If you were to take a poll of engaged couples, couples in general, or just anyone who has ever given thought to their wedding, and you asked them, “What day/time would you want to have your reception?”, the overwhelming majority would first say Saturday night followed by Friday night and then probably Sunday night. You would have a hard time finding anyone that would want to get married while the sun is still high in the sky. There is such a stigma that afternoon weddings can be “rough” and “no one will dance or drink that much” (drinking always helps ease people’s dancing fears) that I would be less that 1% of people would want an afternoon wedding. But I think that stigma needs to be put to bed.
I had absolute honor of celebrating with 2 amazing couples in the last 6 months who had their weddings begin and end before 6pm, one was even on a Sunday that wasn’t Labor/Memorial Day weekend. I think one of the biggest keys to any reception is the crowd. If you have a room full of people who are genuinely happy for the married couple, you mix that in with a professional DJ/MC and you would have a wildly successful celebration if it took place on a Monday at 9am! Another cool thing about having an afternoon reception is it then gives you the rest of the night to either relax with your new spouse or continue the celebration somewhere in a more casual or relaxed setting. One of the couples I celebrated with ended their reception at 6pm so they could leave for their honeymoon that night!
Check out some video from Kate & Jose’s SUNDAY AFTERNOON celebration to see what I mean:
