Lots of questions

[disbridemimi]

Is it too hot in Sept to have a 10am ceremony followed by an outdoor lunch reception?

If you were a guest what would you prefer:

10am ceremony/ 11-12 cocktail& fruit cheese crackers/ buffet luncheon then a break from like 3-8 to go back to hotel etc before dessert party
(this would be ideal for us to do after the luncheon)


OR

4pm ceremony/5-6 cocktails cheese crackers & fruit/ dinner buffet/directly taken to dessert party
(we could do this, but would have to do photos before ceremony) Would this even give us enough time for dinner?


DF thinks its mean to "monopolize peoples whole day" whereas I feel it might be too much to do it all back to back

 

[ftgordon]

I would prefer your 4:00 option. I wouldn't want to go get dressed twice etc...it drags it out.

We did a dessert party as a rehearsal get together for everyone and it was an event in itself! AMAZING.

 

[Bride-to-be]

Sept can be very hot. The afternoon might be better. But don't feel bad monopolizing peoples day. Its your day - it should be all about YOU.

If you did the am ceremony you could do a pool party in the midde.

 

[lurkyloo]

I prefer the first option (although I am also a huge fan of doing photos together before the ceremony so you can spend more time with your guests).

For one thing, it will be a lot hotter out at 4pm than at 10am cuz the heat has been accumulating all day (but MegKate's DF the weatherman should be consulted for confirmation! ).

For another thing, having a break during the hottest part of the day means people can go back to their hotels and nap or swim. This is what we did, and nobody had to get dressed up twice - they came to our dessert party in casual clothes and were much more comfortable, I'm sure. We still wore our fancy duds cuz we wanted pictures in them, and we didn't feel silly cuz, hey, we were the bride and groom!

And finally, IMHO, having the ceremony, reception and dessert party all crammed together kinda takes the luster off the dessert party. It's just another event in a chain of events. To me, having the dessert party later in the evening makes it feel more special and gives you something to look forward to. But I may be in the minority there...

 

[disbridemimi]

Im wondering now, if perhaps we should do a dessert party the night before? But then I think it would be impossible to sleep!

I would love to do the grand 1 with Df and maybe just our parents the night of the wedding.

We are not going through DFTW so we will HAVE to change for our dessert party. I wonder if doing it the night before would work.

 

[lurkyloo]

Just to support my little theory about morning vs. afternoon temperatures, I checked out today's temps in Orlando, and at 10am it was 75 degrees, while at 4pm it is projected to be 83 degrees.

http://www.accuweather.com/us/fl/or...tner=accuweather&metric=0&hbhday=1&hbhhour=14

However, the heat climbed after 10am to that 83 degrees, while it will decrease from 83 to 75 degrees between 4pm and 8pm, so I can see how a midday outdoor reception might be pretty uncomfortable.

If you do decide to go with the afternoon reception, I can extol the virtues of pre-ceremony photos and the "first look" for you if it will help you feel better about it!

 

[padisneyfour]

I agree with option 1, thats what we are hoping for (though originally DH wanted noon ceremony). The idea of the break in between really appealed to me just to give everyone that break to relax alittle , change etc. and then meet later for DP. good luck

 

[disbridemimi]

I am so overwhlemd trying to pull this all together.

 

[Kimmers127]

I like the first option... let people go rest up a bit or hit the pool or whatever before the Dessert Party. It's a really hot time of day in September and giving your guests a chance to relax for a while will help keep them from crashing too early later. I think Carrie's right, spacing it out will also make the DP seem more of an "event" in and of itself, rather than just the next step of the reception. And then if some or all of your guests want to switch to more casual clothes they can do so.

Would that make your reception start at 11? At 11 do you have to serve brunch, or can you have lunch? Until I decided to do a DP I really wanted an evening reception. Now to accomodate the DP (and save some money!!) I've decided I'd rather do a lunch reception... but I really prefer lunch/dinner food over breakfast. Anyone know what the cut-off time is?

My MOH just went to a Disney wedding last week, and they had the DP immediately after the reception and then went to ADH for dancing... she said by the time they got to ADH everyone was EXHAUSTED and that part was kind of a flop.

Truth be told the day of your wedding is YOUR DAY... don't feel like you are monopolizing people. These are people who care enough to travel to FL for your wedding, surely they won't begrudge you one full day of wedding activities.

 

[PirateBride08]

I would prefer the second option. Maybe it is different for a Disney wedding but I hate when I go to a wedding and have an hour or two to kill before the next "event" My ceremony was at 2:30, we did not have pics beforehand and still had a full reception and DP

 

[ftgordon]

My daughter and her bridal party (18 people) went out on the Grand One at 7:15PM for a champagne toast and then came in just as the dessert party was starting at 8:30 PM for 2 hours. It was great. This was done the night before her 2:30 wedding. The DP was at the GF Marina. They chose the Kiss Good Night menu and it was delicious!

 

[Tink&PirateMama]

I am so overwhlemd trying to pull this all together.

Hang in there!!! Maybe take a little break from planning for a few days, and enjoy your DF and remember why you are doing this!

And, I'd say... either way is fine, do whatever is best for you and DF! If guests are coming all the way there, they are there for you! It's your day!!

 

[CharacterFan]

I like option 1, but I'm biased as that's what I'm planning on doing next September. I would be stressed all morning waiting for 4pm to get there. And all that eating back to back might be too much,

 

[padisneyfour]

I am so overwhlemd trying to pull this all together.

Take a break, relax and breathe. Just talk to DF and decide what will work for you both and it may just be a choice. whatever you decide it will work out. good luck