Late afternoon wedding, no wedding breakfast.. Thoughts??

Hog roast is probably your best bet. The problem with inviting people to a wedding with little food is that people tend to drink quite a bit at weddings. Hog roasts are relatively cheap for the amount of people they feed and you could make up a cold pasta salad, bulk buy some nice coleslaw etc. to give options. Weddings don't have to be expensive to be fabulous!!

That's a really good idea, I like that, and very much my OH and I's style...!!

I think I'm just worried people will think it's a cheapskates trick, or like they've been robbed of a wedding guests right to a three course meal lol

Thank you so much for the suggestion, I'm going to run that one by him indoors :-)

xxx

Hog roasts are definitely cheaper per head.

Ours is working out to be just shy of £2k with a few side dishes too for 140 people. So only around £13.50 a head. But obviously that doesn't include and dessert or welcome and toasting drinks (which we are also providing).

That's good to know, and in our budget too, thank you!!

xxx

That's brilliant to know - It was the guests perception I was most worried about and that's really put my mind and rest. I think that was just what I need to hear to convince me it's the right idea for us.

Thank you so much!!

xxx

I think its a great idea and the best way to save on a budget rather then stretch yourself on a full day.

Sometimes they're actually the best weddings!! I always feel a bit out of sorts at really super posh weddings!

I really struggled with our decision. We needed atleast 65 in day (OH one of ten) and the sit down meal looked out of the question completely.

The hotel we eventually settled on (after first venue screwed us over on prices!) gave us a price of £5k at first for our numbers, but they knocked off loads and we priced the most cost effective way of suppliers.

We are just having hot bacon and sausages barms in the night instead of a buffet, saved us a fortune.

I was desperate for a 'proper' wedding breakfast after attending one a while back that was a 4pm ceremony and straight into the evening buffet. It was a bit of a free for all and no order to the day. I would definately consider using a Master of Ceremony if you consider doing it.

Hi there, we're getting married at 4pm, then drinks an canapés for the church guests. Then at 7pm reception guests will start to arrive and were having a lovely big BBQ, with salads and potatoes Ry I can't wait it's going to be scrummy!! And so much more of a cost effective wedding!

I think more and more people are doing things like this in these tough financial times. I think it makes for a more relaxed feel to the day. Your guests will be there to celebrate your marriage, if they judge you for not having a sit down meal then they don't sound like very good friends/relatives, and I wouldn't want them there!

I feel convinced now that this is the right decision for its, but it's clear it only works well when it's got some structure behind it. I can imagine guests being slightly confused by the change in the usual format and it becoming a little too much of a free for all.

I really want all my guests to have a wonderful time, that's after all why I'm inviting them to join in our day, do I'll make sure to have a good structure to the day, and although a Master of Ceremony might be a bit formal for me and the OH, as a rugby player he isn't short of big, confident male friends to step in and perhaps help out in that department! Lol

Thank you again for your comments, you've really helped, and got me excitedly thinking of a plan for the day now!! :-)

Xxx

... And I especially like this idea!! I went to a BBQ wedding once, years ago now, and I remember raving about how brilliant it was to everyone, but I'd completely forgotten about it... Something like that and/or a hog roast would be right up our street. Fun, relaxed, delicious and unpretentious. I love it!!!

Do you mind me asking how many guests and the cost per head for the BBQ and salads etc??

Xxx

We're looking st doing a very similar thing but our first choice of food is currently paella! Fun, relaxed and a little bit different. Check out this website http://www.aussiebbq.co.uk/ - it might not be the right area for you but theydohave coatings for BBQ, hog roast and paella on there so it gives you a basic idea.

We did this. Married at 4pm, then photos etc, food at 6.15pm (we had a posh hot buffet) speeches at 7pm, cut cake then disco at 7.30 ish or roundabouts. Served cake as dessert. 'twas an awesome relaxed night and saved us thousands of pounds.

Hi

We are having an evening do - no dinner. Wedding is at 3.30pm and we can arrive at the hotel anytime from 4.30 onwards. We are just having sandwiches, crisps, sausage rolls, pizza etc - good old buffet food! We have told a lot of people to have a hot lunch. We are doing this to save money and no one seems to consider this the cheapskate option. At the end of the day the wedding itself is what is important and the people who love you and who will be there will not think anything except how happy they are. My parents went to the pub for lunch after their wedding in 1970! Back in those days people didn't have receptions/parties etc!

Good luck

Helen x x

Ofcourse not, we're holding the reception at a golf club. And it's 17.50 with dessert. 12.50 just for BBQ.

Think the canapés are 5.95 per head too.

Thos is for 100 guests, so think its come in just over 2K for all the food. A fraction of the cost of sit down meal and buffet.

I'll let you know next week how it was, it's this Saturday AAAHHH (Just praying for no rain or it'll be an oven b q!)

We get married at 3.15 pm followed by photos and are having a sit down meal of fish and chips at 5.30 pm for 120 people followed by desserts/speeches etc and then an evening finger buffet for 180 at around 9pm all food for under £2000

I think this sounds like a great idea! And if i went to a wedding with a buffet/bbq etc I wouldn't even consider how much it had cost I would just think its a nice relaxed way of doing things. Sometimes sit down meals are too formal and make everyone a bit on edge. I'm sure you and your guests will love it

My cousin did something similar - later wedding then off to a garden for Pimms and early evening buffet. It was really enjoyable and as the Pimms was the only alcohol on offer before the buffet the guests didn't get too squiffy early on!

It your wedding is gng to take place in Late afternoon then it might be possible that you have to be hungry. You can have some fruit juice or cold drinks.

It's so lovely knowing so many of you are doing/have done the same sort of thing!!

I am over the moon, I really am... Thank you so much for all your help and suggestions. I like the aussie website too, and they're not too far from me, so might even travel? Thank all of you who gave me costings too, that's a real help, I'm sure you all remember how hard it is to really get a firm idea of what things cost at this stage!!

And most importantly of course... GOOD LUCK FOR SATURDAY!!!! xxx

Hey and welcome

We are doing pretty much what you are hun, we are getting married at 4pm in a registry office (DF is not religious) so we compromised. Then after the ceremony we are heading to a nice park near by for some photos with the wedding party 40 ppl in total (very small building) Then after that we are off to the reception venue where the rest of our guests should arrive for 7pm we are allowed access from 6pm to have drinks in the private members lounge.

We are having a buffet paid for by DF's father as our wedding gift (we already own our own home and have a 3 year old and 2 year old sons so money is tight) we have been together 7 years and dont feel we need a big all singing all dancing wedding to celebrate us. Our friends have and they were wonderful days, we just arent much into fuss.

I have paid for an ice cream cart to serve the guests unlimited scoops of flavoured icecream for 2 hours and we are also getting 140 cupcakes for each guest as part of dessert we have balloons to deck the place out and a great dj we are still having speeches and a first dance just without the boring meal bit hehe. My dress is still a proper wedding dress and i cant wait to wear it in 3 weeks

Do what you and your DF want to do hun, i dont want any regrets.. my only wish is that we could of had a rodeo bull ride.. but alas it wouldnt fit in the building

Hope that helps! xx

That sounds lovely :-) I hope you both have a wonderful day, and I'd be really grateful if you'd be so kind to let me knoe how the timings work etc... I have never been to a wedding minus the breakfast, so the timings are the one thing I'm a little worried about getting right :-S

xxx

Heya

We're doing the same too!! Ceremony at 4pm with drinks and canapes after. After the photos are taken we've got an acoustic duo booked, during their break we're going to fill everyones glass up for a few speeches and a toast then back to the music! evening guests are arriving at 7pm, with buffet at 8pm. We're getting a M&S 3 tier cake and decorating it with fresh flowers also there's a company near us that do AMAZING homemade doughnuts so this will be our dessert (thought I'd splash out as we're not having favours!). The DJ will start at 7.00ish after the buffet we'll do the cake cutting and first dance then its back to the DJ until 12.30! When I sent out our day invites I put an itinerary in so everyone knew there wasnt a 3 course meal involved! No ones complained - yet!

BBQ/Hog Roast sounds wicked, but OHs mum and dad aren't into that sort of thing so we're going for fork buffett with posh slices of meat, hot new potatos, salads, coleslaw and crusty bread (at the moment!) we might just say sod it and go for a BBQ anyway!

I was a bit worried people might feel like their hanging around but then I thought people go to pubs to drink and chat, friends and relatives havent seen each other for ages/years! there will be lots to talk about! So I'm not worried any more!!!!

I would also be interested in knowing how things flow! Good Luck for Saturday!

I've been speaking to the OH about all your comments, and we've decided it's definitely the option for us... He seemed to be hoping this option might have got him out of having to make a speach which I've quickly put to rest - he is most definitely making a speach!! lol

All you ladies who have done or are doing this, anything else you can tell me about timings and costs would be REALLY appreciated. I'm trying to get together as much information as possible - we are very keen on doing this quickly you see - no date set yet, but watch this space ;-)

Thank you so much again for all your help ladies - it's a real help!

xxx

That's exactly what we're doing! Neither of us is comfortable with "standing on ceremony" so to speak, and the idea of having a formal sit-down 3 course meal with toasts and speeches just isn't "us", not to mention the cost! We're getting married at 4pm (the formal bit) then having a buffet, barbecue, food stalls (haven't decided yet) in the evening with one or two live bands. We want to be relaxed and enjoy ourselves and we want our guests to be the same. There will be one or two people, I'm sure, who will think we're not doing things "properly" but I really don't care! The people we invite are the people who love us and who will want to share our happy day and celebrate with us in the way that WE choose.

Obviously that's just my opinion... ?

We are getting married at 3.00pm and are having a simple sit down meal of starters followed by pie and peas or lasagne. People will be hungry by then so it was a quick easy way of feeding everyone and there will be a buffet in the evening for those that are still hungry plus our evening guests and was relatively cheap at £2k all in for venue, ceremony and disco.

Swampy

Where are you based Jimjams? My friend is using a hog roast catering company for his Marquee wedding and he's been quoted £745 for a Saturday free-range hog roast for up to 150 people with all the trimmings/salad, waiting staff, buffet tables and a gazebo included in the price. I thought it was really cheap considering the caterers at my venue are charging double that amount (unfortunately I have to use their approved caterers).

They are based in Lancashire but I think they will travel all over the UK. Let me know if you want their details

I'd much sooner this kind of timing set up than weddings which have a ceremony at 12pm, so you leave in the morning to get there in time, don't have any lunch and you sometimes don't get food until 4pm. By which time you're starving (and one drink knocks people sideways on empty stomachs!). A 4pm start time is great - people coming from distance don't need to come the night before to make sure they make it in time and guests have time to do things like go to a hairdresser on that morning if they want to! It's also nice if you're going somewhere and staying the night if you can check in and get ready there, rather than travelling in your outfit and just dropping off bags because check in starts mid afternoon. I think later starts make life a lot easier for many guests!! I know I prefer them!

My sister done this, she got married at 4, then had some drinks and nibbles in the church whilst we all had pictures taken, then we went to a hotel and had a buffet later in the evening and a disco, I dont think anyone felt cheated they where just all pleased she had finally got married (they had been togther 10 years by this point! and had to put it off 3 times already!) The other advantage of a late wedding was the amount of time we had to get ready, it was so relaxed!

Hi missmandy moo,

I am based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, so a little way away from you, but most companies seem to be happy to travel and that sounds like a great deal, so any more info you can give me will be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you!!

xxx

It's so nice to hear that onetwothree, I'm over the moon with the response I've had on here and every positive comment just makes me more and more convinced that it's the right decision for us!!

xxx