Liz I have been asked many times about what time to put on the invitation as the start time of the ceremony, Real or Fake? Hmmm, why would anyone put a fake time on their invitation? Well, I am one who believes that if your wedding ceremony is at 4:00 p.m. – then by all means, but 4:00 p.m. Why? Because it is your guest’s responsibility to be on time to your wedding not your responsibility to make sure everyone is there at the start. Most people will be polite and arrive at least 15 minutes early to the wedding – this is common courtesy. If you have 3:30 on your invitations but don’t intend to start until 4 – imagine all the guests who will be sitting for 45 minutes before the start of the wedding. Personally, I would have gotten up and left – figuring that the bride or groom didn’t show up or there were problems.
If you want to start your wedding on time, then you have to accept some people will be late (those are the same people who are late for everything!). Don’t compromise your standards to accommodate others. Your vendors should know when to arrive so they aren’t late either. Make sure you have it in your contracts as to when you expect them to arrive so your wedding ceremony will begin on time.
If you, the bride or groom (or your parents), are always late – make a timeline for when you need to have everything accomplished so you will be ready on time! Hire a day-of-coordinator if you want help being on time.
Whatever you do, don’t put a fake time on your invitation. You will have plenty of guests furious that they are on time – why should they be penalized because a few run late? It should all come down to manners – arrive early and have respect for the couple getting married – it is THEIR (your) day, not a day all about your guests….
Next blog will be about Reply Dates – now, that is something we build extra time into.
Liz
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