When to thank guests at wedding

GJones27

For you married girls (or for those who have been to a lot of weddings), when did you socialize with your guests and thank them personally for coming?  We're not having a receiving line, and there will be a sit-down dinner.  For example, do I go around tables after people have finished eating?  I haven't really been to any weddings.

FaithCaitlin

Not married yet but the majority of weddings I've been to the bride and groom typically make their rounds after their dances but before dinner is served/started.

HTH!

amongthelilies25

our order of reception will have dinner be served the very first thing. so our caterer (and the wedding planner) said that we will eat first and then after we ate we will make our "rounds" to the guest's tables...making small talk and thanking them for coming. 

(: 

i think it will be good. (:

DramaGeek

A lot of people who don't do the receiving line do table visits.  That way you hit everyone.  Is your meal being served in courses?  They should serve you first, you eat quickly, then spend the rest of the course visiting tables.  When it's time for your next course, return to your table, eat, then resume the table visits.

Obviously, you can visit with people during the dancing too.  H and I only danced together one full song and one partial, we hardly saw each other at the reception because we were visiting with our guests.  From the people I've talked to that's very normal.

GJones27

Yeah, we're having two courses -- salad and entree.  I didn't know if it's ok to start visiting tables after we have finished our salad, for example, and then return to our table once our main dish has arrived.  I also don't want to interrupt anyone eating, either.  

iamjoesgurl

We had a receiving line with just us and our parents.  Guests who didn't want to come through the receiving line had a way out without it being obvious that they didn't come through.  I was really glad that we did the receiving line because we tried doing table visits and kept getting interrupted so we didn't make it to everyone.  I felt bad about that but since we had done the receiving line, I felt better.  I also got on the microphone during the reception to thank everyone for coming and sharing in our special day.

At other weddings I've been to without the receiving line, the couple ate first and then came around to the tables but you really have to stay on task or you might not make it to everyone.

amongthelilies25

i dont think anyone will care if you interrupt their meal. 

DramaGeek

Monica is right, they won't care that their meal has been interrupted.  I was so sad that we didn't get to talk to our good friend at her wedding at all in March, I would much rather have had to put down my fork to talk with her for 3 minutes than to chase her all over the reception only to never get to say hi :-(

katanne9

We did table visits. We ate our food really fast (you'll be the first to be served) and then went from table to table while people were getting their food/eating.

I would plan about 5 minutes per table - people want to chat, hug you, take your picture... so on. Do the hard ones FIRST - the old people or parents friend's you don't really know. We went in a circle around the room and it took us about 45 minutes to get to everyone.

If you think you'll have trouble limiting it to 5 minutes, have your MOH follow you guys keeping time and moving you along.

I definitely would NOT wait until they are not eating. There just simply isn't enough time.