I feel like the biggest party pooper who ever pooped, but does no one just have a wedding and regular like 4 hour reception? We were invited to : welcome dinner, welcome b’fast, ceremony, reception, after party, good bye breakfast. I know I am not obligated to go to everything but like I don’t want to spend 20 hours on a wedding. Never mind the cost (we are staying at hotel for 2 nights) and all the clothes needed.

Hi everyone! As someone who really enjoyed reading wedding budget breakdowns while planning my own wedding, I wanted to share ours!

We spent approximately $7.5k on our intimate October wedding in Boston (yes, everything is expensive), with around 10 guests in attendance. We spent one hour taking couple portraits (including first look), one hour on the ceremony, and family formals, grand entrance, first dance, toast, and cake cutting, and another 1.5 hours eating afterward. Note that it was a weekday.

Venue & On-Site Requirements — $1,600
Restaurant venue: $1,600
Ceremony and reception spaces: Included
Venue coordination and setup: Included
Tables, chairs, linens, and tableware: Included

Catering, Food & Bar — $189 (plus venue package)
Wedding cake: $189 (including delivery fee $35)
Reception food and beverages: Included in venue cost
Bar service: None (drinks were served at the table)

-I really appreciated the venue’s event planner! Thanks to her, I didn’t need anyone else for venue setup, decoration, day-of coordination, music, etc. I just brought our deco stuff, decided floor plans with her, and when we arrived, everything was perfectly set up! I was super lucky!

-The wedding cake is just a white cake. But once "wedding" is added as a prefix, suddenly the cost is twice. So, I found the beautiful signature cake of a local bake shop, no wedding premium. I loved the cake!

Attire & Beauty — ~$3,247
Bridal gown and outerwear: $567.00
Groom’s suit: $834.12
Groom’s tie: $340.00
Three additional dresses purchased during wedding planning: $412.00 (sunk cost)
One-time beauty supplies, accessories, nails, veils, shoes, and styling purchases: ~$218.00
Reusable makeup, skincare, and hair products: ~$840.30
Additional attire accessories for moms: $35.60

-I did my own hair and makeup for the wedding. HMU artist must be cost-saving at the end of the day, but I wanted a specific style. So no regrets.

-I intentionally spent more on the groom’s attire than on my wedding dress. I know that might sound a little unusual, but my reasoning was that he could wear his suit for the next 10 years, while I’d only wear my wedding dress once.

-I initially looked for a simple dress for a civil wedding and ordered a few options online, but none of them worked out. :( Eventually, I went to a bridal shop and found my dress! Luckily, it didn’t need any alterations.

Photography & Videography — $1,450
Wedding photographer: $1,200
Videographer (raw footage only): $250
Wedding planner: $0
Day-of coordinator: $0 (venue coordination included)

-We had two hours of coverage for both photography and videography, and we have plenty of beautiful photos and videos! We’ll turn them into an album and a short cinematic video.

-I carefully reviewed photographers’ portfolios and experience to find someone whose style I truly loved. I think a photographer’s skills are especially important because they need to capture fleeting moments, while video captures events more continuously. (No disrespect to videographers, of course!) I’m really happy with my decision because I absolutely love how our photos turned out!

-I found an early-career videographer for a short time of coverage. It was one of the best decisions. Recorded our vows, first look moment, first dance, and the moments that photography couldn't capture. Also, until the photos came, I got screenshots of raw videos and shared the stills with people.

Music & Entertainment — $0
The venue played background music, and for our first dance, a family member played our song using a Bluetooth speaker. We played Perfect (Ed Sheeran), edited it to 2 mins and uploaded on Youtube. We didn’t have any dancing afterward.

Florals, Decor & Extras — ~$674.67
Florist (bridal bouquet, boutonniere, two centerpieces, and delivery; no installation): $585.00
Faux flowers: $38.99
Small decorative vases and greenery: $9.00
Ring boxes, engraved ring case, ring-sizing tool, and jewelry care supplies: $41.68
Photo display frames: Prepared by a family member

We kept the decorations simple, with two floral centerpieces, a small photo display telling our story as a couple, and a memorial display honoring loved ones who had passed away.

Stationery, Signage & Paper Goods — $9.95
Wedding vow book: $9.95
https://a.co/d/0gLRSmK1
Seating chart and escort cards: DIY by a family member
No guest book, no gift box.

-Vow book was a photographer's idea. It made our pictures romantic and cute!

Legal, Ceremony & Transportation — $370
Officiant fee: $260.00
Marriage license: $50
Wedding transportation (Uber): $60

We didn’t book a hotel and just stayed at home the night before the wedding. On the wedding day, the groom left home first, and I changed into my wedding dress after he left. Our first look was romantic and successful. We also skipped the traditional getting-ready photo session. (No bridesmaids or groomsmen.)

Total Wedding Expenses — Approximately $7,500

Not included:
Wedding rings: Approximately $2,000

Overall, we prioritized good food, photography, videography to document the day, and spending meaningful time with our immediate family rather than elaborate decorations, entertainment, or traditional wedding extras.

We were engaged in early July 2026, and we started the preparation in early August. So, only two months for preparation. It was possible due to family only wedding, no external guests.

All of our vendors were fantastic. Beforehand, I thought about all logistical details (for example, how far the photoshoot place to the venue, the meeting point with photo and videographers, who bring the bag etc), decided it, and shared all my vendors. (officiant, video and photographers, the venue event planner) as well as each family (e.g., the ceremony will happen here and then you should move there). So for the wedding day, I didn't worry at all and just enjoyed the entire day.

I’ve attended quite a few weddings as a guest, and when I think back on them, what I remember most are the happy people, the smiles, and the love shared by everyone, as well as the good food. I don’t remember exactly how the venues were decorated or how elaborate the centerpieces were. That perspective really helped us decide where we wanted to spend our money and what we could comfortably skip. I understand that everyone’s values are completely different. I just wanted to share one person’s perspective. It was the happiest day of our lives.❤️

I'm finally getting around to making my wedding album, and I'm pretty set on MILK Books but now I noticed a lot of the reviews/posts I see are ads or incentivized reviews. This is a big investment, but I’m willing to pay a little extra for something that will hold up years from now and be the best quality possible for a DIY album. Has anyone actually used MILK Books for their wedding album (specifically the premium layflat photo album, in either Salt linen or metallic pearl cover colors)? How was the quality of the pages and photo printing in the actual book? Let me know your 100% HONEST thoughts please!

My fiance and I are planning a choreographed dance and we want to use snippets of maybe 5-10 songs (maybe 2 minutes in total) and dance to them. Could be classic dances, think Carlton with "Its Not Unusual", "Staying Alive" etc etc but also other popular songs with a made up dance (or not). what are some other songs that would be good for a dance? All suggestions welcome!

Close family is both vegan and gluten free, and so we need to come up with entree options for both the rehearsal dinner and the wedding itself. I'm struggling and to be honest, so is the caterer (who is doing both meals). So far we've got a rice noodle stir fry with tofu and veggies and that's the only idea.

Help!

So, my fiance and I want to have a micro destination wedding of about 15 people total.

We want to take private moody photos at this castle we found, but don't want to get married there because it's very expensive (the location allows wedding photos even if not having a wedding there).

Anyway, the reason I was thinking of taking the photos before the actual wedding is so that the guests don't have to wait for us after the wedding. We're not having a typical reception, just a private dinner at night.

For example, it could either go two ways:

1. We get married at whatever location we choose, get the family photos, and then my fiance and I would leave to go to the castle for our private photos. The castle would probably be an hour away max. The ceremony plus family photos would probably be very short, I'm assuming. And the guests would have to do something during the day while we leave to take the private photos

OR

1. My fiance and I (along with my mom and sister) stay overnight at the castle (its a hotel). I get ready with my mom and sister in the morning. My fiance and I have our first look. And then we take our private photos. My mom and sister could either stay or go do something else. I think it could be special to get moody photos with my mom and sister too, but its not necessary. After the photos, we then drive to our wedding location, have the ceremony and take family photos, then have the private dinner at night.

Which idea makes more sense? If you were a guest, what would you rather do?

So I know the tradition is to throw the bouquet and whoever catches it is suposedly the next to marry, but WHY? I live in sweden and only see this in movies/clips from the us. Everyone I knows save and dry the bouqet. My mom still have hers from nearly 35years ago. Wouldnt people wanna save their flowers as a memento?

Pictured is my mother in law's wedding cake. I'm obsessed with it it's so beautiful. I'd love to recreate it but don't have any idea where to find the plastic tiers or even what to look up to find something similar. Any suggestions?

I have lost almost 10 lb since I bought my used wedding dress from a consignment dress shop.
I tried it on today after I had it cleaned and it was very tight. I was like “weird… maybe I just have some body re comp going on.” (Because it wasn’t tight when I bought it)

Okay so….
Yeah I look down and the lace overlay has been shortened to above my ankle.

I got the dress for $700 from a consignment store and they offer NO RETURNS. The dress lining now sticks out 5.5 inches and the bell sleeves that make it unique are no longer visible.

Am I just out $950 now after dry cleaning?!?! And my wedding is in early May.

Calling the dry cleaners tomorrow. I went to the best place in town and they sent it out to some fancy professional wedding dress cleaning place?!??

WTF!!!

Do I find a new dress?! I think I have to! I’ve lost almost 10lb and it doesn’t fit right… I can’t lose any more. And it’s too short.

Or is anyone planning on doing that? My dress is on the cheaper side ($1300) but i still can’t justify holding onto a dress after our wedding i will literally never wear again. It would be nice to recoup some of the money. Although i know wedding dress resale value is low. Thoughts?

Hi all! This might be a long shot but I’m seeking some advice or guidance regarding my upcoming elopement with my fiance in Boston, MA this coming November 26, 2026.

Some background: Wedding planning and expenses were too much for us and we decided we would instead elope on a date with meaning to us. This year, our anniversary (11/26) happens to be on Thanksgiving day. We are cognizant that getting married on state/locally recognized holiday may present some challenges when seeking out and hiring vendors that day. However, the date is non-negotiable for us since this year is our 10 year anniversary. That being said, I know we cannot rely on having the ceremony at Boston City Hall or have a local official or judge marry us. Instead, we plan to get married in the morning that day, out in nature with a beautiful view. We’re thinking we will get married in the Downtown Boston/Charles River Esplanade area.

This is where I need help: finding two crucial vendors for our elopement.

(1) An officiant or justice of the peace to perform the ceremony for us. We don’t want to ask a local friend or family to do it. I’d rather the officiant be an impartial third party here. Does anyone in this subreddit have any recommendations or know of someone in the greater Boston area that we should reach out to perform our ceremony especially on a holiday?

(2) A photographer, ideally experienced with elopements and weddings. Do we have any Boston based photographers here that are free and willing to work on the morning of Thanksgiving to photograph the ceremony and take some shots of us afterwards? We plan to reasonably compensate this photographer not only for their time and services (obviously) but also their willingness to work with us on the morning of a holiday.

This is where we are in the planning proces as of writing this post: We purchased our wedding bands and have our appointment to get our marriage license at Boston City Hall next week. My fiance has his attire and I am going to purchase mine in the coming days. I am also going to request proper permitting for an outdoor event/elopement on the Charles River Esplanade from the Department of Conservation and Recreation tomorrow as well.

If you read this far, thank you! If there are any Boston based vendors, brides/grooms, or planners with any recommendations I would be immensely grateful if you shared.

Sincerely,
An overwhelmed bride with a lot on my plate, who just wants to have a beautiful elopement with my best friend.

TLDR: searching for a Boston/New England based officiant and photographer for Thanksgiving day (11/26) elopement this year. Date is non-negotiable.

My little sister put me in charge of “emergency control” for her wedding and I’m probably the worst person for it but oh well!

Anything that you’d recommend having in case of emergency? Anything you wish you would’ve had and didn’t that wasn’t necessarily an emergency? Anything to help with an anxious bride? My sister is an anxious person to begin with and I don’t know if anyone is prepared for her anxiety around this.

TIA!

When I was young, I learned quickly, that the things you love can be gone in an instant and ever since then I promised to never let anyone in... but then you came along, when most people hear that I tried to kill myself, they run away. You stayed. You see something in me, to this day I don't see in myself. You constantly make me want to be a better person. Because no matter what I do I will never, EVER deserve you. I knew I loved you the moment I realized, I didn't have to fix myself to be loved by you. For so long I felt the weight of trying to earn, what could never be earned. But with you, I found a love that doesn't demand I perform.

A love that see's me, chooses me, and one that stays. I am so madly in love with you, because I can't imagine a life without you. I would rather wipe your tears 1,000 times, than let you drown in silence believing no one sees you. I will see your scars, your flaws, I will see you crying at 2am, your mood swings. I will see you hungry, dramatic, jealous, tired, messy, everything! I will see her on the bad days, the worst days, and the days she won’t even like herself. I will sit with you until the light comes. And yet, every version of her will make me fall in love with you a little more. Because True friendship and love include the right to share another's sorrow, and being shut out from a friend's mourning feels like a deep humiliation.

And I will say it a million times: "She will be the best thing that has ever happened to me. She will be perfect!" In the words of Ozzy Osbourne "I don't ask much, I just want you!!"

I wanna close out with 2 Bible verses; taken from, Proverbs 31:29 & Ruth 1:16

"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."

“Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die— there will I be buried. May the Lord do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!”

My sister seems to think that no one will be sitting at their seats for dinner. That they’ll be up mingling and running around. Any time I mention the seating chart she says “well it won’t matter, no one will be where they’re supposed to be anyway.”

It’s so strange to me that she insists this is going to happen. I’ve only been to a handful of weddings but I don’t remember that being the case at all. People sat where they were supposed to and talked with everyone at their table.

People will need to sit down to eat at some point, no? Need a “home base” to put their stuff?

I get like after dinner and dessert people and the party fully starts people will be moving around, but during dinner, really?

What are your experiences with this situation?

Edit: it is my wedding, dinner is buffet

I’ve been looking for a mua for my 2027 wedding and every new quote I’m getting is more ridiculous than the next… I just got quoted $1900 for hair and makeup lol. And no this doesn’t include the mua staying at the event for touch ups.

- this is pricing for one person… idk why Reddit didn’t allow me to post the pricing Flyer she sent. She lists “jewelry setting, dress assistance, premium lashes” as services included . Travel fees are not included

EDIT: Thanks all for you insights, guidance and thoughts. It's been super helpful to decide what to do and how to proceed 😊 I think from hearing your thoughts and thinking honestly about our situation, I'd say we are more agnostic than atheist so that's been a good thing to discover. We'll be keeping an open mind for when we start making plans!

I'd really like to keep things civil in the comments please, I'm not looking for arguments on religion and non-religion and I'm just looking for sensible opinions and suggestions 😊

We're looking to get married in May 2028 and due to our rural location, we're likely going to have a marquee reception on my parents' farm. There is a very lovely wedding venue nearby, however they are highly likely to be already fully booked (I will be reaching out to them anyway to see), and we have a close connection to the farm so it would be extra special for the reception to be there.

That brings us onto the ceremony itself and the general options open to us. I'd like to get married on the day and not tie things up legally before or after the wedding.

1. Wedding venue ceremony - as above, I will be checking it out but it's not our no. 1 choice.

2. Registry office - not an option as the closest one is around a 35-40 min drive away which is not convenient.

3. Church wedding - my local church is just a 2 min drive to the farm.

I'm leaning towards the church wedding for these reasons:

1. I was christened at this church as a baby.

2. Until the age of around 18 I lived in the parish of this church.

3. I believe I was confirmed at the church when I was a teenager, something I need to check with my parents.

4. All my primary school Christmas services were at the church / Easter services etc.

5. My grandparents on one side of the family were laid to rest here, and likely so will my parents one day.

6. My dad isn't a practicing Christian, but I'm sure if I asked him he would consider himself such. He's previously said that my grandmother would always go to Sunday service.

The only issue is that both myself and my partner are atheist. We have no problem with religion and people's beliefs.

What are people's opinions about the above? I do have a connection with the church for the above reasons, but I confess not much on the religious side.

Thank you for any of your thoughts 😊

My mom is getting married to this guy she met two years ago. They met while I was in college, pretty far away, so I've only seen the guy like 3 or 4 times. During Christmas and a couple breaks. And when I've seen him he's only been around for a couple days and he's pretty shy so I know next to nothing about him.

What I do know is that he was previously married and has a son. He works remotely doing advertising I think, but he offloads most of the work doing AI which I personally am not comfortable with. I know he likes classic metal bands like iron maiden. I can't recall any memory where he has done something special for her. Nothing she's told me about. She tells me about the bad stuff like when he broke up with her over email while he was on a trip. He seems kind of incompetent about a lot of things. He wanted to wear sneakers to the wedding, he put off buying a suit until the last minute and didn't try it on after alterations until the day before and complained about the fit. He can't iron his suit, can't tie his tie. I'm kind of confused about him but at this point its not my place to be concerned. Im sure I'm only hearing about the vents/negative stuff and he's been stressed lately.

I didn't think she'd get married again so I was super unprepared for this. She has had many long term relationships, people she thought she'd spend the rest of her life with and spent like almost a decade with but marriage didnt come up.

I feel anxious about the whole thing, so I can't think of heartfelt things to say about the couple. I know weddings are supposed to be a big important event, but I can't really bring myself to feel much about this one. Anyway does anyone have any advice for coming up with a toast when you don't know what to say?

We’re considering having our sweet girl at our wedding. I would love to see your beautiful dogs in their wedding attire for inspo! Tell me how your day went with your pup - was it worth it to have them there? Were they your ring bearer/flower girl, only there for first look, there to greet the guests, etc?

The bride is my SIL and they've been kind enough to let me get my hair/makeup done professionally. However, I'm not actually in the bridal party, so I really don't know majority of these people. And I have really REALLY bad social anxiety. What do I do for the several hours I have to be in there? I've never been part of a bridal party so I don't know what to expect.

ETA: Thank you all for being so kind and understanding. I brought a book and a Switch, but found ways to help as y'all suggested, because of course there were many little ways to help throughout the day. Social anxiety rule 101 about weddings: no one is ever paying any attention to YOU during someone else's wedding. So, it was beautiful, and I totally overreacted. Thanks again for being so genuinely receptive to offering advice.

There will be two servers and one manager. They will pass hors d'oeuvre and then a buffet style dinner that the caterer builds and takes down. They will also cut and serve cake. It's $50 per guest (75 guests). The contact states gratuity is not included but appreciated. I've never had anything catered, let alone a wedding, so I have no idea how much is appropriate. 10% of the total bill? A specific dollar amount based on something else?

Thank you!

Hey all! Looking to get advice in the timing of the day before I send the invites out.

Wedding is in May in Canada, may be brisk but its half indoor half out. 30-40 people

1:00pm guests arrive

2:00pm ceremony

2:30pm photos & cocktail hour

4:00pm dinner & desert & speeches

6:00pm dancing

8:00pm wedding ends & clean up

Venue closed at 9pm

Open to any thoughts about changing the order of things! We are doing first look on the aisle.

If ceremony is 2:30-4 and reception is at 6, is it okay to skip the ceremony?

The relationship is coworkers, but work closely together.

Personally, I don’t think it’s rude. But want to know what others think.

My wedding was a few weeks ago and I keep dwelling and thinking about my wedding. I wish I could’ve changed so much and didn’t feel truly beautiful and like my vision didn’t come to life and I’ve been so sad about it the last few weeks it’s crazy. I’ve been planning the wedding for over a year and a lot of small things happened to make the night eh and it makes me so sad and get down on myself. I’m not sure how to move forward or if anyone else can relate.

Hi everyone!! I posted about our wedding reception timeline a little while ago and got some really helpful feedback. We’ve since made a bunch of changes, hired more vendors, and figured out a lot of the logistics. I’d love for you guys to pick apart our updated plans because I learned so much last time!! 😂

Our venue/setup:

We’re renting a community hall with a huge outdoor grass area and indoor hall. It’s a very affordable venue, but it doesn’t come with staff or event coordination. We will already for married just the two of us on a trip so we’re doing a reception-only wedding with friends and family.

Outside: Two marquee tents (20×30 and 20×20) with dinner tables and chairs underneath and string lights. We’ll have some picture areas, lawn games, non alcoholic drinks/coffee bar set up, food area beside the covered outside area, and space to mingle.

Covered outside area: Open operated by a local restaurant (was going to ask for 2 bartenders)

Inside hall: Dance floor, guestbook/advice cards area, photobooth, cocktail tables (6) and round tables (3) with chairs for around the dance floor.

Bathrooms: Two individual single-occupancy bathrooms inside the hall. We also have a trailer washroom being delivered that provides 2 additional bathrooms. This will be parked somewhere outside.

Guests can move freely between all three spaces. We love the idea that people who want to dance after dinner can be inside, while those who prefer to socialize can hangout outside or under the tents.

Vendors we’ve arranged:

Catering and bar: A local restaurant will be providing the food, running the bar and supplying the staff for both.

Photographer: Four and a half hours of coverage, including bridal party/family photos, cocktail hour, dinner and some formalities. (I’m hoping for 4:30-9pm but not sure if we should do longer?)

MC/timeline coordinator: We’ve hired someone to manage announcements, transitions, playlists, vendor arrivals and the overall timeline. We don’t want to rely on our bridesmaids to run everything!

Photobooth: Professional company coming to set up inside during dinner, operating 8–10 PM.

Cleaners: We’ve hired someone (bringing an assistant) to help throughout the evening with cleaning up any cups or plates, changing garbages, cleaning up from dinner, cleaning bathrooms throughout the night.

Mocktail bartender: We've hired someone to run a separate, fully staffed non-alcoholic bar beside the main bar. They'll be serving two signature pre-batched mocktails and chilled energy drinks and water that will be served over ice in cups as well as coffee and tea available. We wanted guests who aren't drinking alcohol to have their own fun bar experience rather than just a table with water bottles.

Rentals: A rental company is providing the tents, tables, chairs, speakers and other equipment. We’ll be setting up most of the decorations and indoor spaces the day before with outside under tents set up day of.

Trailer washrooms: 2 additional washrooms outside.

Any vendors there will be provided a meal.

We’re still not hiring a DJ because we’ve decided to create our own playlists for each portion of the evening: Cocktail hour, dinner, first dances, dancing. The MC/Coordinator we’ve hired said she can handle all playlist transitions.

Here’s our updated timeline:

4:30 PM: Bridal and groom party photos and family photos.

We’ll be doing photos with our bridesmaids, groomsmen and immediate families before guests arrive. We’re hoping to have these mostly finished by 5 PM so we can spend cocktail hour with everyone.

5:00–6:15PM: Cocktail hour, mingling and guest photos.

Guests arrive and head to the outdoor area.

Open bar for when guests arrive
Mocktail bar for when guests arrive
Appetizers and charcuterie board available
Background music playing
Lawn games available
Inside: guest book&advice cards

We also want to try to get a photo and mingle with every couple/family/group during this time rather than having to do table-to-table photos later. (Could still do table visits as well)

Maybe a group photo before dinner??

6:15-6:30PM: Guests find their seats.

We’ll have a seating chart and our MC will help direct everyone toward the outdoor tents.

6:30–7:45 PM: Entrance, dinner and speeches

Once everyone is seated, we’ll have a little entrance together, followed by a short welcome and thank you.

Our caterer has a food truck that will be parked near the porch. Guests will choose their main (beef, chicken or fish) when they RSVP, so they can pick up that at the truck while sides will be served buffet-style beside.

We’re planning to coordinate the food service so people aren’t standing in one giant line.

We’ll also be doing short speeches during dinner rather than stopping everything for a separate speech section.

The open bar will be closed during dinner, reopening open bar when dinner is finished. Bartenders will be serving wine during dinner.

Mocktail bar will be open throughout dinner.

7:45-8:05PM: Elopement video and first dances

MC announces bar reopens and will direct guests to go inside for a short video and first dance.

This is one of the more sentimental parts we’re really excited about!

We’re filming parts of our elopement, including getting ready, first look, vows on the mountain. (Short video).

We’ll put together a short video to show our family and friends so they can experience a little piece of our actual wedding day. Everyone I’ve told said they absolutely love the idea and can’t wait to see it.

We’re now planning to show this inside the hall, where we can control the lighting better. There’s a stage so we are going to have the projector screen on the stage so everyone will be able to see it.

After the video, we’ll transition straight into our first dance and parent dances. We’re thinking of having the father/daughter and mother/son dances at the same time to keep things short.

Then we’ll immediately start a good party song to get everyone onto the dance floor!

8:05-11:00PM: Open bar, dancing and photobooth

This is where the formalities end and the party really begins!

- Open bar reopens when dinner finishes
- Mocktail bar open until the end
- Dance floor opens
- Photobooth operates from 8–10 PM
- Guests can move between the indoor dance floor, outdoor tents and bar area

We’ll have separate playlists for cocktail hour, dinner, formal dances and the party. The dance playlist will already be arranged in a specific order so the music progresses throughout the night.

8:30 PM: Dessert

Dessert will be put out without stopping the dance floor. Our wedding coordinator will bring out the desserts. She’ll make a quick announcement that dessert has been served and guests can help themselves.

10:00PM: Late-night snack

Either poutine or pizza as a late-night snack.

Again, no interruption to dancing. Just a quick announcement that food is available.

10:45 PM: Last call

The bar will start wrapping up and we’ll give everyone a heads-up that the reception is ending at 11 PM.

11:00 PM: Reception ends

Our venue is in a residential area and we’re trying to be respectful of noise restrictions. 11PM is the noise by-law.

Guests can head home or join us at our house, approximately five minutes away, for an informal after-party.

What are we still missing?!

Does the timeline seem realistic?

Are there any vendor coordination responsibilities we’re overlooking?

Just to clarify, this timeline is a general plan, not a strict schedule! We’ve already discussed with our coordinator that we’re flexible with timing and happy to adjust things as needed to keep the evening flowing smoothly without rushing anything!

Hi guys-

Wondering if anyone can relate. I remember my wedding ceremony and reception up until dancing started. I didn’t drink until dancing started around 8:30pm, and then had 3 drinks over 3 hours and never felt drunk. For context I drink weekly and can usually have 7-8 drinks. For context I do tend to get hazy memories when I drink too much and have blacked or browned out before.

I don’t remember much after dancing started. I remember specific songs playing and I remember every conversation I had with guests in between rounds of dancing. I remember certain details like a friend knocking my straw out of my drink or my husband being lifted up by his groomsmen. I drank every drink VERY slowly (over about an hour) and never felt drunk- i kept checking in with myself to make sure.

I remember ever specific detail and conversation, but the dancing in between is so blurry. I remember being happy and having fun, but can’t remember what songs played. I 10000% remember our grand exit and again every conversation in detail that happened during that time, just the in between dancing is so blurry.

I guess my question is was this an emotional blackout or alcohol induced?? I have a ton of anxiety and self blame and wish I hadn’t drank at all, but I really tried to be responsible and never felt more than a buzz. Wondering if anyone can weigh in or relate.

I also had a few things go VERY wrong in days leading up to wedding so didn’t sleep more than 4 hours a night and didn’t sleep hardly at all on the night before the wedding. Didn’t drink during getting ready or dinner/formalities.