Huge Time Gap Between Wedding and Reception. What to Do?

I must not get out much. I honestly have never heard of this happening. I would probably go back to the hotel and hang out and relax before the reception.

I'd go back to the hotel for down time 100% especially if the wedding is the morning and reception late at night

Heading back to the hotel for lunch, pool and nap time sounds ideal and is a wonderful plan.

Go back to the hotel, change, relax, swim if you want.....

Holy cow!! I've never heard of a gap THAT long...usually it's one right after the other or maybe a couple of hours...Go back to the hotel and go to the pool and relax!!

Have a great time!

Is it in New Jersey? That's the only place where I've been to a wedding where a large gap of time between the wedding and the reception is accepted as the norm. It is expected that you will change between events. So for the one I went to, it was expected that you would wear daytime clothes to the church ceremony (something light colored and more conservative - I wore a pastel dress with a cardigan, my husband wore a light-colored suit), then go back to the hotel, relax and rest, and then get dolled up for the evening reception, to which most of the women wore evening cocktail dresses (black and other dark colors, glitzy jewelry etc.) and the men wore dark suits.

So I would do what you're planning and go back to the pool for a swim and some rest, and pack a daytime outfit and an evening outfit. At first I thought this schedule was a bit inconvenient and drawn out, but it worked out rather well actually. People were able to dress appropriately for both a church ceremony and a formal evening reception and because we were well rested, we were able to stay really late and party the night away without being exhausted. Of all the weddings I've been to, this one was the most fun.

I'd invite some of the friends and family to come back to the hotel pool with us. Adults can catch up and kids can swim. If you tell everyone ahead of time, they can bring their suits and towels. I would check to see if the hotel has a locker room where they can change back into their wedding clothes or else your hotel room will be a shared dressing room.

Holy cow!!! That's insane , I have never heard of that. It's always immediately following the ceremony...minus time for pictures.

Depends on what to do, either go and relax or go see the city. My kids are used to travelling and would want to do something local that we don't have at home - so we would do that.

Wear something simple to church or wherever ceremony is. Go back to hotel, swim, relax and then later get dressed in your reception clothes and go have fun. That is what I have done in the past.

I guess I would do one fun thing (fun for your 8 year old) like the pool or a cool museum/playground/sightseeing thing. Then go back to "rest" for a couple hours...maybe 2.5 hours to watch tv, nap if he wants, play video games, read, snack and chill. My kids then will be restored to have better behavior for the evening.

When we had to do that, I had no children to deal with, but I was 9 months pregnant and it was summer. We went to a movie.

Wow, I thought a three-hour gap at a wedding several years ago was ridiculous, but you beat that by double! In our situation, we didn't have the kids with us and just went to a coffee house with one of my long-time friends who was at the wedding from out of town. That was the first time I'd ever heard of such a gap. With our wedding, it was at the same location as the reception, so people just shifted to another area of the building. I think they waited maybe 30 minutes for us to take a few more pictures and start the reception.

Six hours, I would definitely head back to the hotel and have some pool time. In any case, I wouldn't feel compelled to stay in wedding attire all day when most of the day you'll be doing something else.

I'd say plan an appropriate church outfit for all (elegant but casual) and then go back to the hotel, have a great time and then get dressed up and go.

The family might even invite you back to their house for a bit for an in between celebration. But I'd decline and pick the pool. :)

That's a long gap! This sounds like three wardrobe changes: a daytime dress for the wedding, casual clothes when you are hanging out at the hotel or sightseeing between the wedding and reception, and evening attire for the reception. Six hours is a long time. I would take a nap and maybe even see about taking your son to see a movie. It will be a long day, so you don't want to wear everyone out so that they are too tired to have fun at the reception. Good luck!

That is a large gap in time...but it will likely be less actual time (the ceremony and travel time will take up more than you think) so you might want to play it by ear.

Have a list of possible close options (somewhere close to the wedding or reception or in between the two) and see what time you really get done w/ the wedding and what the weather is like. August in GA I would think AC or pool.

I have a similar wedding next month, wedding early in the morning, reception around 5 or 6. We're planning to change, go to the zoo, head to the hotel for a shower and rest, then go to the reception.

Geez, the wedding etiquette books tell the bride and groom not to do that! It's so rude.

Our wedding had a 5 hour gap nearly 16 years ago. It gave us time to take pictures, all go back to my parents' house, have some lunch, relax, & gear up for the reception.

I've also attended weddings with a large gap in town & out of town. The in town ones are easy. The out of town ones, we've gone to lunch with friends who attended the wedding & hung out for a while.

I'd suggest if it's a town you don't normally visit to go see the sights!! If you paid $$ to travel, why not get your bang for your buck & see the sights!

I would go to the pool! 6 hours is a lot of time to try to "find" something to do. If your hotel is that close, I'd go for it!