What are your thoughts on having an early afternoon ceremony starting around 1:30 PM or 2 PM at a church, then having a small mini-reception at the church immediately after the ceremony with extended friends and church community, then planning for an evening reception with traveling family and friends starting around 5:30 PM or 6:00 PM at a hotel venue? Below is more detail about my proposed schedule of events:
1:30 PM - Ceremony starts
~2:15 PM - Ceremony ends, mini-reception to immediately follow
3:30 PM - mini-reception at church ends (out-of-town guests have the option to stay or leave and go to the hotel during this time)
3:30-4:15 PM - take photos at the church with immediate family and bridal party, then depart for hotel.
5:00-5:30 PM - photos at the hotel for the newlyweds.
~5:45-10:00 PM - Traditional reception with close family and friends at the hotel (full dinner and dancing).
We have a lot of local friends that would want to join us at the ceremony, but honestly, we don't have the budget to invite 100-150 people to a traditional evening reception with full dinner and open bar. Plus, our church friends are older and would love to simply be part of this memorable moment for me and my fiance without partying all night long.
The problem is that my side of the family will be traveling from at least 4 hours away, and my stepmom thinks that most people would only stay in town for at least one night.
Is this too much to ask?
Thanks in advance!
Stephanie
