Break between 'breakfast' and evening do?

Hi Slothgirl

Congratulations!

i have never been to a wedding where there has been an actual scheduled 'break' between the meal and the evening... There can be a bit of a natural lull in activity if the venue needs to change the room around etc but I wouldn't expect my guests to all disappear off for a lie down!

after my meal we will be having tea and coffee and wedding cake served in another room, while the dj and dance floor gets set up, and then everyone will be invited back through to start the party.

If you are worried about people needing a rest you could maybe just let everyone know what time your first dance will be (if you are having one) or when the evening guest will be arriving so they can come back then and not miss anything. Mostly the party won't start properly until after the first dance anyway, so this could give people a little break if needed?

Congratulations on your engagement. I agree with Brooksy. There can be a bit of a lull whilst the venue changes the room around but this will be filled with people chatting and drinking! It is a popular time for people to book me to perform as sometimes people can just be standing around waiting on the venue staff to prepare the room for the evening reception.

Hello Slothgirl!! Congratulations!! We're actually timing in a break in our day. We're getting married at 11am (only other time left on our day apart from 5.00) and because its such a long day we're having a break between 5 & 6 for the day guests to go back to their rooms for a nap/refresh or change of outfit!! I know I'll be having a power hour before the boogie-ing commences!!

I think it depends on the timing of your day, when youre getting married etc

Debbi xx

Hello, and welcome!!

We were married at !!;30am, and it made the day very long. We had an interval between the wedding breakfast and the evening do. About an hour or so I think. I have no idea what we did in that time...I think my husband and I had more photos taken, but I couldn't be sure....it's such a blur!!
Some of our guests who were staying at the venue went back to their rooms to chill, others went to the bar to drink. We also had a couple of quiet rooms, and people sat in these chatting and catching up.
Every wedding I've been to has had a gap/lull/break between the two, and it's nice to relax. After the wedding breakfast, you're so full the last thing you want to do is be part of the evening do!! And as the bride, the day goes soooooo quickly, it's nice to have some time to relax and be with your husband.

Guests at weddings will always find something to do in a lull time, even if it is just to head to the bar and drink and chat!!

I think it depends on what time you are having the ceremony and wedding breakfast. I'm have a 1pm ceremony, a 4pm wedding breakfast (To be confirmed), and evening guests arriving from 7pm. A break for my timings wouldn't seem sensible.

However, if your wedding breakfast is at lunchtime, a break before the evening celebrations would seem sensible - however if you're are planning all celebrations in one place, as long as you tell guests timings for events, it's up to guest how they spend the time inbetween.

Hello and welcome.

I would not worry about this at your early stage of planning.

When looking for venues you will get an idea of how your timings during the day will work. e.g you may find a venue that would provide a perfect setting for lawn games where a 'break' between the breakfast and evening would allow guests to enjoy those. (or you may fall in love with a venue that your guests may struggle to 'entertain' themselves in during a break)

Our schedule was this

3:00 ceremony

3:15-5:00 photos and champagne reception

5:00 Dinner (wedding breakfast) (we didn't have speeches)

7:00-11:30 evening reception

If people need to rest or go to their rooms they will as and when they need to and not when 'you' schedule a break for them to do so.

Welcome! I agree with what Funky has said - it totally will depend on your venue and the time you get married, your venue will often give you ideas about when's best for timings so it's worth speaking to them too. And it'll depend on what time you're able to get married too as this might be restricted/already booked on your day.

I've only just sorted out my timings between getting married and the evening do a couple of days ago and that's because we're agreeing the wording for the evening invitations and had to put a time! You have plenty of time yet!

I don't think you need to schedule in an actual break but there will be a little lull in between the end of the meal and the start of the evening. As you haven't chosen a venue yet, perhaps think about one a hotel or similar where people can return to their rooms if necessary, when they want to.

There will be approx 1 hr 45 mins between the end of our speeches and the start of the evening party - the venue also change the room round in this time which takes 45 mins, so the wedding guests go to one of the bars in the venue. In this time I'm hoping to get more photos, and just mingle with guests and have a drink! It's not an actual 'break', although of course anyone staying at the venue could nip back to their rooms if they wanted.

We diddnt schedule a break but there was an hour and half between the end of the afternoon and the evening reception starting.

Our guests just sat in the garden and chatted and drank, hopefully with a dinner wedding the weather will be nice- dies your venue have outside space?

*summer not dinner.....

Thanks all

Lots of really helpful advice and suggestions. It's definitely going to depend on the venue/timings of the day. One of the venues we have looked at so far was wonderful, but it's not a hotel and the nearest hotels are a taxi ride away so that makes it harder for guests with children etc to come and go from rooms.

We're looking at some hotels next week so they might be a better option from that perspective.

So much to think about, eek!

xxx

HI Slothgirl

I'm getting married in church at 11am, then on to hotel for photos, wedding breakfast and finally speeches. This should finish at around 4pm with the evening reception beginning at 7.30pm (in the same place). OH and myself plan to disappear to our room and spend some time together ?? maybe have a freshen up before the evening guests arrive.

Like you I am a little concerned that the gap in between is too long and people will get bored.

The bar is still open and there are plenty of big comfy sofas for them to sit and relax in and as most of them live close they could always pop home themselves. I keep telling myself all these things but still I worry.

But I also worry that if I don't have a rest (yes I really do mean a rest ?) I wont be able to cope with a night do as well. ( got a little problem and get tired easily).

When reading through other peoples comments a gap is not unusual but is 3 hours just too much?

OH keeps telling me my health is more important and to stop worrying.

Opps I'm supposed to reassuring you and I end up talking about my worries ...sorry!!?

so

On a positive note think of what's right for you and the guests will cope I'm sure.

And good luck

x

Hi and congratulations!

Our ceremony is at 1pm, our wedding breakfast is at 2pm ish, then we are going to a 3rd venue for the evening reception. Imagine us and the day guests will get to the evening venue at about 5pm, and the evening guests don't arrive till 7pm so there will be a 2 hour gap to fill. We are counting on people mingling and having a drink etc for these 2 hours. We are also thinking of having a raffle and some games etc to pass the time. Most weddings I have been to have had a 'gap' before the evening reception, so I think it will be expected. and time tends to fly at a wedding anyway!

Every wedding I've been to has had a period between where people can do what they like. Have a drink and a chat, go back to room for break and to freshen up, get changed etc! At our wedding in 2007 I think most went back to hotel rooms to freshen up and catch a bit of the xfactor final, haha!! I must admit, I do like this little break. Totally up to you though, u don't have to have one! :-)

If you need to have a snoozey break for either your parents or grandparents specifically (ie. CLOSE family members), then I'd say definitely opt for a wedding in a hotel, so they can nip upstairs between say the end of the meal (5 or 6pm) and the evening stuff like the first dance (8pm maybe). But, if your own close family don't need this, you don't need to worry about any of the other guests, they'll just drink and chat.

I know that when I attend a wedding in a hotel, if I have a room there, I make use of it whenever I feel like it - to freshen up, or change dresses if I want to. But it's not during a scheduled break! I would never leave the building to do that, such as if the hotel was down the road.

Regretably, I know my mum and dad now intend to leave my wedding at around 9pm, as it is not in a hotel, so there is no opportunity for them to have a snooze after dinner. It's due to ill health, and not being able to keep going for so many hours without tiredness. Had this been a factor with my close family at the time of booking our wedding venue, I would have gone for a hotel venue. But only for them, not out of some weird notion that every guest 'wants' a break of some description. That's just nonsense!!

I wouldn't schedule a break in, there is often a natural lull after the wedding breakfast, but it depends on timings. We have previously used this lull to take our children back to our room to grab a rest and have a bit of down-time for them (or drop them at grandparents!), but certainly don't expect anything scheduled in.

Congrats

I have a natural break in my planning of the day, but its there as spare time in case things other things over run. I quite like a break at weddings tho, its nice to have time to freshen up. My wedding day is very low key and relaxed tho so it suits the day

I agree with those who say that you don't need to worry about actually scheduling it in. Again as others have said, there will be a natural lull in activity, where guests can go off if they want to. I imagine you'll find most people (I would be one of them) are happy to just mingle for a little while. On the other hands, my OH's parents at every wedding will go back to wherever they're staying just to sit around, but I'm sure those that want to will find the time for this rather than you finding it, if that makes sense.

Definitely not selfish to not plan for people to go for a lay down! They'll have just been sitting on a chair for the whole meal, anyway

I was about to say I don't remember ever having been to a wedding where there was a break, but thinking about it, there's almost always a natural break between the end of the meal and the disco/band starting. I would normally still be sitting at my dinner place drinking and chatting, or doing the same thing out in the bar if they had to turn the room around.

I would very rarely go back to my room though (the only possible reason would be to change my shoes!) as wine makes me sleepy and I'd probably never come back down!