We are planning a wedding ceremony for 7:00 p.m. followed by a reception and dance. The reception will not be a sit down dinner, but will feature cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. I am wondering what the protocol is for such things as a toast, cutting and serving of the cake, and tossing the bouquet? I did read in another post that a receiving line may not be necessary to allow for additional time. We are also trying to allow time for photos after the ceremony. Thank you for your advice!
(This post was
edited by TWQadmin on Feb 15, 2007, 7:49 AM)
When I've had a cocktail reception, I've always tried to get the Father of the Bride to start things off with a "Welcome" toast. Then after the eating and mingling, do your first dances, then about 45 minutes to an hour later cut the cake and do your toasts. Do the bouquet and garter toss just before the end of the reception.
One thing to remember, if you skip the receiving line, it is your responsibility to speak to each of your guests at some time during the reception. This means you can be very busy. What many couples are doing now is doing many of the photos before and then doing a release and greet the guests as they leave the church. What you do is after the recessional, the bride and groom return to the sanctuary and release each row of seats one at a time greeting them as they exit. Nancy Tucker President of Weddings Beautiful US http://www.weddingsbeautiful.com
Wedding Reception Itinerary
