Hi Rebecca. Although my wedding is ending at 11:00pm we will be cutting the cake around 9:15pm. Then there will be more dancing and from 10:00pm to 11:00pm there will be a Venetian hour (where pastries, cordials, coffees etc are served) there will be one more dance set and then the last dance just before 11:00pm. At my sisters wedding which took place this past June, she had her wedding on a Sunday and she ended it at midnight. Because it was so late guests started leaving early and by the time it was 11:30pm the hall was empty! She never got to do her last dance.
In learning from my sisters mistake, I want to end my wedding at 11:00pm rather then twelve and inform my guests of the time the wedding will be over, so hopefully they will be inclined to stay until the end of the wedding. Do you think I could put a small card with each invitation letting my guests know the time the wedding will end or is it tacky? Thank you.
The time has nothing to do with when your guests leave. This could be an indication that the reception is too long for your particular guests. A Sunday wedding traditionally will lose guests after the 9:30 hour. Most have to work the next day and have preparations to make.
If you'd like to add to your reception card the start time and end time, that is perfectly okay.
Another option would be to provide attending guests a menu and program of the reception. This lets them know when you'll be doing the cake cutting, etc. Nancy Tucker President of Weddings Beautiful US http://www.weddingsbeautiful.com and http://www.coordinatorscorner.com
Invitation Etiquette - Question Worded Different
