Tips On Hosting A Daytime Wedding

When you think of a wedding, you may think of an event that begins in the early evening and goes on until late at night with dinner and dancing. However, just because that's the standard doesn't mean that's what you have to do. Many couples enjoy a daytime wedding where their friends and family get to celebrate with them, and then they are all home by the evening. If this sounds more up your alley, then check out our tips on hosting a daytime wedding.

The first step to hosting a daytime wedding is rearranging the timeline. You'll likely have to be up much earlier, especially if you choose to have a mid-morning wedding at 10 a.m. You'll have to ensure that the venue is completely set up the night before, because the morning will be full of hair and makeup, not to mention getting dressed and getting to your ceremony. If you plan a 10 a.m. wedding, you'll likely need to be up at 5 a.m. to wake up, get showered, and get some breakfast. Hair and makeup will take several hours, and you want to ensure that you are dressed and at the venue ahead of when the ceremony will begin. After that, you will want to do pictures, but instead of a traditional cocktail hour, you'll be able to do more of a brunch-themed option with mimosas or different fruit-infused cocktail options for your guests. Then there's the brunch itself, which can be a combination of breakfast and lunch favorites, and can be much more casual than a formal sit down steak dinner. After that around 1 p.m., you can have your dancing, talking, and other activities, including the bouquet toss and cutting the cake. Depending on how long you want to stay, your grand exit can be around 3 p.m. or even as late as 4 p.m. This still leaves plenty of time for your guests to get home and relax, and for you to go back to the venue and help with any clean-up if necessary.

If you're worried about losing the formality, don't. You can still have a formal dress code, and formal sit down meal option for your guests, as well as have it in a stunning venue. The only difference is you won't have guests in ball gowns, unless you specifically request that from them.

You also don't have to worry about changing the music. Your guests will be up for dancing the day away with you, which means that wedding playlist will get to stay. Depending on the venue, you can turn down the lights for the dance floor, even if the sun is shining brightly outside.

As for entertainment for that evening, you don't have to provide things for your guests to do, but if you wish to extend the party or have tickets to an event, extend the invitation to friends and relatives who are in the area and invite them to join you after the festivities. If they have families and other obligations, they may choose not to attend, but if they came solely for the wedding, they may appreciate being able to spend more time with the newlyweds, as well as see some of the local hotspots.

While it may seem like hosting a daytime wedding is overwhelming, the main details remain the same. You can still have a formal event or you can make things lighter and more casual, it really depends on what you want to do. Hopefully our tips on hosting a daytime wedding helped you determine the best way to move forward with your wedding planning.