Have you ever been ro a cake and punch wedding?

Question

was it weird? did anyone say rude things?

Answer 1

No, and I've been to over 20 weddings. All have had a ceremony in the afternoon, dinner and dance in the evening.

Answer 2

Yes I have, and no it wasn't weird, and no one said rude things.  It's a wedding, and if all the bride and groom can afford is cake and punch, then so be it.  And no, it didn't affect how much I spent on their gift either.

Answer 3

Yes. Very low budget.  But you can get away with this if the wedding is at the right time of day.  Such as 3:00 o clock in the afternoon or any other time when your guests would not be expectig a meal.

And nobody said any rude things.

Answer 4

First of all, it's called a "cake and punch" RECEPTION not a cake and punch wedding.

Cake and punch receptioins ONLY work at certain times of the day.  You can have a cake and punch reception AFTER LUNCH (2PM or 3PM) or AFTER DINNER (7PM or 8PM), other than that, it just doesn't work because your wedding guests will expect lunch or dinner.

It is very important that you put "cake and punch reception" on your invitation so your guests know that you are not serving a full meal.  

True story . . a Bride and Groom wanted their reception at a very expensive hotel but all the Bride's parents could afford was "a punch and wedding cake reception" so the Bride and Groom settled for that.   After the church wedding ceremony the guests had to drive almost 40 miles to the reception site (the expensive hotel).  The Bride and Groom did NOT put on the invitation that it was only a "cake and punch reception."  

You can just image how many of the guests felt after driving almost 40 miles that only cake and fruit punch were being served (and not dinner).  Both the Bride's family and the Groom's family received complaints . . lots of complaints!

You also need to know that many people are offended by "cake and punch receptions."  These people will not attend the wedding nor give a gift.

Answered by:  A Certified wedding specialist / A Professional bridal consultant / A Wedding ceremony officiant

Answer 5

No, I have not....but I WOULD LOVE TO!!!

I have given this suggestion (cake and punch reception) to many brides on a budget.

Typically the ones I go to are all the same.....1 p.m. wedding...then a looooong wait until a 6 p.m. reception!  It takes up the whole day if you are a guest.  

I would absolutely LOVE to go to an early afternoon wedding, say 1 p.m. and then right to a cake and punch reception after.  

I think it is perfectly fine IF you have it at the right time of day.  Again, a 1 or 2 p.m. wedding and then the cake and punch to follow.  Also, it might be a good idea to say this on the invitation (or separate reception card) that it will be a "cake and punch reception to follow."  I really don't see why people would say anything or be rude about it if they know that this is the type of reception you are having.  So, again, it's best to say this on the invite.

Good luck and I think it is a great choice!

Answer 6

I have! It was awesome! They had punch, tea, coffee and one bottle of champagne on each table for the speeches/toasts. They had a cake and then other desserts like tarts and cookies. I thought it was a great idea. The invite said "dessert reception to follow" so everyone knew not to expect a full meal.

Nobody said anything rude (that I heard) because everyone was expecting it. Anyway, if someone is going to be rude enough to comment on the fact that you only did desserts instead of a full meal, well... I wouldn't care what they said.

Answer 7

Yes I have, and no, it wasn't weird at all.  My friends were of very modest means (he is an archaeologist, and she was still in college).  They paid for the wedding themselves, and they had the reception in the multipurpose room of their church.  They weren't embarrassed about it, and no one pitied them.  Really a lovely wedding, and I enjoyed myself.

Answer 8

yes one of my friends had a 'cake and punch' reception. it was fine! they wrote it on the invitations so that all the guests would know and we wouldn't come expecting a dinner or anything. i didn't hear anyone say anything rude about it. it was a fun wedding!

Answer 9

Why do you think it would be weird?  There are still communities where a cake and punch reception is pretty normal.  There are lots of people who don't think there's any sense in spending thousands of dollars on food, and there are lots of people who can't afford the catered dinner or a sit-down meal.  

Another thought - How about a wedding that takes place in the middle of the afternoon?  The guests would have eaten lunch before coming to the wedding, and the reception will be over long before supper time.  Any type of meal would be out of place, and a cake and punch reception is plenty.  

I've never heard anyone make rude comments about a cake and punch reception but that's probably because most everyone I know has been to lots of them as well as lots of full-meal receptions.  Besides, the focus of the reception isn't supposed to be on getting a free meal.  It's supposed to be a time to celebrate a new marriage with the bride and groom and their friends and family.

My own reception was cake and punch only.  My husband and I paid for the entire wedding ourselves (he was 21 and I was 19), and we couldn't afford anything else.  We also got married in the middle of a Sunday afternoon.  We wanted to have the wedding, do pictures, go to the reception and mingle, drink punch, cut the cake, mingle some more, toss the bouquet and garter, and then leave to go have a quiet dinner, just the two of us.  His mom complained - she had recently married a wealthy man and wanted our reception to be held in their "club" and be one of those elegant "society" whingdings.  We told her that we couldn't afford to have it at her club, but would gladly move it there if she paid for it.  She never said another word about it, at least not in my hearing.  I'm sure her friends and family heard about it for a year or two.

My daughter's reception, on the other hand, was very heavy hors d'oevres, roast beef station, pasta station, all kinds of stuff.  It was exactly what they wanted.

If you're planning a cake and punch reception, go right ahead.  The only people who have any right to comment about it at all are the bride, the groom, and whichever parents might be paying for it.  If you're going to a wedding soon and it's cake and punch only, smile, be gracious, have a good time, tell the bride how beautiful she is and the groom how lucky he is, and don't act like the reception is any different from the swankiest affair you've ever been to.  You're there because you love the people.

Answer 10

ya