break in wedding day

[Sarah84]

We have a 'plan B' incase our ceremony time or reception venue we'd like falls through but the only problem is it means the reception would finish at around 4pm and then we'd have about a 4 hour gap until our Wishes cruise, so I'm trying to think of ideas for things we & our guests (either together or on their own) could do during this 'break'

All suggestion welcome please, would particularly love to hear from past brides that had a break during their wedding day of what you did and how it worked out?

 

[lurkyloo]

We just let our guests do whatever they wanted between the 2:00 end of our reception and the 7:00ish pickup by our bus for IllumiNations. I think they appreciated having the time to relax and change. Some of them went into the parks, some napped or swam, and some went sightseeing around town (probably not feasible in just 4 hours though!).

 

[Sarah84]

Thanks Carrie, did any of your guests feel 'put out' or annoyed by having a gap in the day?

 

[lurkyloo]

If they did, they must've been too afraid to tell Bridezilla! Seriously, though, I think (and maybe I'm projecting based on my own experience as a guest) that they were probably happier to not have to do all three events right in a row, which would have been more than 8 hours straight (including bus time). I've never been to a 8-hour wedding, but it sounds exhausting...

Plus, I have this theory that a dessert party has more impact for guests when it is after a break. Otherwise, it's just one more place they're being herded to in a string of places. Also, desserts directly after a big wedding meal with cake can be overkill—having a break makes it like a little snack at the end of the night.

 

[DoomBuggy0922]

If they did, they must've been too afraid to tell Bridezilla! Seriously, though, I think (and maybe I'm projecting based on my own experience as a guest) that they were probably happier to not have to do all three events right in a row, which would have been more than 8 hours straight (including bus time). I've never been to a 8-hour wedding, but it sounds exhausting...

Plus, I have this theory that a dessert party has more impact for guests when it is after a break. Otherwise, it's just one more place they're being herded to in a string of places. Also, desserts directly after a big wedding meal with cake can be overkill—having a break makes it like a little snack at the end of the night.

Carrie, can you please tell my grandmother this?!? She thinks I'm a horrid person for allowing there to be such a gap in between events! (We're doing a morning wedding, followed by the attic reception and then dessert party.) It's not like we're in the middle of nowhere... I'm PRETTY sure my guests will have stuff to do!

rant over!

 

[Sarah84]

If they did, they must've been too afraid to tell Bridezilla! Seriously, though, I think (and maybe I'm projecting based on my own experience as a guest) that they were probably happier to not have to do all three events right in a row, which would have been more than 8 hours straight (including bus time). I've never been to a 8-hour wedding, but it sounds exhausting...

Plus, I have this theory that a dessert party has more impact for guests when it is after a break. Otherwise, it's just one more place they're being herded to in a string of places. Also, desserts directly after a big wedding meal with cake can be overkill—having a break makes it like a little snack at the end of the night.

You're actually 'selling' the whole gap thing to me now I think I might just go for the 12pm ceremony instead of the 2.30pm anyway.

Carrie, can you please tell my grandmother this?!? She thinks I'm a horrid person for allowing there to be such a gap in between events! (We're doing a morning wedding, followed by the attic reception and then dessert party.) It's not like we're in the middle of nowhere... I'm PRETTY sure my guests will have stuff to do!

rant over!

I have 1 or 2 guests that would be like this too, only difference is it probably wouldn't be said to my face but moaning/slagging us off about it behind our backs

 

[lurkyloo]

Carrie, can you please tell my grandmother this?!? She thinks I'm a horrid person for allowing there to be such a gap in between events! (We're doing a morning wedding, followed by the attic reception and then dessert party.) It's not like we're in the middle of nowhere... I'm PRETTY sure my guests will have stuff to do!

Certainly! What's her number?

You're actually 'selling' the whole gap thing to me now I think I might just go for the 12pm ceremony instead of the 2.30pm anyway.:

OK, let me think up the downsides too, just to be fair:

1) Depending on where your events are and where they're staying, it can be a lot of back and forth for guests if you aren't providing transportation.

2) Some guests may prefer to get the whole thing done in one shot—maybe being, from the UK, they're accustomed to longer events anyway.

3) Um... I'm drawing a blank... Oh yeah, and DoomBuggy0922's grandma won't like it!

 

[Tiggeriffic79]

Sarah I honestly wouldn't sweat it. Even here in the UK you get that awkward time after the wedding breakfast is done and all the photos taken, (around 4pm) and the evening guests haven't arrived yet (usually about 7pm). I've been to a few weddings that for about 2/3 hours the day guests have just been milling around while the bride and groom take more photos or go up to the honeymoon suite. At least your guests will have their own rooms to retreat to, and plenty of things to do in wdw, even if it's sitting in one of the lounge bars in a resort, or having tea on the boardwalk with pastries from the bakery....

I bet they will be so overwhelmed with the heat they will be glad of the break, and be thankful

 

[Sarah84]

We'll have the limo and depending on what time the ceremony is and whats venue we use for reception will depend when we use this, so we could have that to move guests around.

That's the only thing here in the UK long wedding days are pretty normal, we went to a wedding just last friday (not Prince Williams ) and it ran from 3pm straight through to 1am, but this was around 80-90 people which I think would be different and I probably wouldn't send that many people of to do what ever they wanted with their afternoon.

Haha DoomBuggy0922's grandma, can spend the afternoon with my sister then

Sarah I honestly wouldn't sweat it. Even here in the UK you get that awkward time after the wedding breakfast is done and all the photos taken, (around 4pm) and the evening guests haven't arrived yet (usually about 7pm). I've been to a few weddings that for about 2/3 hours the day guests have just been milling around while the bride and groom take more photos or go up to the honeymoon suite. At least your guests will have their own rooms to retreat to, and plenty of things to do in wdw, even if it's sitting in one of the lounge bars in a resort, or having tea on the boardwalk with pastries from the bakery....

I bet they will be so overwhelmed with the heat they will be glad of the break, and be thankful

Thanks, that all helps and makes sense

Now I'm trying to think up some ideas of things we could perhaps do as a group (12-14 people) for a few hours if we decided not to do back to our hotel, the idea of going to one of the resorts lounges for a few drinks we could before or after something else??