<p>College used to cost $4,000 per year. Those were the days.</p>
<p>We had a Friday night wedding to avoid that gap in time from the service to the reception. The bride and groom only have so much say in the available times at the church and reception halls. If we needed to plan for a gap, we would have had things for the guests to do in between time.</p>
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What is a “work wedding”? I find it disrespectful that the ceremony guests wore jeans and curlers. Was the bride wearing a gown? It seems a clear signal that the party was all that mattered…</p>
<p>CTTC—guessing but I think she means attending the wedding of a co-worker.</p>
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<p>This is absolutely my experience as well. And the service can’t be “moved,” because it’s just part of the typical Saturday service. </p>
<p>I’m surprised more of you haven’t seen this with weddings … What time do wedding ceremonies begin, anyway? IME, they are in the late morning or early afternoon, so of course there is down-time between then and an evening reception. Certainly a church isn’t going to move its normal time of services for a wedding.</p>
<p>What’s wrong with an afternoon reception? You can do everything you do at an evening reception, and out of town guests can get on the road earlier if they have to.</p>
<p>Nothing’s wrong with an afternoon reception; some people prefer evening receptions, that’s all.</p>
<p>Also some facilities don’t do afternoon receptions.</p>
<p>The gap between the wedding and reception could also be so wedding parties/guests, especially older ones or those with young kids could have a few hours to head back to their hotel rooms, friends’/relatives’ homes, or hotel lounges to relax/catch up/hang out for a few hours. </p>
<p>I know in many families having a wedding and then a reception right afterwards tends to give wedding parties/guests the feeling the pacing is rushed and no one has the chance to catch a breath between the events or to spend time catching up or hanging out with relatives and/or old friends among the guests. </p>
<p>Also, this gives the wedding party time to do other wedding related stuff that needs to be done like photos if needed or in the case of my friend’s wedding in Seattle last summer…having family and close friends like myself help set up the rented reception hall which does take some time.</p>