Reception Event Descriptions
1.
Guests Arrive at the Reception (45 minutes)
As guests arrive to the reception site after the ceremony, arrange to have the
bar opened so that they can have cocktails and other refreshments as they wait
for the wedding party to arrive. If you will be taking many pictures after the
ceremony consider having hors d'oeuvres for the guests to munch on until dinner
is served. Also you may want to have some soft music playing in the background
to help set the mood.
2.
Announcement of Wedding Party (15 minutes)
After the wedding party arrives to the reception site the DJ or emcee will
announce them as they make their entrance into the room. The wedding party
should line up in order outside of the entrance to the reception room. Traditional
order is the groom's parents, bride's parents, flower girl and ring bearer,
bridesmaids escorted by ushers, maid of honor escorted by best man, and finally
the bride & groom.
3.
Champagne Toasts (10 minutes)
Make sure that the toasting is done at a time when your guests are at their
seats. If you are serving champagne for the toasts, allow time for servers to
pass out the champagne before the toast. The first toast is proposed by the
best man and may be followed by toasts from the maid of honor, other relatives,
friends or the bride and/or groom. The DJ or emcee should get the guests
attention and introduce the best man when it is time for the first toast.
4.
The Blessing (1 minute)
Before dinner is to be served the DJ or emcee can announce that everyone should
take their seats for dinner. Then he should introduce the officiant or other
designated person who will say the blessing.
5.
Dinner is Served (45 minutes to 1 hour)
The bride, groom and wedding party are the first people served for dinner. In
the case of a buffet, arrange to have someone dismiss the guest tables one by
one to avoid long lines and general disorder.
6.
Cut & Serve the Cake (5 minutes)
After dinner, the bride and groom cut their wedding cake together hand over
hand and feed each other the first piece. (Play nice please, don't
smash the cake into each other's face!) Then the rest of the cake is cut and
served to the guests.
7.
The Bride and Groom's First Dance (5 minutes)
The first dance at the reception is always reserved for the newlyweds, to mark
their first dance as husband and wife. Some couples choose to have this dance
immediately after their arrival and announcement to the reception, while others
choose to dance after dinner. The timing of the dance is not as important as the
sentiment! Choose a song that has lots of meaning for the both of you and this
will be one dance you will never forget!
8.
Other Special Dances (10 – 15 minutes)
After the newlywed's first dance many couples choose to honor their parents,
grandparents, and wedding party with special spotlight dances. Traditionally
these special dances are kicked off with the bride dancing with her father,
followed by the groom with his mother and then a dance with the bride &
groom, parents, grandparents, and the entire wedding party announced one by
one. Of course these dances are all optional and can be adjusted according to
personal preference. For example, you may have the bride dance with her
stepfather or delete the wedding party dance if you have too many attendants. After
the completion of these special dances, the party begins and guests are invited
to join the wedding party on the dance floor.
9.
Bouquet & Garter Toss
The bouquet and garter toss are fun to do after the guests have danced for a
few songs, the crowd is loose and the party is starting to heat up. The bride
tosses her bouquet to a group of single women and the groom removes the bride's
garter and tosses it to a group of single men. Then it is said that the person
who catches the bouquet or garter will be the next bride or groom. The bouquet
and garter tosses are completely optional and nowadays many couples are
choosing to drop them from their reception. Nonetheless the tradition is still
very popular and always provides lots of entertainment and laughs for all.
10.
Bride & Groom's Last Dance
If the bride and groom will be leaving before the end
of the reception then this can be spotlight dance, otherwise the bride, groom
and all the remaining guests can boogey down together to the last song of the
night.
Some Special Dances to Consider
The Dollar Dance or Money Dance
A staple of
wedding receptions for ages, the appropriateness of the Dollar Dance at
weddings has been questioned in recent years. The original premise of the dance
was to give the newlyweds a few extra bucks to spend on their honeymoon.
There are a
number of variations of the Dollar Dance here is a basic description:
During a
predetermined song, the bride and her Maid/Matron of honor and the Groom and
his Best Man take places on the dance floor. Male guests
line up for an opportunity to dance one on one with the bride, and female
guests line up for a personal dance with the groom. Each dance lasts around 30
seconds. The Maid/Matron of Honor and Best Man collect the dollars from each guest.
The Dollar
Dance has the advantage of giving the bride and groom a few seconds of
personal time to spend with each guest. It also can be used as the first dance
of the evening in place of a receiving line.
Recently,
the "Wish Dance" has been suggested as a replacement for the
Dollar Dance. The bride and groom take the dance floor and start dancing.
Guests then cut in for a 15 - 30 second personal dance with the bride or groom
without any money changing hands.
Here are
some song suggestions for the Dollar / Money Dance:
If I Had A
Million Dollars - Barenaked Ladies
For The
Love Of Money - The O'Jays
Baby Mine -
Bette Midler
Money,
Money, Money - Abba
The Snowball Dance
The
Snowball Dance is a great way to get wedding guests moving to the dance floor.
An up-tempo song is played as the the wedding party is called to the dance
floor. The bridal party begins dancing. When the music stops, the female
members of the bridal party go to the seated guests and bring back another male
partner. The males of the bridal party do the same and bring back a female
partner. The fun continues until every able body dancer is on the dance floor!
You can
also start the Snowball Dance by calling one couple from each table to the
dance floor to join the bridal party.
The Anniversary Wedding Dance
The
Anniversary Dance starts with all married couples at the wedding on the dance
floor. The MC then asks everyone who has been married less than 12 hours to sit
down (obviously the bride & groom). Then you move on to 1 year, 5 years, 10
years etc.. until only one
couple remains on the dance floor (the longest married couple).
The bride and groom usually give the
couple a special flower bouquet. Sometimes another song is played and the two
couples dance together.
Wedding Special Dance Summary
It's also a
great idea to have the wedding songs of people close to the bride and groom
played during the reception. This gives an opportunity to recognize these
special people at the wedding.
All these
dance suggestions will create a fun atmosphere for your wedding guests.