u/hekaita

Hey everyone! We are planning our wedding, and I have this vision in my mind that I am really leaning towards, but want to see if it’s a bad idea or not.

The idea is this: have a small ceremony in a floral conservatory, have a catered dinner party style reception at our house, then go out to a bar to see a band play as the “after party.” We’d have less than 25 guests and although it may be a bit tight space wise, we could make it work at our house for sure.

We have a big china and glassware collection, so plates and all that won’t be a problem. We will have to rent tables and chairs, but I’m not too worried about that. Our city is small so travelling between venues wont be a problem, and I love the idea of taking all the time and effort I need to make the vibes immaculate at my house. The only downsides to me are that we will have to clean up after (although we’re considering hiring someone to do that) and that we will have to keep our cats in the basement to make sure they’re not up in everyone’s business. An early dinner is also not the most ideal but it is what it is, and we will probably hit up a breakfast place after the afterparty, haha

Here’s my tentative itinerary:

12:00 - 1:00 - ceremony and photos at Floral Conservatory

2:00 - 3:00 - cocktail hour with appies

3:00 - 3:45 - toasts/extra photos/whatever

3:45 - 5:00 - dinner served and plates cleared

5:00 - 7:00 - cake, dessert and mingling

7:00 - 7:30 - travel to bar for afterparty

Is this crazy?? We have lots of gatherings at our house and I really like this idea, but I don’t know if it is good for anyone else haha. Very curious to hear your thoughts, feedback and ideas!

Edit: I am going to make sure dinner is served later!!! I was worried that if we served dinner at 5, two hours wouldn’t be enough to eat, have cake, let it settle and get out the door by 7 to make it to the show on time. I’ll definitely make that change and appreciate the feedback!

I’m trying to find a space to hold a small wedding with between 30 - 40 guests in November. We’d like to have both the ceremony and supper/reception at the same place and are open to bringing in outside catering/bar service or going to a restaurant where all that is provided. I’ve gotten in touch with a few halls/restaurants around the city, but wanted to see if there were any hidden gems anyone may know of!

There are lots of places available but with the size of our guest list, it’s hard to find something that will work - lots of places are just too big. We’re going to go to a bar when supper is over for the after party, so we don’t need space for a dance floor or anything like that.

If you’ve had a good wedding experience anywhere in the city, especially where both the ceremony and reception were held at the same place, I’d love to hear (and if it looks nice, that’s certainly a plus!)