cake time

fickrj5

At what point during the night do you do the cake cutting?  I had heard that it should be done closer to the end of the evening as it's supposed to sybolize the time in which it is then okay for guests to leave.  But I have also seen it done right after dinner and before dancing.  Thoughts on this topic would be great.

hellerc1

We will do it this way, dinner, first dances (B&G, FOB&B, MOG&G), cut cake. I don't like having desert right after dinner so we are doing it like we like to eat with a break.We are also taking into account the kids we have there. So once dinner is done say 8 then time wise we will cut cake around 830 and that is an ok time to still give cake to kids... at our party it is anyway!

jmorford

uhhh i need to watch this thread. because i have no idea if what i'm thinking is good or right.

i think our current idea is to eat dinner, do the first dance, mother/son dance, and father/daughter dance, then cut the cake, then start the dancey part.

SandDD

We'll probably do ours later into the night.  We're doing an appetizer/salad combo right as guests sit down, then do intro's, first dance, then Mother/Son dance.  It seems like a lot of sitting up front, but our venue takes the dinner orders during that time.

I did originally want to just do intros & have our DJ's go right into a dance set because the high energy that comes with the intro part (then do slow dances during dinner), but our venue said it would throw off the timing of the night, pushing dinner back until we got everyone settled down & in their seats.

We'll probably just break quickly towards the end of the night to cut the cake. It's what I've seen more frequently around here.

mariegra

Looking at our 'rough' schedule, it looks like we'll do our 'grand entrance' around 6:15, followed immediately by dinner and toasts. 

When dinner is done, around 6:50-7:15, there will be table visits, (in lieu of receiving line).  These table visits are going to have to be very brief--I think we'll have about 12 tables, (so that's only 2 minutes at each).

Then we're going to do the cake cutting ceremony around 7:15.  Around 7:30 the dances begin... 'couples first dance', 'father/daughter dance', and 'mother/son dance'.

Right after this, we're going to do the bouquet toss and garter ceremony, (around 7:45-8:00).  I expect that some of the 'older' guests, (grandparents, etc.), may leave right after this.  The next two hours will be dancing and socializing--and we're thinking about a 'sparkler send off' at 10 pm. 

There's also an 'after' party back at the hotel in the newly renovated Irish pub.

floraall

Our venue displays the cake table on the dance floor in the middle of the ballroom. Because of this they recommend the cake is cut after the wedding party introductions and before dinner and the dances. Apparently this works well so that the cake can be wheeled away and cut during dinner, then is ready to be passed out when everyone is done eating. FI and I went to a wedding last weekend where the timeline worked the same. Not sure if this helps.

tasharocks

some people cut the cake before dinner, others after dinner, and others towards the end of the night to signify the end of the reception. there's no "right way" to do it.

i believe we're cutting the cake before dinner because we only have the photographer for a certain number of hours.

jberg134

I believe we will cut the cake right after dinner, before our dances.  Then the cake will be cut in back and served at 9pm.