Formal receiving line - to do or not to do

Miss_2010

I SUPER hate receiving lines...

I have been to weddings where there was no receiving line after the ceremony (in the church) and recently I have been to 2 where they did do it.  So I am unsure of receiving line expectations anymore.

Would this be a major faux pas if we skipped that...jumped on the limo to get our pics taken, then headed to the reception?  Another rationale is our wedding is November...it gets dark early...I wanted to take advantage of any sunlight we can get that day.

We are doing an hour long mingling/cocktail hour before dinners are served.  So we can catch up with the guests/hug/kiss then I figure. 

Thoughts?

Mrs.B6302007

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_formal-receiving-line-to-do-or-not-to-do?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:305e0b28-df03-44ab-a93e-ea0a3b11d44bPost:be101ef9-b642-491f-8a05-a94aa682c728">Formal receiving line - to do or not to do</a>:
[QUOTE]I SUPER hate receiving lines... I have been to weddings where there was no receiving line after the ceremony (in the church) and recently I have been to 2 where they did do it.  So I am unsure of receiving line expectations anymore. Would this be a major faux pas if we skipped that...jumped on the limo to get our pics taken, then headed to the reception?  Another rationale is our wedding is November...it gets dark early...I wanted to take advantage of any sunlight we can get that day. We are doing an hour long mingling/cocktail hour before dinners are served.  So we can catch up with the guests/hug/kiss then I figure.  Thoughts?
Posted by Miss_2010[/QUOTE]

No, it's not rude to skip the receiving line if you're going to do table visits at the reception. Not greeting them at all would be rude.

The CH is for your guests are doing while you're taking pictures.  If you get back early before the hour is up, then you can greet during the CH, but generally that doesn't happen.  Don't extend your CH by doing your greetings then because you're just delaying dinner for your guests and possibly making them stand around even longer.

aragx6

What you'll want to do if you don't do a receiving line are table visits during dinner. You'll eat first and then go from table to table personally greeting each of yuor guests. As long as you do this, a RL is not necessary.

Meegles4

Agree on the table visits. However, this usually means that you and your H won't eat much dinner. So, those are your options. You can certainly greet people during the CH, but don't expect to have everyone "greeted". People will want to chat you up and you may not be able to make it to everyone unless your guest list is very small. Thus, you've got table visits during dinner.

If you did a receiving line, just limit it to you and your H, or you guys and your parents. I've seen them with the entire WP and that's weird. For me, even having parents is usually weird for me because I inevitably don't know one or both sets of parents and never know what to say to them -- and I usually encounter them before the B&G, so I always feel awkward explaining who the heck I am. But that could just be me!

kikirst33

FI and I are not doing a reciving line.  We will talk with our guests during the Cocktail Hour and doing table visits during dinner so that we can greet every guest who attends.  

We are expecting ~120 guests so this should be easy for us to accomplish. If you are having a large reception keep in mind that you may spend a lot of time greeting guests.

Tami87

We did not do a formal receiving line because it a was choice between a receiving line at the church or pictures at the church and we picked pictures. However, we were able to be there at the beginning of our cocktail hour and my husband and I stood near the front door and greated people as they arrived as a kind of informal receiving line, and that worked well (we had about 120 guests). We were able to do this though because we had a gap (hated on these boards I know), although we did provide guests with light snacks and beer and wine in a hospitality suite at the hotel during the gap so they had somewhere to hang out.

We did not do table visits during dinner but waited until after dancing started. Most of our friends and the younger crowd were out on the dance floor but we took a break from dancing and visited with grandparents and anyone else who was still seated at tables.

I agree with what everyone above me posted, as long as you take time to visit and greet all your guests whether it is after the ceremony, at the cocktail hour or table visits you are fine. I do find it rude when the couple makes little effort to talk to everyone and just hangs out with the wedding party all night.

julibug86

We are doing one because of the gap (church wedding and reception off site).  The gap is 45 minutes (the venue is a half hour away), so we are hoping that the receiving line will accomplish two things a) take up some of that gap time so that there is no gap! and b) let us enjoy at least some of our dinner without worrying about getting to each table.  We also are planning for 125 people so I believe it won't be too bad for us to greet everyone.

getaclue44

We are doing a receiving line not sure if at church or at venue--my parents want one.  We figure it will either be done organically at the church or we can do it at the venue at end of CH (which is 90 minutes).  I went to a wedding where there was none and the B and G went around to tables--they missed a lot of people who left early or weren't at their seats.  There was a lot of grumbling at the tables around us.

kadymax

 I know we are not doing one. Takes up way to much time to enjoy your day. instead we are making a point to go to each table afterwards and personally thank everyone for attending.