As mother of the bride I am so excited and happy to be helping my daughter plan her August wedding.
She, her fiance, and his entire family live out of state but she wants to be married "back home". The wedding will be held in our church @ 1:30 with a reception beginning @ 5:00 in the ballroom of a local hotel. (Same hotel where out of town quests will be staying).
The hotel has a gorgeous garden and have agreed we can have a tent set up for the cocktail hour, prior to the sit down dinner and dancing in their ballroom.
We are considering serving only a champagne punch (from a fountain) and a non-alcoholic beverage during the cocktail hour in the garden, with sweet and savory appetizers. However, this limitation does not exactly represent "cocktails". There will be an open bar once we enter the ballroom for dinner and dancing.
Is my thinking all wrong? If so, I'll ditch the idea. If not, would it be appropriate, on the reception card, to state something like:
5:00 Champagne Cocktails and Appetizers - East Lawn Garden of The Bates Motel
6:00 Sit Down Dinner - Grand Ballroom - The Bates Motel
Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Just don't ask why just champagne punch.....it was something that just popped into my head.
(This post was
edited by TWQadmin on Jun 29, 2006, 4:42 PM)
The big thing that pops right out at me is the lag time between the wedding and the reception. This is a very long time to expect your guests to stay dressed up and waiting for the party. It is more polite to have the two events closer together.
It isn't proper to mention the itinerary on the reception card. It is better to write this on an enclosure as you have it here.
The 'cocktail' hour is fine. It is probably better for everyone to limit the alcohol before dinner.
Bates motel? Boy, you are going to be razzed about that one
I love movies so there is no way I wouldn't have caught that one. Too funny.
An enclosure can be as simple or formal as you wish. It is any added information you want your guests to know written on cards or even paper. This could be maps, itineraries, or a list of local hotels--just to list a few. You could print this information onto cards from your computer. Rebecca Black, Etiquette Now
Wedding Reception Cocktail Hour
