Does anyone else read Park Avenue Peerage? I am embarrassed to admit that sometimes I do, despite my better judgement. A few months ago the site reported the daytime wedding of one of the "socialites." The boards went crazy over the fact that it was so sweet and old-fashioned of her to be married in the morning. This made me start thinking about the elusive daytime wedding and reception. Do these really happen anymore? When I googled the concept, I got a lot of hits regarding the proper attire for a daytime wedding, and all the advice along the lines of, "If you want to save money, consider a brunch or luncheon reception." However, even Martha Stewart was not helpful in terms of particulars. (The picture to the left is, however, from marthastewart.com. Click on it to go to the site and learn how to make bucket centerpieces). Are the weddings on Saturdays or Sundays? How long to they last? I imagine a brunch reception could be quite charming, especially in the spring. I picture lots of flowers, a champagne bar (of course) and some Bloody Mary's. But really, the food would have to be a buffet, so I wonder how much money would really be saved.And so the question I pose to our readers is: Have you ever actually been to a daytime wedding? Was it fun? How, exactly, did the schedule work? - LG
11 comments:
I have never been to one, would they be awkward?
I went to one once...it was on a Saturday. The ceremony was at 10am with brunch immediately following. There wasn't so much dancing because, well, who wants to get down at 11am? It was very classy, but the reception actually felt more to me like a shower than a wedding reception. I don't think that was the result of anything they did wrong...I think that's just the nature of a set-up like that. The food was buffet-style but I have no idea how much they spent v. how much they would have spent on a reception later in the day. I never would have done a morning wedding for my own, but it was a pleasant change from the evening soirees that most people (myself included) do.
My cousin had a morning wedding a few years ago. It was a smaller wedding, maybe 75 guests. The ceremony was held in a small church at around 10:00 and then they had a buffet brunch at home. It was really nice. The groomsmen wore morning suits and the bridesmaids wore suits they had custom made that were similar to the classic Chanel suit.
They live in Tenn so they served some local things like mini biscuits with country ham and baked grits, but also had classic morning cocktails like mimosas. For music, they had a man playing the banjo on the back porch overlooking the Tenn River.
I think it can totally work in a very classy, very preppy way. If that is your personality, it is great!
I do agree that getting people to really dance that early is probably a challenge, though.
Well, I guess money would be saved because it would be at an off time and maybe the alcohol consumption would be less. The no dancing thing is kind of sad. Has anyone ever heard of one on Sundays? It seems like that might make sense. I just think it would be awkward to end a reception on a Saturday afternoon and then...everyone goes home? I bet a lot of people would end up going out that night, but it would be sort of anti-climatic for the bride and groom to make an appearance.
This might be fun if one gets married in the right spot like the Cape or Maine or Charleston or one of the small resort islands off the coast of the Carolinas or Georgia. Why not a morning wedding, light, fun buffet brunch with appropriate drinks and then in the afternoon, everyone could indulge in recreational (ahem!) activities or take a nap and then have a dressy cocktail party, dinner and dance that evening? This probably wouldn't be practical if you had to have 500 guests but it would be fun for a smaller wedding.
I have a brother who got married at 10 am and then had a brunch lunch as the reception. I was married at noon and then had a light lunch dinner at the reception. At both receptions there was dancing.
Thanks for the insight, everyone. Suburban Prep, that's interesting about the dancing. I guess people go to daytime concerts- why not dance in the afternoon?
While not an AM ceremony, the latest our church does a wedding is at 1:00PM. Rather than have people wait around for hours until the evening, we're having a cocktail hour beginning at 2:30 with dinner at 5:00. We are having a lot of out of town guests who a) wouldn't know where to go during a long wait and b) will be leaving early to travel. We figured it worked out for the better. And that way people aren't dying at the brunch in the morning.
I believe the issue here is liquor. If lots of liquor-induced revelry is a necessary to the wedding, and sometimes it is, then an evening wedding it must be. Afternoon weddings are lovely, especially in the spring and fall months. Food and beverage are lighter and probably little or no dancing will take place. A matter of taste(and expense)of the bride and groom. After all, the object is to share in the celebration of the marriage.
I've been to a brunch wedding. It was small gathering of close family and friends. It was one of the nicest weddings I have ever been to. Very classy!
That picture is similar to my centerpieces - love it!
Post a Comment