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To us, the starting principle for all wedding ceremonies is that the comfort of your guests should be your prime directive. In keeping with that then, the scheduling of wedding activities should also take into consideration the needs of your guests. Once you decide when you want the primary social activity to occur, you can easily work backwards to find the right time for your ceremony. So if you're planning an evening cocktail wedding, then schedule your ceremony 30-45 minutes before you want the hors dóeuvres to be served. This allows for cocktails to be served either after or before the ceremony. It also assumes that most wedding party photography will take place prior to the ceremony. Breakfast and brunch weddings are becoming increasingly popular (check out the Courtyard and other restaurants) not only because of the savings in costs but also because they free up their guests to do many other activities with the rest of their day. As for the more traditional afternoon wedding ceremony, there are two schools of thought. The more established tradition is one where the ceremony occurs early in the afternoon in the 2:00-3:30 PM range. This enables the wedding party to head off for several hours of photography before they return to their reception. The primary downside to this is that the guests often feel abandoned and left to fend fo themselves for several hours before the reception occurs. They miss the opportunity to have direct contact with the bride and groom and may not have any useful activities to do with their spare time. The rapidly evolving trend is to do your wedding photography prior to the ceremony when you are all fresh and under less time pressure. Putting traditions aside, this also make the most sense for everyone participating in your ceremony and reception. This approach allows for a ceremony to be scheduled in the 4:30-6:00 PM range and enables the Bride and Groom to remain onsite with their guests during the cocktails and reception. Going this way also allows guests to use more of their day for other purposes, including appointments related to attending your wedding. This approach also reduces the cost of serving alcohol in an open bar scenario as the total hours open can be reduced significantly. Photographers also that they get better shots of when the groom sees the bride in her dress for the first time (the first Glance) as they have far more control over the scenario. Before you commit to a specific ceremony time with your venue, you are well advised to chat with your photographer as well aswith us. While you're thinking about this, contact us (Lynne & Keith) at 613 831-7555.
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Photo by Melanie Rebane Photography
The Best Time of Day for Your Wedding Ceremony
