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How To Organize A Daytime Wedding

How To Organize A Daytime Wedding

It’s not unusual for couples to want a daytime wedding. But they don’t know how to organize a daytime wedding. How is it different than a traditional late wedding?

First, of course, is to organize the timing. A daytime wedding will usually start at noon or eleven am. That means as a bride, you’ll have to start getting ready pretty early. We recommend giving yourself at least two hours for hair, makeup for you and add another hour for your bridal party. Your dress can go on around 10am for an 11am ceremony. The ceremony will most likely only be an hour at most so it’s customary for a daytime wedding to have a lunch afterwards.

A big difference between a daytime and nighttime wedding is the lack of cocktail hour.

After the ceremony guests are invited to go straight to the venue for the reception. The afternoon reception is sometimes shorter than a night reception with things wrapping up as early as 2:30 or going late as 4:30. You still get to do all the “traditional” things like cake cutting, father/daughter dances, first dance and all the pictures you want! The daytime wedding can be as formal as an evening wedding. You can still ask guests to wear black tie, but don’t expect lavish ball gowns. The afternoon reception can still include the same service as an evening wedding like open bar and linens on the table.

For a daytime reception you can serve anything from a playful brunch to a full meal.

Options like fish, chicken, & beef are options, but usually more appropriate for dinner plates. You could consider a fun waffle bar or omelet station. Drinks should be lighter wines with a lunch menu, or champagne cocktails, Bloody Marys and spiked coffee with brunch.

After a daytime wedding is over you are not obligated to entertain guests.

We do like the idea of suggesting activities for your out of town guests to participate in. It could be anything from museums to concerts or just a fun park. You can choose to continue the wedding festivities with just a few family members and close friends after a daytime wedding as well! Who says there’s a limit on how long you get to celebrate your big day?

Daytime Weddings

While it’s typical to have a Saturday afternoon/evening wedding there’s nothing wrong with having a daytime wedding either. If you’re an early bird bride and think an 11am service is for you then check out our tips!

The first thing you’ll want to do is make sure your bridal party is on board and those alarms are set. A daytime wedding will usually require a much earlier start. A daytime wedding is also a great option because lunches are usually cheaper than dinners. After the ceremony, your guests can go straight to the reception venue where lunch could be served as soon as noon. You can still cut the cake, have dancing, mingling and speeches like an evening wedding. The only difference is the time.

Guests should be finishing their meals around 1pm. What should you serve? Most people do lighter fare like chicken or fish with a vegetable and starch. But going with the traditional beef option is up to you. Some couples love to do brunch for a daytime wedding! You can get fun and creative with festive drinks, waffle bars and juice bars.

As far as entertainment goes, the daytime wedding typically only lasts until 2:45 or 4:30pm. What happens after that? You and your groom can spend time alone or go to a spa for some couples time. If you’d still like to hang out with your guests suggest local activities like zoo’s, museums or games that you could all participate in. You can also limit this gathering to only close friends and family for a more intimate celebration.

For the daytime wedding it’s also a bit more casual. For men think morning coats or a lighter color like gray or navy rather than a full tuxedo. As for the bride, you can still opt for the glamorous wedding gown but perhaps with a few less bells and whistles. But it’s your day and you get to wear the dress of your dreams! A daytime wedding can be a lot of fun and a little more casual so that you can enjoy the rest of the big day.