Common Format Of A Wedding Reception
By Matt Campbell, Sat Dec 10th

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Common format of a wedding reception:

·Arrival of guests at hall ·Introduction of wedding party·Introduction of bride and groom ·Blessing ·Meal ·Cake Cutting·Toasts ·Bride & Groom’s First Dance ·Father & Daughter’s Dance·Mother & Groom’s Dance ·Special Dances ·Bouquet and Garter Toss·Dancing and Fun

Arrival of guests at reception site Typically, a wedding lastsabout 15 minutes. However, some guests do arrive early to thereception. Therefore, be sure all reception to-dos are completeby the start time of the wedding. Also, all wedding vendorsshould be wearing proper attire for early arriving and latestaying guests. All tables should be set-up including caketable, entertainment’s table, sign-in table, food tables, andtables with chairs for all guests. If you have a seatingarrangement, all seating lists should be at the reception witheveryone’s name with where they are sitting.

Introduction of wedding party This step is not mandatory, but itis nice for everyone to know who the wedding party is as manyhave not met before your wedding. Create a “Reception PlanningGuide” and give this to your master of ceremonies prior to yourwedding. This details, among other things, the order of entranceinto the reception site with their names and titles. The orderof entrance is as follows: parents of the bride, parents of thegroom, ushers with bridesmaids, flower girl and ring bearer,special guests, best man, maid/matron of honor, bride and groom.In addition, review the pronunciations of the wedding party'snames with the master of ceremonies.

Introduction of bride and groom This is always the last of theintroductions. Everyone should stand before the bride and groomenter. In addition, a special song can be arranged with themusic entertainment and a special announcement made to punctuatea true grand entrance. Also, inform the master of ceremonies howyou would like to be introduced: Mr. and Mrs. Smith or John andJane Doe.

Blessing This is another step that is not mandatory, but for thereligious couples makes a nice setting. If you invite the personwho performed the marriage ceremony to the reception, I wouldrecommend having them conduct the blessing. If they are not ableto attend, a parent or family

friend is a good idea. Lastly, themaster of ceremonies could give the meal blessing. Be sure tocommunicate with whomever is giving the blessing in advance sothey are prepared to give a personal touch.

Meal It's time to eat! Bride and Groom, be sure to stop and takea moment to eat. This may be your only chance in the day. Inaddition, it is customary for the bride and groom to start thefood line. Most guests know to wait until the bride and groomstart the food line. So don't be late!

Cake Cutting This is the traditional bride and groom making thefirst cut on their wedding cake. Then, the bride feeds half ofthe piece of cake to the groom and the groom feeds the remaininghalf to the bride. The cutting of the cake is a ceremonyintended to symbolize the caring and sharing for one another.Forks may be used as they make the image very attractive for thephotographer. Forks may also minimize the possibility of someonebeing hurt with the more playful squashing that sometimeshappens.

Toasts The toast is when the bride and groom toast each otherthen interlock arms and drink. Immediately following, the bestman and maid/matron of honor make toasts to the bridal couple.Be prepared for other family and friends to follow with theirtoasts too.

Bride & Groom’s First Dance The Bride & Groom’s Dance is thefirst dance between a bride and groom as a married couple. Thedance is also commonly known as the "First Dance". The timing ofthe bride groom dance can vary in the evening based on yourpreferences. The first dance can be done immediately followingthe grand entrance with the wedding party circling the dance.

Father & Daughter’s Dance The Father & Daughter’s Dance or theFather Bride Dance is the dance between the father(s) of thebride and the bride. Brides, if you have more than one father inyour life, one can tap the other on the shoulder in the middleof the dance so you can dance with both of them. If you do nothave a father, a common substitute is a father figure or evenyour brother would make a very nice gesture.

Mother & Groom’s Dance The Mother & Groom’s dance is the dancebetween the mother(s) of the groom and the groom. Grooms, if youhave more than one mother in your life, one can tap the other onthe shoulder in the middle of the dance so you can dance withboth of them. If you do not have a mother, a common substituteis a mother figure or even your sister would make a very nicegesture.

Special Dances There may be songs in your life that mean dear toyour heart. You can ask the music entertainment to play thesesongs during the night or immediately following the formaldances. An example would be: If someone dear to you passedrecently, you may ask the music entertainment to play AngelsAmong Us by Alabama.

Bouquet and Garter Toss The traditional tossing of the bouquetis when the bride tosses the bridal bouquet to all single womenin attendance. Immediately following the bouquet tossing, achair is set in the middle of the dance floor. The chair is forthe bride to sit and the groom to remove the bride's garter fromher leg. The traditional tossing of the garter is when the groomtosses the bride's garter to all the single men in attendance.The people whom catch the garter and bouquet are said to be thenext one to marry.

Dancing and Fun This is what you pay the music entertainment todo...get people to dance and have a good time. Give the musicentertainment music examples and limitations of what type ofmusic you want but don’t give them a list of 100 songs they needto play.

About the author:About The Author: ã Matt Campbell is the owner and webmaster forWeddingmuseum.com. Weddingmuseum.com is a place to plan, bookand rate your wedding day. You can email him atmatt@weddingmuseum.com or visit WeddingMuseum.com