Friends,
I need your help in determining the flow of our reception.
I need your help in determining the flow of our reception.
Picture via jennifer skog
Here is our working timeline so far:
5:30 cocktail hour begins in the lobby outside the ballroom
6:15 guests are allowed into the ballroom and are asked to be seated
6:30 introduction of bridal party
6:35 first dance of the bride & groom
6:40 first course is served to guests
6:45 toasts by the best man and maid of honor
7ish main course is served
7:30 short tribute to Daddy/ mother-son dance
7:45 cake is cut and bride & groom thank guests
dance floor open for remainder of evening. dreaded bouquet and garter toss follow at some point.
What do you think?!
In reality, this moment at the reception is all that matters:
9 comments:
We had a very similiar time line. Our cocktail hour started at 5:30 and progressed in the same order. The only thing that you may want to think about is the cake cutting. Our band leader suggested pushing the cake cutting back to like 930 so that there was something to do while they were taking a break and so that the older guests wouldn't leave right away. Apparently the cake cutting is the unofficial time when old folks are supposed to leave. Having it s little later may gave full stomachs a chance to rest as well.
I think this is really great. So great, in fact, I'm stealing it. Although our cocktails will start at 6 :)
this looks good to me.
but what i'm really commenting for is because you mentioned a tribute to your dad in place of the dance. do you mind my asking what you're doing? i lost my father last year and we're planning a spring wedding but the idea of how to somehow honor my dad without making it morbid and sad is completely stumping me. i would love to hear what you're doing.
(i apologize if you've already said, i've been skimming through your blog recently but haven't had a chance to read every single post yet)
the only thing you might want to check is cutting the cake, I have been to a few where they were asked to cut before dinner so they could start cutting but then others were after so I don't know I guess it depends on your cater......what are you doing about the garter thingy??
I'd just check with the caterer that there is enough time between the first two courses, our timeline is a bit more spaced out to allow them to take away dishes and bring out the next one. Our dance and cake cutting will be quite a bit later to allow enough time for the meal.
oops, forgot to add...
I'm doing a bouquet toss (there are a few little girls so this will help) but how and when do you think it should happen? Obviously it needs to be done in a fun way so that the single girls etc don't feel embarrassed and instead get involved!
It looks good. I agree that the cake cutting should be later. Jackie is right on- people tend to leave after the cake cutting. I would put a 45-50 minute dance set before the cake cutting. People will work up an appetite that way too :)
Also, I'd wait 10 minutes after the salads are served to have the toasts to give people a chance to chat a bit and get settled in. If the champagne is not pre-poured, the servers will need to pour it then as well. Other than that, it looks great and your night will flow wonderfully!
Oh, one more suggestion: I always have the DJ play a really big dance song right after the cake cutting/thank you's- it works well to get people out on the dance floor.
susie: thanks for all the helpful tips! i def. should allow for more time before the main course! I can't be much help on the bouquet toss....I didn't even want to do one!
joyful weddings: thanks for your help, I knew that a professional would be able to give me great advice!! :)
I think that anything 'dreaded' should be removed from the running!
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