Is no sit-down meal ok????

I think a 4pm wedding is an awkward time as I'd be hungry about 6pm so depends on when you would have the buffet?

I'm not against a no sit down wedding but you would need to time the buffet right and also make sure the food was filing enough to last people through the whole night. x

OMG - thanks so much - obviously i would need to get the timings right and everything, but your friends wedding sounds like exactly what I want!!

Thanks for reassuring me!

I have my eye on a venue that has a big marquee and does BBQs and Hog Roasts - it would certainly be something different!!!!

Hog roasts and BBQs are a great idea. you can still do the speeches as long as everyone can sit down near each other (and have tables available!)

just don't forget to provide for vegetarians: it would be awful for a veggie friend or relative to turn up and find only salad to eat! ?

I always think that you should go with what you want and can afford as your wedding is your day.

Because we are on a small budget too we are having a late ceremony in church at 3.30pm and then we will be going on to have reception where we are having hot food buffet to be served by 6pm. There will still be plenty of tables and chairs but to make sure we can fit in our 100 guests we are not having formal sit down so people can choose where they sit and who with etc and because its not going to be formally laid out it means more people can sit around a table comfortably ? especially as we are having plenty of kids there too which at a formal sit down you would have to count them as a place around the table.

The caterers we are using will serve people and walk about toppping glasses up with wine so there will still be a feeling of being served which I think is nice makes guests feel special. So that the guests who would normally be at a top table definitely get a seat we are going to make one of the tables stand out from the other by having burgundy colour table cloth and chair covers where as the rest will have ivory.

Best thing about not having a formal sit down is that there isnt the worry of who sits with who, which I think can be a nightmare, and it means you can invite everyone you want which is the most important thing about getting married sharing it with your friends and family.

I think whatever you decide to do your day will be wonderful even on a smaller budget. x

When I got married 5 years ago, we had pretty much the same thing as what claire mentions.

We got married at 4pm (people had already eaten lunch by the time they arrived for the wedding) It was approx 6pm when everybody got to eat.

We then had a buffet for the evening do, as more people were coming at that time.

We had 40 for the actual wedding & another 40 for the night do.

We did our whole wedding, including 2 weeks in Florida for our honeymoon for around £3500

Everybody commented on how lovely & relaxed the wedding was & it was more like a great party, than a more formal affair.

hth

Debbie

xx

Hiya there,

We are on a smaller budget too but we are having less guests in the afternoon and a few more in the evening... which could be another idea maybe? But its dependant on what you want

Have you looked into the buffet and drink costings etc?

x

We did this. Had a 3pm wedding and a buffet in the evening. We put on the invites buffet only and on the information sheet gave people some options of where to have a pub lunch on their way to the wedding

No sit down meal is fine just as is inviting the people who are important to you! We have a smallish budget and have booked our whole day (ceremony, reception and evening party including all food and table wine) for 90 people for £2000 so it is do'able good luck x x

wow, sorry to gate crash, how did you manage that? i have 90 guests and even with only 60 during the day all i can find is £3000 upwards

The venue ( Limpley Stoke Hotel) is owned by the Best Western Group we got 10% off for a Friday and another 10% off for booking before end of Feb we have their premium package and a complimentary bridal suite for the night, makes up for the £1500 we are spending on the band!! x

Wow - thanks everyone - you have all really reassured me....

now i can feel a plan coming together - now to find the venue........

thank you xxxx

Hi, we're not having a sit down formal meal either! We're getting married at 3pm, serving drinks and nibbles straight after (getting married and having reception in the same place) and then having fish and chips at 6pm. The venue is on the harbour so it's turned into our theme ?

Our budget is also small, and this all comes in at £2.5k for 70 people (venue hire, registrar, food and drink).

Hi were gettin married at 4 and are buffett will be getting served at 7. no sit down meal as lots of kids about and cant be bothered soring out who sits where. lol

xxx

We had a 4pm wedding followed by a hot buffet at £17 a head then intp the evening do and it worked reallywell!

Just to say if you're not having a sit down meal, do have something substantive - like fish and chips or a hog roast - a friend went to a wedding where they just had "afternoon tea" and everyone was throwing up by 6pm 'cos of all the alcohol.

Friends of ours got married in a barn and had the tables in a U with the top table separated - people went up to the hog roast bit by bit and then they did the speeches after everyone had eaten. It's perfectly possible, and was a really lovely day (I love hog roasts so I was happy!)

Hello!

Us too! We are having a 5pm ceremony then hot buffet for ceremony guests at 6pm then cold buffet at around 7.30 for evening guests (using same venue for reception too). Venue hire, 2 buffets and reception drinks came in at £1300 which we were really pleased with!!