Would it be rude if our reception was later in the evening after our wedding?
We are currently in the throes of planning our microwedding (30-40 people) and have a few options for venues. One option that will likely save us money would be to use a venue for our ceremony (the only available time slots are 8am or 10am) and then have our reception later in the evening for dinner and drinks, maybe starting at 3pm. There would be about 30 mins of travel between venues, which would allow lots of time for checking into hotels if using, getting lunch, etc.
This venue for our ceremony is one that we’ve chosen as an option because it’s a lovely, nondenominational chapel that has “free” ceremonies— you have to pay $2.50 a chair and $75 for the arch, but otherwise there’s no other charges. It is a 1.5 hr time slot. The location is in a rural area which is 30 mins away from the city which may be a hassle for people.
My thought is to include the option to attend the ceremony on the invitation and make it very clear that there is a bit of travel and a time gap between events involved. They may choose to attend the chapel ceremony and RSVP, or they can just come see us for dinner and drinks at the reception! Is this rude or is this considered acceptable? I really don’t want to be a total accidental asshole. Thank you for your input!
Edit: I should’ve included that we would absolutely never force people to show up at 8am for the ceremony omg lol that’s entirely my bad. We would only choose the 10am. Sorry for that misunderstanding!!