I don’t think it’s rude to serve appetizers, in fact, I think it’s a good idea.

There are some good reasons to offer drinks and hors d’oeuvres after a wedding, but before serving dinner. Often, the reception is held at a different venue than the wedding and offering drinks and snacks fills up some time and gives everyone a chance to arrive at the venue before the meal is served. This is also a good strategy if the couple plans to take wedding photos, after the actual wedding.

One other reason to do this is that, for an afternoon wedding and an evening reception, there’s a real possibility that many of the guests will have gone hours without food. Nobody is relaxed and enjoying themselves when they’re famished!