Lunch or Dinner?

You don't need to serve dinner at all. What you do need to do is host your guests the whole time. In this case, if it's lunch you might want to get the bulk of the photos done before the ceremony ie a first look shoot. If you do decide to take an hour for photos, you'll need to serve something to your guests while they wait.

Personally I would back the ceremony up to like 1230, then plan to serve appetizers/drinks then lunch at around 2. An alternate would be have the ceremony at 4, cocktail hour 5-6 and start reception at 6.

An hour is long for the ceremony unless you’re doing a full Mass or something. 20-30 minutes is usually the sweet spot.


But to the main question, it doesn’t actually matter what you call the meal, just that you have some kind of food or drink. We also did a 2pm ceremony and exited our reception by 5:30, so we didn’t even serve a meal, just finger foods and desserts. But if you serve a meal, you just call it “reception” instead of lunch or dinner.

A ceremony doesn’t last an hour unless it’s a full religious service with hymns and sermon, at minimum. Regardless of the denomination (Catholic vs Protestant). The majority are typically 30 minutes max. Allow time for people to leave and mill about, dismissing your guests by rows at the end of the ceremony goes faster than typical receiving lines or table visits where some tables are not even approached.


The Wedding Industry Complex via social media has gaslit couples that they are not having a real legitimate wedding reception if they are not serving a full meal at any given hour, even during non meal times, with alcohol even when the couple and/or other VIPs are sober or any given reason. In some families and social circles, a full meal is not done at any time, and they will do appetizers or cake with coffee. That is valid even if online communities and the Wedding Industry say they are not. There is also a misconception that cake served by itself with coffee or punch at the ceremony venue, with no full meal or dancing at a separate venue is not a reception. Yes it is. The ceremony guests are fed light refreshments and greeted by the couple, which is a very valid reception.
A meal held at a different venue for a smaller group of VIPs is acceptable as long as cake and coffee are served at the ceremony site for those attending the ceremony. Then everyone goes where they do. Anything following that is unrelated to the reception, which has already taken place. In the case of taking select people to a restaurant, that requires a completely separate invitation not included in the invitation packet, because it is an unrelated event.
Restaurants across the US start serving dinner at 4pm. If that was too early for dinner for any other day, they would be out of business. A 4pm dinner is acceptable as long as it is listed very clearly on the separate invitation. 2-4pm is rarely if ever a meal time so that is when cake only or light appetizer platters are served. Same for 7pm and later in many social circles.

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Thank you for the advice Andrea! You are right, it is just a normal ceremony. I guess I thought they were longer, but that is great because it allows a little time for pictures in between.

Thank you Michelle and Jacks. I don't think I can bump the ceremony up any earlier because a lot of our guests will be going to church that morning and then coming to the wedding. But I feel like I can work on a lunch/refreshments menu instead now, because that is what sounds the best to me!!!

We are also trying to do the pictures we can before the ceremony so that we have less to take in between then and the reception. Thank you!

View Quoted Comment You don’t need to move the ceremony time. It’s a common misconception that all venues everywhere don’t allow anyone to enter a reception venue before 5 or 6pm when blank slate venues typically open at 8 or 10 am for use until closing.


Just have cake and coffee served at the church. People leave after 3 hours of socializing and then you and your VIP list go to an unrelated party after that time that has a separate invitation not included in the main invitation packet.