|
|
||
|
Wedding Articles and Information - Articles Main Page |
||
|
|
Common format of a wedding reception:
Arrival
of guests at reception site Typically,
a wedding lasts about 15 minutes. However, some guests do arrive early
to the reception. Therefore, be sure all reception to-dos are complete
by the start time of the wedding. Also, all wedding vendors should be
wearing proper attire for early arriving and late staying guests. All
tables should be set-up including cake table, entertainment’s table,
sign-in table, food tables, and tables with chairs for all guests. If
you have a seating arrangement, all seating lists should be at the
reception with everyone’s name with where they are sitting. Introduction
of wedding party This
step is not mandatory, but it is nice for everyone to know who the
wedding party is as many have not met before your wedding. Create a
“Reception Planning Guide” and give this to your master of
ceremonies prior to your wedding. This details, among other things, the
order of entrance into the reception site with their names and titles.
The order of entrance is as follows: parents of the bride, parents of
the groom, 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's names with the master
of ceremonies. Introduction
of bride and groom This
is always the last of the introductions. Everyone should stand before
the bride and groom enter. In addition, a special song can be arranged
with the music entertainment and a special announcement made to
punctuate a true grand entrance. Also, inform the master of ceremonies
how you would like to be introduced: Mr. and Mrs. Smith or John and Jane
Doe. Blessing
This
is another step that is not mandatory, but for the religious couples
makes a nice setting. If you invite the person who performed the
marriage ceremony to the reception, I would recommend having them
conduct the blessing. If they are not able to attend, a parent or family
friend is a good idea. Lastly, the master of ceremonies could give the
meal blessing. Be sure to communicate with whomever is giving the
blessing in advance so they are prepared to give a personal touch. Meal
It's
time to eat! Bride and Groom, be sure to stop and take a moment to eat.
This may be your only chance in the day. In addition, it is customary
for the bride and groom to start the food line. Most guests know to wait
until the bride and groom start the food line. So don't be late! Cake
Cutting This
is the traditional bride and groom making the first cut on their wedding
cake. Then, the bride feeds half of the piece of cake to the groom and
the groom feeds the remaining half to the bride. The cutting of the cake
is a ceremony intended to symbolize the caring and sharing for one
another. Forks may be used as they make the image very attractive for
the photographer. Forks may also minimize the possibility of someone
being hurt with the more playful squashing that sometimes happens. Toasts
The toast is when the bride and groom toast each other then interlock arms and drink. Immediately following, the best man and maid/matron of honor make toasts to the bridal couple. Be prepared for other family and friends to follow with their toasts too.
Bride
& Groom’s First Dance The
Bride & Groom’s Dance is the first dance between a bride and groom
as a married couple. The dance is also commonly known as the "First
Dance". The timing of the bride groom dance can vary in the evening
based on your preferences. The first dance can be done immediately
following the grand entrance with the wedding party circling the dance. Father
& Daughter’s Dance The
Father & Daughter’s Dance or the Father Bride Dance is the dance
between the father(s) of the bride and the bride. Brides, if you have
more than one father in your life, one can tap the other on the shoulder
in the middle of the dance so you can dance with both of them. If you do
not have a father, a common substitute is a father figure or even your
brother would make a very nice gesture. Mother
& Groom’s Dance The
Mother & Groom’s dance is the dance between the mother(s) of the
groom and the groom. Grooms, if you have more than one mother in your
life, one can tap the other on the shoulder in the middle of the dance
so you can dance with both of them. If you do not have a mother, a
common substitute is a mother figure or even your sister would make a
very nice gesture. Special
Dances There
may be songs in your life that mean dear to your heart. You can ask the
music entertainment to play these songs during the night or immediately
following the formal dances. An example would be: If someone dear to you
passed recently, you may ask the music entertainment to play Angels
Among Us by Bouquet
and Garter Toss The
traditional tossing of the bouquet is when the bride tosses the bridal
bouquet to all single women in attendance. Immediately following the
bouquet tossing, a chair is set in the middle of the dance floor. The
chair is for the bride to sit and the groom to remove the bride's garter
from her leg. The traditional tossing of the garter is when the groom
tosses the bride's garter to all the single men in attendance. The
people whom catch the garter and bouquet are said to be the next one to
marry. Dancing
and Fun This
is what you pay the music entertainment to do...get people to dance and
have a good time. Give the music entertainment music examples and
limitations of what type of music you want but don’t give them a list
of 100 songs they need to play.
|
|
|
Programs Catalog Wedding Directory FAQ's Registration Log In |
||
|
|
||
