Hello Everyone!
I'm Laotian, but my FI is Caucasian. We're doing a traditional ceremony at my family's house and then having the reception later in the evening.
So my question is mostly about how we should plan out the reception. Now, I'm going off of how my cousins have planned theirs. They normally introduce the families, they have their first dance, and then walk around inticing guests with shots. After that the bridal party usually changes into their American outfits and cuts the cake.
I do want to incorporate some Lao traditions into the reception, but it's a smaller guest list than the normal blown out 500+ parties. I'd say 1/3 of our list is reserved for Laotian friends and family (while the other 2/3 is the groom's side and our mutual friends). I prefer smaller, intimate events.
So my problem is that the event allows us to rent out the venue for 5 hours. The first hour is reserved for cocktails and then dinner follows with dancing afterwards. I'm afraid that doesn't give me much time to eat, talk to guests, and change outfits in the middle of it. Any suggestions for how I should go about this? What are you doing for yours? Or what did you do for yours?