receiving line logistics

bridalmarch

So full of questions tonight. Sorry  

If we are getting married in a church and then having the reception in a different location, the receiving line happens as our guests leave the church, right? 

My mom told me she thought the bridal party and both sets of parents were part of the receiving line. I've never seen the BP in a receiving line. We both have large parties - 7 for me, 8 for him, plus 4 parents between us. Do I really need to make our guests say hi to 19 extra people? However, we will be doing some formal shots at the church after the ceremony, so the BP will have to stick around. 

Does a receiving line take the place of table visits? I want to say hi and chat with everyone, but I've been to weddings where the B&G only do their first dance and the parent dances and never make it back onto the dance floor because they were doing table visits. I want to dance with our guests! 

How do we signal that we're doing a receiving line? Do we just stand by the church doors and people get the idea? 

getaclue44

We used our church for photos so the guests went to the cocktail hour. We were at the last 20 minutes of cocktail hour and did the receiving line with just our parents as people walked into the reception room. We had 115 people and the receiving line took about 15 minutes.

StephJean83

I've seen/been in receiving lines done many different ways. At my sisters' weddings they had both sets of parents and BP do the line and as we exited the church we lined up. I've seen where the B/G exit than BP exits and B/G come in and dismiss each row starting with one set of parents. I've seen where just the B/G and parents are in the receiving line at the entrance to the reception. I was at a wedding where the B/G and parents did a receiving line at the church and since the church had 2 sets of doors, guests were exiting from both and was a real clusterfluck. If your church has multiple exits that guests could use, I recommend having all but one blocked off so as not to cause a huge clusterfluck. I've seen B/G do table visits in addition to receiving lines.

LuckyGirl1713

Do not do a receiving line with your entire bridal party.  Honestly you can do a receiving line wiht just you and yur husband.  It's even optional to include both sets of parents.  I would do it at the end of the ceremony in the back of the church.  The make your grand exit from the church and you can always go back in for pictures.

AroundTheBlock

A hostess is always supposed to greet her guests as they arrive at a party. If she has more than a dozen or so guests, this requires that she stand by the door as they arrive, along with any guests of honour she wants them to meet. This is called a "receiving line", and in the case of a wedding reception you have it at the reception hall at the beginning of the reception. You don't have it at the church at the end of the ceremony, because you aren't the hostess there: presumably God is the host -- or the rector is.

You do not need anyone other than the hostess, optionally the host, and the guests of honour in the line: that would be your mother if she is the hostess with the two of you as guests of honour; or you and your groom if you are the hostess with your parents if you have decided to treat them as guests of honour. Seven maids is too many to constitute "guests of honour": their role should be to circulate at the end of the receiving line, be introduced to a guest and then take that guest off to introduce him or her to a couple of other guests, and then circulate back to pick up another guest. This prevents the awkward "standing around staring at all the other guests" stage of the reception -- regardless of the type of party, a hostess should always make sure that every arriving guest is introduced to at least a few other people. Aunties and reliable girlfriends can, if socially sophisticated, also serve in this last "picking up and dropping off elsewhere" stage of the receiving line, which has the added advantage of keeping the receiving line moving.

bridalmarch

Our guests will be at the reception venue before we are. There isn't a separate cocktail space there- the cocktail hour will be in the same room dinner is. So if we do it at the reception venue, we'll need to pull everyone out of the space or tear them away from their conversations in order to do it. I know traditionally receiving lines are at the reception (ie when you receive and thank your guests for witnessing your ceremony) but logistically I'm just not sure that makes sense for us. 

libby2483

The receiving line usually takes place at the ceremony venue.  For our receiving line, we had us, our parents, and our BM and MOH.  I have been a BM where the entire bridal party is in the receiving line. IMO, it takes way too long, and it isn't really very enjoyable for BMs who are friends unless they know large amounts of your extended family.  The receiving line does take the place of table visits.

Kate61487

You don't need the whole BP in the receiving line, as a few PPs have said even parents are optional.  I have seen it at the church, but I personally am not a fan - it makes the exit from the church slow and awkward; I've found myself stuck in the pew for several minutes with nowhere to move b/c the line is backed up through the center aisle.  and if you have to pee or wanted to run to the car or something you're left awkwardly stuck behind the line.

You can always greet your guests as they enter the reception space; which is technically more correct for your role as host.  But table visits are my preference.  We had 300 guests and didn't miss any dancing time.  We had a few bites of salad and then started table visits; got a little more than halfway through when we saw our dinner was at our seats; finished the rest after we ate before the dances started and ice cream bar opened.  It's absolutely do-able.

mlg78

The only time I've seen a wedding party participate in a receiving line is my mom's wedding and myself and my two step siblings were the only members of the wedding party.

jesslamb830

Fi and I were at a wedding this past fall that the bride and groom exited the ceremony and than came back in and they were the ones to usher everyone out so you got to hug/congratulate/talk to and thank right there ...it worked really well and was a nice personal touch...taht is what we will be doing

mlg78

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_receiving-line-logistics?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:11d61210-1d2a-4b55-b0df-6f99e932c1afPost:809b7a8e-fd23-4ce2-a22e-dd14dcc8d24f">Re: receiving line logistics</a>:
[QUOTE]Fi and I were at a wedding this past fall that the bride and groom exited the ceremony and than came back in and they were the ones to usher everyone out so you got to hug/congratulate/talk to and thank right there ...it worked really well and was a nice personal touch...taht is what we will be doing
Posted by jesslamb830[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>Where did they do this from?  Aisle by aisle?  Or stand just outside the sanctuary of the church where the minister usually greets people after Sunday service?  I'm so torn on what to do for our receiving line...

</div>

StephJean83

In Response to Re:receiving line logistics:[QUOTE]In Response to Re: receiving line logistics:Fi and I were at a wedding this past fall that the bride and groom exited the ceremony and than came back in and they were the ones to usher everyone out so you got to hug/congratulate/talk to and thank right there ...it worked really well and was a nice personal touch...taht is what we will be doingPosted by jesslamb830Where did they do this from? nbsp;Aisle by aisle? nbsp;Or stand just outside the sanctuary of the church where the minister usually greets people after Sunday service? nbsp;I'm so torn on what to do for our receiving line... Posted by mlg78[/QUOTE]

If the couple from PP's wedding was like the one I attended with FH, the couple exited the church. After the last BM/GM exited, the B/G came up one of the side aisles and started with POB and dismissed everyone. They zig zagged the center aisle so they got a chance to chat with everyone for a little bit.

jesslamb830

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_receiving-line-logistics?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:11d61210-1d2a-4b55-b0df-6f99e932c1afPost:5ebfe865-5703-4b09-8833-39acf5892032">Re: receiving line logistics</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: receiving line logistics : Where did they do this from?  Aisle by aisle?  Or stand just outside the sanctuary of the church where the minister usually greets people after Sunday service?  I'm so torn on what to do for our receiving line...
Posted by mlg78[/QUOTE]

ya just like you would get ushered out of a church aisle by aisle but instead of an usher/usherette ushering you out it was the bride and groom