at a friend's wedding in rome last year which went down very well.

We're having a magician for a couple of hours and we're also letting off some Sky lanterns. The lanterns are a way of getting people outside whilst the tables etc are moved round for the evening do!?

I thought about these then seeing 4 weddings last night no way! an accident waiting to happen

Hi ya

I agree with Sarah Kay that you should provide something for your guests to eat, three hours is a long time to wait without anything and I know that guests shouldn't expect anything, but they do usually expect to be fed.

I've held plenty of champagne and canape receptions and then the celebrations finish about 7pm, but you could do this and then serve an evening buffet at about 8pm.

Another lovely idea that Pink Alien mentioned, is an afternoon tea. Just a selection of cakes and sandwiches displayed on cake stands and trays but you could make it really chintzy with doilies and patterned paper napkins and lots of teapost filled with pimms and lemonade.

If you are providing your own food and drink, to save money you can make your own Pimms. Buy the value brands of Vermouth/Martini Rosso, Gin and angosturus bitters mix equal measures of Vermouth and Gin and then add bitters until you like it. Add fruit and lemonade. It should give you about 1.5ltrs for £9!

Anyway, I digress.......

Other activities you can do is arrange a treasure hunt around your local area incorporating a couple of local attractions ie/pubs cafe's

Pub quiz style event

Arrange for a Juke box for guests to play music

A comedy act or cabaret act.

Set up a cinema room full of sweets and pop corn.

It's very important to make sure your guests don't get bored or fed up. They will be waiting for 3.5hrs for the evening reception which is a very long time, even if you do know people, but especially if you don't. Depending on the location if easy enough,your guests could start to disappear. You need to make sure your guests are in the party mood so that your evening reception starts with a party mood. I've been to weddings where the mood has dipped because there's nothing to do other than sit in a bar, that's why I make sure the guests are entertained if there is a gap.

HTH

Ruth

Oooh Sarah Kay...I might be interested in your garden games?? Was thinking it might be a nice way to fill the time between wedding breakfast and evening do, was also considering a mini game of cricket.

What exactly do you have?

x

Giant connect 4 (but the nice green wooden one, not the blue plastic one!) and giant jenga.

I'll be having a big sell off in October, although due to the size of connect 4 it's need to be collection from Essex!

Thanks for the replies

I really like the idea of afternoon tea........ hmmm, need to see what time we can get the venue for the evening reception as i'm thinking we would need it from 4.30 onwards..........

I'd love to have garden games, unfortunately, mine and OH's families dont get on all that well so not sure how well that would go down :-S