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One of the first major decisions we made that really changed the course of planning our wedding was our decision to have a daytime wedding. Back in the day, I guess it was pretty common to have a morning wedding and proceed to a simple lunch or other type of reception. Of course, everything about weddings seemed simpler then, didn’t they?
The daytime option became pretty clear after Mr. Swan and I ran some numbers on one of his very nifty spreadsheets. At the same time, I thought, ‘A DAYTIME WEDDING!’ It’s not the lovely (and common) Saturday night chic event that I originally envisioned. Yet it seemed to be a really economical way to keep our wedding reception costs in check. Mr. Swan and I made the decision, but I am still sweating it a bit.
My fears for having a daytime wedding were/are:
While having a daytime wedding definitely has its cons, I think our foresight to be budget conscious for the wedding from the beginning is allowing us to go to sleep peacefully each night.
Any other daytime brides worried about having a daytime wedding? Has anyone planned or been to a wedding that was not the usual night affair? How was it?
You can dance in the afternoon! Some people just need a reason to dance, what better reason than at your wedding.
we’re having a daytime wedding because we’re worried about the sun setting too early if we decided to have a ceremony in november outdoors or not enough light for picture taking since we’re not seeing each other before the ceremony, so the day wedding made the most sense to us…it will still be fabulous i know it, just like yours!
My husband and I had a morning wedding, followed by lunch and dancing, followed by nap break, followed by cocktails at a swanky lounge later in the evening. It was awesome. People danced their pants off; it being light out had no effect on that. We were worried about that too, but it was really, really fun. It was great to have the break in the afternoon to relax and take it all in, and then to reconvene later that night with everyone, well-rested and ready for more. I wouldn’t do it any other way, in retrospect! We had more time overall with the guests, and everyone had a really good time. Plus the photos came out really well — the morning and early afternoon light cast a gorgeous glow on all the photos. You’ll have a fantastic wedding!
Maybe you can meet up at a restaurant or bar later that evening and continue the party?
You could go out to supper afterward with your parents - I did this after my first wedding and it was really nice. Other guests explored the area and/or did their own thing.
We had a daytime wedding to avoid alcohol and dancing, but it also did end up being considerably cheaper for food. I have been to a daytime wedding with dancing, though, and it was plenty of fun! No one seemed to care that it was not nightime.
We also had an afterparty for the less conservative people in the group. So did the other daytime wedding we attended..they just met everyone at a bar.
And I was also afraid of the time constraints in the morning regarding getting ready…It worked out just fine, but just remember to delegate EVERYTHING that does not have to do with you specifically getting ready to someone else!
Our ceremony was at noon, and the lunch started around 2 or 2:30 (cocktail/appetizer hour was around 1). It was a gloriously beautiful day and we got some beautiful, sunny pictures. That evening, our friends went to a movie and our families rested while we also relaxed. We had a brunch the next day to spend a little more time with our people. We did the lunch in order to be more economical, and it went really well. People definitely danced. Don’t worry too much.
With you on the hair thing.. we’re having a 11:30am Sunday morning wedding, with pictures before hand, starting at 9:30am. Eek. And, since it’s so early and a Sunday, we have to have a hair person come in to do it (peace of mind, of course, but also more money).
Definitely consider an after party!
Ditto! I’m soo worried it’s going to be boring. I keep going back and forth on a DJ. I worry that it will be me and my MOH on the dance floor and thats it. My FH thinks we should not have a dj and use that money for a private area for our after party downtown…I just always thought I would dance at my wedding. I grew up dancing! With that said, i say screw it.. I’m getting a dj! LOL
I’ve been to several daytime weddings that were a blast - if your friends/family are fun, the wedding will be fun - regardless of time of day!
I had the same concerns but I must say that I actually really enjoyed the daytime wedding and so did the guests. Guests that like to dance danced and the guests who don’t enjoyed chatting with company and the view/food. Also, our lunch was spread out through the event so there was only about an hour after the cake cutting before the reception was over.
Plus, my favorite thing about having a daytime wedding was we could spend almost the entire day with hubby and familiy instead of being hidden away while getting ready.
Almost all of our guests were also out of town and so we met up at a bar around 8pm.
I just had my daytime wedding (1 PM on a Sunday). The lighting was beautiful for our outdoor ceremony, and there was just enough time to get ready (we showed up at 9 with the hairstylist). There were 4 bridesmaids and myself, and we did our own makeup but had one stylist do our hair. Everyone else did their own hair. We had a DJ, dancing, alcohol (and yes, people drank!)…the whole works. It was really no different from an evening ceremony other than that people dressed differently and we had to keep the sunlight in mind when we did our makeup.
We’re doing a daytime wedding and doing an after party hours later. it gives people a chance to see the city and then shake their groove thang later. 
I had a daytime wedding to cut costs and it went down so well and we saved a fortune.
We left at about 5ish to go on our mini-moon.
I made a mini restaurant review for the older guests, some guestlist bookings at some clubs for our friends/cousins
You have the huge bonus of being in NYC where there is so much to do. You could make ‘The Swan’s guide to the Big Apple’ and point out cool things to do and then arrange a meeting point if people want to meet up for dinner/drinks?
re: hair
i have long locs too, and even though we had an evening wedding, i had the same worries about the time it takes to wash, twist, and style all this hair with such a jam packed day! what i did was get my hair done the day before - i had some twisty stuff going on in the front and a rodset in the back. the stylist pinned up the rodset curls and i wore a very thin/delicate hair net to my rehearsal dinner (it looked super cute). that night i just tied on a silk scarf and the next morning took the pins out and was ready to go! it worked out great!
whether youre thinking about an updo and or something down, im sure there’s a way to get it done the day before and preserve it until your wedding
We’re doing the exact same thing. I am kind of worried about the dancing thing too, but here is some advice I’ve read that made me feel better: the guests tend to go where the bride goes. If you’re on the dance floor busting a move, chances are your guests (especially your friends who like to dance) will follow suit.
Our reception ends at 4, and then we’re going to rest for a few hours, and have everyone meet up at a bar later. It will be the official “after party” but everyone will be on their own tab.
I had a daytime wedding last fall and I had a lot of the same concerns you did. We had plenty of dancing at our reception, but I think that’s mostly because my family and our friends love to dance, no matter the occasion. So, I think whether or not people dance will depend on whether you have a dancing crowd at the wedding. A great DJ also helps.
We had an afterparty after the wedding. My parents-in-law rented the hospitality room at one of the hotels for OOT guests, so we just ordered food, hung out and finished off some of the left over wine and liqour from the wedding (we brought our own alcohol). It was awesome to see everyone in a more relaxed setting.
About getting hair/make-up, I got up at 5 AM (no joke!), to get ready. I just made sure to get to bed realllly early the night before, so I got my bare minimum of sleep. Oh, and someone came to do my hair/make-up at the hotel. Good luck!
I think “Brunch” weddings are really nice. The menu is different and unique. I love breakfast, so it gives you something other than your normal chicken and salmon. It’s not the normal PARTY but, it has alot of charm.
We did a daytime wedding and a pub crawl at night. Many of our relatives are older & live at least an hour away - so it allowed them to get home while it was light out. Our friends danced anyway at the reception and had a great time afterwards!
PS - Although we planned a “break” in the middle to nap, we ended up only having time to change since there was so many people to see, things to do, etc.
i was MOH for a daytime wedding and it was a great time! so what we had to be at the salon at 4am… i arrived with champagne and oj to make it a little easier on everyone.
the reception ended around dinner time but it was so great because there was an after party. yah, i was pooped by 7:30pm but everyone had such a great time! it was definitely a blast and i highly recommend it!!
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Mrs. Swan, New York City Age and Occupation: 31, Legislative Representative Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Finance Guy Engagement Date: August 9, 2008 Wedding Date: August 2009 Venue: Battery Gardens About Me: I am an un-crafty but resourceful, Caribbean-born but New York-raised woman who's been known to analyze "Dancing with the Stars" and “So You Think You Can Dance”, buy stinky cheese, and use way too many parentheses. I keep lists for fun, am constantly daydreaming of my next international travel adventure (four continents down, three to go), debating sports (let’s Got Mets/Giants!) and dancing around my apartment to stay sane. I am excited to share our wedding planning journey as I hope to plan a streamlined, personal, and fun wedding with the greatest life partner I could ever imagine, Mr. Swan.
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