Your Wedding Timeline is important.
It
determines whether or not the reception will flow with forward momentum, making guests feel engaged and having FUN, OR giving them the feeling they’re watching a slow-movie, waiting for the next scene. Guests who are not involved, leave early.
Each
wedding reception is unique regardless of the "format" you follow, and it's never etched in stone! You can be traditional -- or deviate from the norm --
whatever best follows your taste. Below, is a sample wedding reception
format and sample time-line that works well.
The
following suggestions are optional and the order can be changed or events
eliminated!
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| Pic of a Timeline from a Past Wedding |
6:00 PM
Cocktail Hour
Your guests arrive at your reception. Upon entering, they are greeted by background
music. This combination of the entrance, the decorated reception room, and
music will set the first, and lasting, impression. They will mingle and await
the arrival of the wedding party.
6:40
Preparing for Introductions
The bridal party arrives at the reception. After any photographs, we’ll help
arrange the wedding party into a procession line outside the room, to prepare
for introductions. At this time, we’ll ask your guests to make their way to their seats. You can choose to have bride and grooms parents introduced,
or if you wish, we can simply acknowledge their presence and introduce them at
their tables.
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| Photo by Come Together Studios |
6:50
Introductions
All wedding party members are introduced (by couple) in sequence, with the bride and groom entering last.
The Bride and Groom’s grand entrance!
6:55
First Dance
After
introductions is a great time to go right into your First Dance. Your guests are
seated with their attention already focused. This is a great “captive”
audience. If the dancing and dining are to be done in different rooms, it
might be a good idea to do parent dances at this time as well.
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| Photo by Erica Hasenjager |
7:00
Toasts and any Blessing or Grace
After
introductions, the bridal party and newlyweds are seated at the head table,
or at their respective tables.
A toast to
the Bride and Groom is offered, usually by the best man and/or Maid/Matron of
Honor. If dinner is ready, this may be directly followed by a prayer from a
family member or a member of the clergy. The bride or groom (or parents) may also
have a few words. If a salad is part of the meal, it’s often served to guests
during a toast.
7:05
Dinner!
Dinner is
served if this is a sit down affair, or the tables are called in sequence for
the buffet. In either scenario, the newlyweds
and wedding party are first.
7:40
Tour
Since the
Bride and Groom are served first, they are also finished first. Usually, at
this time, the Bride
and Groom will visit tables and greet their guests, thanking them for coming.
8:00
Father/Daughter and Mother/Son
Dances
Because
many guests are finishing their meals, and are still at their tables, this is a
great time for parent dances. Father/Daughter and Mother/Son dances usually
take under 10 minutes. The time for cake cutting and parent dances is often interchangeable. One popular philosophy on this is: Since open dancing will follow, it makes sense to have guests attention focused on the dance-floor and cutting cake first and ending with parent dances allows for this. One 'con' to that is, because Cake Cutting is a fun event, guests are usually out of their seats and eager to take pictures of the Cake Cutting... Regaining their attention, and asking them to be seated again to watch a couple slow dances somewhat takes the wind out of the sails, and reverses any forward momentum.
8:05
Open Dancing
We pick up
the pace musically, and open the dance-floor with a “soft” open… This simply
means, the music is danceable, more upbeat, and has a bump in volume from the
dinner music. It’s not a good idea to expect guests to run out and dance
immediately after eating a big meal. This is the time for digesting, coffee, cocktails,
mingling, and dancing. Usually, early in the night is when older guests dance,
so we read the crowd and play age appropriate music.
Any time from 8:30 - 9:00
Cake Cutting
Cutting the
cake only takes 5-10 minutes, and can really happen at any time, but it’s
important to consider:
Sometimes
older guests leave soon after having cake, so waiting an hour after dinner
finishes ensures you get to spend a little more time enjoying their company.
The time
for cake cutting and parent dances is often interchangeable, but since guests
are seated already after dinner, I think doing Parent Dances after dinner
results in a more focused group.
Also,
because the cake cutting is a fun tradition, many guests will be out of their
seats trying to take photos of the cake cutting. Asking them to return to their
seats to watch Parent Dances for another 2 slow songs after cake cutting, from a guest’s perspective, can feel like it
slows the momentum of the fun, just when it’s party time.
Any time from 8:35 - 9:00 (After Cake Cutting)
Open Dancing
This is when
the party really kicks into gear. The reception fun is in full swing, and will
continue throughout the night. Whether your reception is 4 hours, or 5 hours,
or more… During this time period, there may be a garter toss, the throwing of
the bouquet, Anniversary dance etc. It all depends on your preference.
9:55 or 10:55 Depending on the length of your reception
Last Dance
The last dance of the evening is announced.
The bride and groom may choose to slip away at this point, or stay to say
goodbye to their guests.
If there is
any special “send off”, it would be announced and coordinated at this time as
well.
Please
select the traditional formalities you'd like to take place at your Reception.
In Closing...
Flexibility and patience are important. It’s rare that everything happens right on schedule. The important thing is, the bride and groom are able to relax, and enjoy their day as guests of honor, without concern for the time or events.. Your staff of professional vendors should coordinate the details behind the scenes.
As always, don't hesitate to contact me for any reason.
Best Wishes!
-Kirk Rothrum
Select Receptions by CNY Select DJs
