I need advice about the transition from ceremony to reception!

annamhisle

Hi

My ceremony is being held in the same room as our reception.  We are going to have our guests seated at tables for the ceremony, so that afterwards we are ready to celebrate!

We are also going to take our photos before the wedding, due to us having a wedding at night & we wanted the lighting to turn out right.

So, after we are announced as husband & wife, what should we do? 

Walk down the aisle and just go out into the hallway for a few minutes and then come back in?

Or should we just stand and let everyone be happy & clap and then say "Let's eat cake!" 

(We are only having desserts/coffee/teas..) 

I really need some suggestions! I don't want it to be awkward. It's going to be a really intimate, simple wedding with only about 85 guests. 

vexie

We had our ceremony and reception in the same room as well.... although our ceremony was set up with chairs in rows like a church.  After the ceremony we had everyone go outside for a group photo (we only had 70 guests) then moved to the patio for the cocktail hour while the venue switched the room for the reception.   Are you planning a cocktail hour? If so, would there be room somewhere else for it for a chance in location? Or.. even just to go outside for a group shot would break it up, allow the guests to go back in to find their chairs and give you an opportunity to make an entrance into the reception.

alisonmae

I would certainly have an "exit". Even if it's just long enough to get outside and have an "after ceremony" photo taken, then you could have them annouce the two of you and go into your first dance. Are you having a first dance?  OR have the cake set up in the back, and after you leave you could have an entrance and then have it annouced that everyone should gather around for the cake cutting (letting them get up out of their seats, since they sat through the ceremony).

dokchampa

What if you go right into your first dance? Then people could join in for a second dance, then move to the food, etc?

annamhisle

You all will think i'm crazy, but we aren't dancing at our wedding!  It just isn't our thing and if we did it would ONLY be because our family wants us to.  Anyways, I really like the idea of announcing that we will be cutting the cake! 

Thanks for your suggestions