where is everyone!? i have a WR question!!

ceglare4

So timelines the day of, specifically for the reception activities, I have no idea what I want to do. My DJ will do whatever I want, but he said that this is the typical order of events:

WR and B&G grand entrance
toasts
dinner
cake cutting
B&G first dance
F/D daughter
Stepfather/daughter dance in my case
garter and bouquet stuff
open dancing

I know a lot of you are doing your first dance right after the grand entrance... why? What are the benefits of doing it this way? I need to decide and I don't know how to make that decision. I think all the weddings I've been to in the past have done all that stuff after dinner.

Also, when are you doing the toasts? I always thought they were during/after dinner?

Help me please!

colleenm18

So we are doing our first dance as soon as we enter and we are having out venue start serving dinner during this time. 

I want to get all of the dance over with so that everyone can get on the dance floor.

It is really up to you and however you want to do it.  This is the way we normally see it done here and I think people would find it odd if we didnt do our first dance right away.

pillsburyaj

We are doing our first dance right after we are introduced. That way, the guests already have our attention.

We are doing F/D and M/S dances after cake cutting and toasts.

AllyG303

We're doing our first dance after the grand entrance because we like the flow of it. It also breaks up the amount of time that guests have to sit and watch you dance.  They should still be satisfied from apps at the cocktail hour, so they aren't starving for dinner, so a 3 minute dance won't throw them off.

I don't have the timeline in front of me, but we're doing a little something like this:

Entrance

1st dance

dinner

cake cutting

toasts

slideshow (while cake is being served)

F/D dance

anniversary/generations dance

open dancing

garter/bouquet toss

open dancing

ceglare4

I like the idea of doing the first dance right away not only because we will have just walked in and it just flows better, like you guys said. But also because FI and I have a choreographed dance and we'll be so freaking nervous for it. I think we'll both want to get it out of the way.

I like the idea of the toasts after dinner or cake better than right after the grand entrance. I always picture toasts when everyone is seated and has a drink. We won't have a drink if we do it right after we walk in!

kmdeck26

I'm doing the first dance right after our entrance. We figured that it was almost part of our grand entrance, you know? We are introduced, and then we perform our dance.

We are doing the dinner after the first dance. Then the toasts after that. Then the Father Daughter dance and the Mother Son dance. Then the dance floor is open. We will throughout the rest of the night fit in the cake cutting, the garter toss, and the bouquet toss. We will have open dancing in between all these events I think

rachael7183

I have always seen the first dance after the grand entrance, as well.  Plus, more people can get feel comfortable to get up and dance once you have had your first dance.

michelle11988

My flow is I believe:

- grand entrance
- first dance
- salad course
- toasts
- dinner
- cake cutting
- F/D, M/S dances
- garter/bouquet tosses will be sometime after this but not sure exactly when.....

I got most of mine from my caterer who is amazing and we planned this all out about a year ago at our first meeting.

NIKKIANDTYE

We are going to do our first dance after the grand entrance because I don't wan't ppl sitting around after eating waiting for us to dance, plus that way I will have more time to walk around and talk to everyone after dinner. I feel that you should do it in a order that you feel comfortable with

bells24412

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2012-weddings_where-is-everyone-i-have-a-wr-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:066005ef-215f-48b1-8655-328b41e07c52Discussion:ac010840-d594-432c-acd0-4e6d4a69cc78Post:062728b0-59d1-4cc0-90c6-3481f1f15c73">Re: where is everyone!? i have a WR question!!</a>:
[QUOTE]<strong>So we are doing our first dance as soon as we enter and we are having out venue start serving dinner during this time.  I want to get all of the dance over with so that everyone can get on the dance floor.</strong> It is really up to you and however you want to do it.  This is the way we normally see it done here and I think people would find it odd if we didnt do our first dance right away.
Posted by colleenm18[/QUOTE]

This. Also our DJ expressed that we would have better flow to our reception as well.

butterflyjumper1

ours is something like this:

grand entrance
first dance
cake cutting (we have a really intense venue that decorates/paints our plates and adds mousse and berries to the cake slices, so they need to start working on them ASAP)
bride and groom thank you/welcome
invocation/prayer
serve dinner
bride + groom walk around and thank guests - once we are finished -
toasts
serve cake
father/daughter
mother/son
open the dance floor
bouquet toss after

BeachLover2885

We are doing this:

Parents and WP Entrance

B&G Entrance

B&G First Dance

Hava Nagilah (Jewish chair dance) and the Tarentella right after

First Course

Speeches from MOH and BM, FOB and FOG (I think the dads are doing more of a toast not a speech)

I would like to do the speeches during the first course so they are out of the way. When I had to give a speech at my friend's wedding, I was very glad she did it in the beginning of the night so then I could relax and enjoy the rest of the evening. We will be doing the father/daughter dance I think after dinner but before the cake cutting? I'm not 100% sure. I'm actually waiting on my venue to get back to me b/c I have to give our band a timeline.  We aren't doing the bouquet toss or garter toss. 

BmoreBride311

FI and I just decided on this today, too!

WP and B&G grand entrance
dinner (B+G visit tables)
cake cutting
Toasts/Speeches (at this time the caterer cuts the cake for the guests and serves them)

B&G first dance (Guests can eat cake while watching dance)
Parents' dances
open dancing

Our reasoning is that we wanted the open dancing to flow right from the special dances. We also needed time for FI/Me to visit all of the guest tables since we are not doing a receiving line, so we couldn't really do dances/speeches during dinner. I like the idea of having the speeches right after you cut the cake, b/c then you have ppl's attention and it gives the guests something to do while the caterer goes off and cuts up the cake.

arunkumar

Here's the timeline I'm doing based on conversations I had with my reception manager and band/mc.

-Grand Entrance
-Cake Cutting
-Salad Served
-Toasts
-Dinner Served
-Cake Served
-B&G First Dance
-Open Dancing

We are skipping other special dances and the bouquet/garter toss. I would have loved to do our first dance right after our grand entrance, but it would be a distraction for the band to play live for our first dance and then leave for dinner and come back ,especially since there is no exit near the stage for them to leave. They'd have to walk past all of the guest tables.

k8888

We want to do most of the formalities first so that the only left later in the evening is the cake cutting (My family would think I'm weird for cutting the cake prior to dinner).  I hate when the reception/dancing is stopped a bunch of times for speeches/dances/whatever. 

Entrance/Intros
1st dance
Mother/Son Dance
Welcome speech & toasts while 1st course is being served
Dinner (B&G meet and greet guests after eating)
Cake cutting
PARTY

littlemoments324

-Grand entrance
-cake cutting
-dinner
-first dance
-some fun
-sibling dance
-fun!

elizabethmae315

I just wrote mine this morning!!

It goes like this

entrance

toasts

dinner

cake cutting

first dances

15-20 minutes of open dancing

bouquet/ garter toss 

newlywed shoe game

open dancing

MeaganR12

Ours is:

Entrance

First Dance

Salad Course

Toasts

Dinner

Father/daughter mother/son (one song for both of these)

Cake

Party