Wedding Customs & Traditions Forum

when do you do everything @the reception?

What are the time frames for everything? I know the first dance is right after we are all introduced @the reception but when does everything else happen? Ie when would we cut the cake? Anniversary dance? Etc etc.

Re: when do you do everything @the reception?

  • The schedule is pretty much at your disposal, there's no right or wrong way to do it.... well basically you can do it a wrong way but that's only if you have cake first, then dancing, then toasts, then dinner or something silly like that... My coordinator says he often has toasts first, then dinner, then first dance, then cake.
    to love is to be two, and yet one. A man and a woman blended as angels. Heaven itself... - Victor Hugo Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • Like PP said, you can really do it however you want. You can talk to your coordinator or DJ for ideas. This is what we're doing

    Introductions
    3 dance songs
    First dance
    mother/son dance
    father/daughter dance
    dinner
    cake cutting
    dance to end
  • fpaemp2011fpaemp2011 member
    1000 Comments Fourth Anniversary 25 Love Its First Answer
    edited March 2012
    Everyone's is different, but this was ours: 

    6:30 Appetizers out—Mocktail Bar Open

    7:30 Bridal Party and Bride & Groom arrive

    7:35 Bride & Groom’s First Dance

    7:40 Welcome by Bride's Parents-Prayer for Dinner

    7:45 Dinner & Fellowship—Candy Buffet open

    8:30 Toasts & Cake Cutting

    8:40 Father/Daughter Dance

    8:45 Mother/Son Dance

    8:50 Anniversary/Bouquet Dance

    8:55 Open Dancing/Fellowship

    10:00 Bride & Groom leave

  • Ditto PP's, it's completely up to you.  Ours was roughly:

    6:00 - Grand entrance
    6:05 - Dinner
    6:20 - Table rounds (while most guests were still eating)
    6:40 - Toasts
    6:45 - Spotlight dances (first dance, parents)
    7:00 - Open dancing
    7:45 - Cake cutting
    7:50 - Newlywed game (while guests were eating cake)
    8:00 - Open dancing
    Anniversary
  • SKPMSKPM member
    250 Love Its 100 Comments Second Anniversary First Answer
    Ours will be pretty similar to jemmimi's. That was basically how my DOC recommended it, and it sounds reasonable enough to me.

    photo fancy-as-fuck.jpg
  • JaxInBlueJaxInBlue member
    Sixth Anniversary 500 Love Its 1000 Comments Name Dropper
    edited March 2012
    Our schedule (after a 2:00 ceremony) was:
    3:00 Cocktail hour (BP pictures)
    4:30 Introductions & first dance
    4:50 Mingling w/guests
    5:00 Toasts & blessing
    5:10 Dinner
    5:30 Table rounds
    6:00 Father daughter/mother son dances
    6:10 open dancing starts
    7:00 Cake cutting
    7:05 Anniversary dance (in lieu of any tosses)

    We didn't have any formal programming after the anniversary dance.  Things wrapped up around 10.
    image
    Anniversary


  • What's an anniversary dance?
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_customs-traditions_when-do-you-do-everything-the-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:36Discussion:ee06bb54-f0c5-4c04-bfeb-55f3711127cbPost:8abfec38-7056-487c-a034-7a445cbd97f9">Re: when do you do everything @the reception?</a>:
    [QUOTE]What's an anniversary dance?
    Posted by mdeidre[/QUOTE]
    We did ours in lieu of the bouquet toss (I didn't even wear a garter, so there was nothing in place of that).  We asked all the married couples to come on the dance floor and the music started.  Less than a minute into the song, the emcee asked everyone married for less than 24 hours to sit down (H&I), then 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, etc, until there was only one couple left.  We gave the "toss" bouquet to the couple who had been married the longest.  For us, it was 67 years.<div>
    </div><div>We played the original "God Gave Me You" by Dave Barnes.</div>
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