When Harold Vasquez and Felicia Ip scheduled a five–hour break during their wedding so they could ‘recharge,’ they never expected it would spark fierce backlash.
The couple, from Washington, D.C., who wed in Madrid, Spain, in May, knew that weddings could be ‘overwhelming,’ so they purposely left a huge chunk of time between their ceremony and reception to relax.
‘We knew weddings can be overwhelming and nonstop. Since it was a destination wedding, we wanted time to step back, eat properly, and really take in the day,’ Felicia, 27, explained exclusively with the Daily Mail.
‘Building in the break gave us space to recharge and be present with each other before the reception.’
After the ceremony concluded, guests had five hours of free time to do what they pleased before reconvening for the celebration that evening.
Felicia and Harold, 28, used the time to rest at the hotel one-on-one and ‘enjoy being newly married’ without the chaos of rushing to the reception.
‘We went back to our hotel and just enjoyed being newly married without the chaos,’ explained the bride.
‘We even grabbed Subway since there was one right outside our hotel, which felt funny and down-to-earth in the middle of such a big day.’
When Harold Vasquez and Felicia Ip scheduled a five-hour break during their wedding so they could ‘recharge,’ they never expected it would spark fierce backlash
The couple, from Washington, D.C., knew that weddings could be ‘overwhelming,’ so they purposely left a huge chunk of time between their ceremony and reception to relax
Felicia explained that having time to unwind after the ceremony ‘made the whole day feel calmer and more balanced.’
Since it worked out so great for them, they were excited to share the idea with others, but when they posted about it on TikTok, it backfired.
They shared a 12-second montage of clips from their wedding day, writing in a text overlay, ‘When we made a five-hour gap in our wedding itinerary so we could eat and recharge our social battery together.’
The video went viral, gaining more than 3.3 million views, and led to a massive debate.
While some applauded the move and loved the idea of being able to change or nap between the ceremony and reception, others fiercely slammed the couple and said it was selfish to leave such a big break.
‘Yes, it’s amazing idea for the couple. But working as a coordinator at a wedding venue I do not recommend,’ one user wrote.
‘Because guest will become restless and some will even get very upset.’
‘OK, I know it’s y’all’s day but think about the guests too?’ another added. ‘If you were in their shoes, would you want to wait five hours?’
After the ceremony concluded, guests had five hours of free time to do what they pleased before reconvening for the celebration that evening
Felicia and Harold, 28, used the time to rest at the hotel one-on-one and ‘enjoy being newly married’ without the chaos of rushing to the reception
‘I wouldn’t want to go back [after the break],’ confessed someone else.
‘So yours guests have to sit there waiting all day all dressed up?’ read a fourth comment.
A fifth said, ‘Nah imma need y’all to not take my whole day if I’m a guest.’
Felicia explained to the Daily Mail that the guests knew about the break ahead of time and were not upset by it.
‘They had freedom to explore Madrid, grab food, or rest. Some people used it as a chance to sightsee, which worked out nicely,’ she dished.
‘We were upfront about it, and everyone was supportive. Most people actually liked the idea of having downtime in between.’
While she noted that the move was ‘nontraditional,’ she said she never expected her video to get so much attention.
In response to people who felt they were being ‘selfish,’ Felicia fired back, ‘We actually kept our guests in mind when we planned it.
Felicia explained to the Daily Mail that the guests knew about the break ahead of time and were not upset by it
In response to people who felt they were being ‘selfish,’ Felicia fired back, ‘We actually kept our guests in mind when we planned it. The break gave them time to relax or explore’
‘The break gave them time to relax or explore Madrid as they pleased. It was also a vacation for them, and we didn’t want the entire day to be focused only on our wedding.’
In the end, she insisted that looking back, it made their wedding day even better and she has absolutely no regrets.
‘It kept us refreshed, made the evening more fun, and gave us memories we’ll never forget,’ she concluded.
‘We ended the night with a small, intimate dinner with our closest family and friends, which felt like the perfect ending.’