Wedding Styles

How Do I Schedule a Friday-Night Wedding?

I’m having a Friday night wedding at a country club. I’d like to get the celebration rolling as soon as I can, but I’m worried about people arriving late for—-or missing—the ceremony because of work or rush-hour traffic. Any ideas?

Create a buffer zone and start your wedding off with a ”happy hour.” Invite people for an hour before the time of the ceremony, and serve them cocktails and hors-d’oeuvres. That’ll give your on-time guests a chance to unwind and get into the party spirit. Guests who get stuck in the office may actually make it in time to watch you walk down the aisle.

If you don’t mind seeing your husband-to-be before the wedding march, you can greet your guests as they arrive and scarf down a canapé or two to steady your nerves (just go easy on the champagne). Otherwise, have a small tray of food and drinks served to you in your waiting room.

After the ceremony, you can serve a few more cocktails, if you’d like, so you have time to squeeze in a quick receiving line or some formal pics. Or go right on to dinner. If the guest list is manageable (say, 150 or less), you and your new husband can go from table to table during breaks in the meal to say hello to each guest.