a Safe Space for the Unconventional Weddings

At the end of the day your guests come to celebrate you

people will always have some kind of opinion that may differ from yours, but that's ok because you still have to do what's best for you

For me personally, when it comes to the gap between the ceremony or reception, I actually really enjoy having either a very modest gap (i.e. the time between end of ceremony and start of cocktail hour allows travel time between venues with a small buffer) or a very large gap like you are having as that means I could go home and run errands (or nap!) before the reception so I'm actually surprised you got such pushback on the forums for it!

In any case, at the end of the day, if people want to (and can) celebrate with you, they will come and do so, regardless of the particulars

Ceremony gaps are pretty common especially for those getting married in a church because you are at the mercy of the church's calendar. You do you! I wouldn't mind a gap if it was someone I loved.

What I've seen a lot with a gap this size is that people may opt to skip the ceremony. As long as you're OK with that.

There is a lot of talk around here about "your day", but really once you involve other people their needs need to be considered as well.

YES TO ALL OF THIS!!!

Some people on these forums get super snarky about gaps (among other things), but until I came here I thought gaps were totally normal, especially for church weddings where the timing isn't in your control, and I'd certainly never imagine being rude to someone about it (either to their face or behind their back) when they're paying thousands of dollars for the day.

The people who care about you will continue to do so after your wedding, and if something small like having to entertain yourself for a few hours is enough to poison the well, then that well probably wasn't worth drinking from in the first place.

I've had friends who had cash bars, family members whose weddings had gaps, and any number of faux pas committed. I paid for my drinks or found something to do for a few hours, had a great time, and continue to care about those people without question.

Lol I think our friends will be more disappointed in the cash bar, as well, but.... Sorry but sorry, we're not made of money and I never expect to just be taken care of at a wedding, so to speak. So to all those snarky peeps... Don't go to weddings just to get free stuff maybe haha.