SpinOff: What time are you telling your guests to arrive?

Ceremony starts at 5, I put 5 on the invites.

If they are late, they are late. it's nothing you can do about it. you told them the time it will be starting, so it is up to them to get there in a timely manner. we will be letting people know that the ceremony PROMPTLY begins at 1130am...

i'm surprised to here that you are having a 10 am wedding...now I don't feel bad!

If they want to celebrate your union, they will be there, no matter the time!

Haha Yes Shauna Catering to Idiots is definitely one way to put it!

Hopefully everyone will be prompt & timely. If not theres nothing we can do about it.

@Lauren its the only time our church can do the ceremony since they have pretty packed services lol

How awful to be a guest that arrived when they were directed to and made to wait that long.

I said 5. We started at about 5. I wasn't wearing a watch, so we started when my DOC said so lol

My ceremony will start on time, lol at least I hope it does. The only people I am telling a different time for anything Is my immediate family fir family pictures before the wedding. They are never on time fir anything and it drives me nuts.

This is another one that comes up every week, and everyone knows I am a time freak. Nothing makes me crazier than chaos and lateness, which often go hand in hand.

In theory, you should start at the time on the invite. In reality, most of you will wait for a late shuttle bus, a late relative, one of your friends who is late for everything. You will then lose time from your reception, your photos, or whatever comes next. Or you will pay more for the limo, photographers, etc; anyone with a time frame.

In theory, the guests will be adult enough to factor in traffic, valet parking, getting lost and shuttles. In reality they do not. Ever. Your average shuttle bus takes 10-20 minutes to load the guests and another 10-20 minutes to discharge them and for them to make way to the ceremony site. No one EVER factors this in. I am waiting for a shuttle almost every single week.

If you want to start at 5:00, then invite for 4;30 so you can start at 5O sharp. If you're going to invite at 5:00 to start at 5:00, steel yourself to actually start at that time, regardless of who is on site, because the rest of your day revolves around your ceremony starting and ending on time. The aunt who forgets her lipstick, the friends who are late to everything? Screw them. They'll miss it. It wasn't important enough to them.

In a church, of course, they are not going to have a 'hospitality time', but that is what literally every venue here recommends. We invite for a half hour ahead.

@A&J I wasn't planning on saying the ceremony started at a different time, just suggesting they arrive early to make sure that the ceremony starts on time & they dont miss anything

And @Randee; there is no hoping. They either get their sorry asses there or they don't. Tell them how crazy and stressed it makes you and make them vow to get out of their usual pattern and act responsibly.

@Celia, lol I guess thats exactly why our Pastor said to put 9:30 on our invites. Years and years of officiating weddings.

I am also a huge stickler for time, and people who cant get it together to be on time make me extremely upset.

I have visions of being up at the alter saying my vows and the whole church turning to look at the one late comer loudly making their way into a pew.. lol I know im a little crazy.

You tell people when the event starts. People will still arrive on their own time.

On our invitation we noted what time the cocktail hour started and then noted "Grand Entrance" rather than the time of dinner hoping people would have their butts in their seats for when we walked in and that we would promptly have a dinner prayer and eat.

Nope.

As we waited outside of the main doors of the reception hall for our grand march/grand entrance, there were more than a dozen people just arriving. Those people waited in the hallway as the bridal party entered.

Some people will be late no matter what you tell them. Don't punish the ones who know how to show up on time.

Like others have said, I'm just putting the time the ceremony starts. There is no "arrival time."

This is a form of rudeness i just do not get. It's an egocentric move that makes it clear these guests care more about themselves than you. Don't let them derail the timeline.

We put 5:00 on the invitation even though our ceremony will not start until 5:30. BUT I know how annoying it is to get somewhere on time and then have to wait (especially if you get there at 4:50 thinking 5:00 is the start time), so we are having that 30 minutes be hosted - there will be waiters with water, lemonade, and champagne for people to enjoy while they mingle before the ceremony actually begins promptly at 5:30. We are also putting "Doors open 5:00, ceremony at 5:30" on our website, so anyone who checks that will know what is going on.

I have 4:30 on the invitation. That is when our ceremony will start. If we put earlier, I'm too afraid that some people would show up early compared to the time. IMO if you put an earlier time, you better have something planned to entertain your guests for that time.

Very true.

I think Im going to just make sure that I note that while the ceremony begins at 10am Sharp guests can arrive at 9:30 and to keep in mind traffic and that they have to park.

Im also going to just remind (and have our moms) remind people when they see them of the start time

Our wedding is scheduled to start at 2 PM. I have family members who are notoriously late for every event. Despite this, we still plan on starting promptly at 2 PM (which is the time that will be on the invitations). I did, however, add a section to my website FAQs stating that guests should arrive approximately 15 minutes early. I considered it a friendly reminder.

LMAO @alyshadanielle and agreed. Your only responsibility is to tell them what time the ceremony starts. They should know to get there earlier.

Our invites say 3 so one can hope they come a little earlier but I have a feeling we won't start till 15 after

If your invites are at 3:00 and you want to start at 3:00, why would you start at 3:15?

I SERIOUSLY do not get this at all.

Our invites say 6pm and I plan on walking down the aisle at 6pm. Adults should know to be there a few minutes early.