If we make it to our cocktail hour, can we cut down on table visits?

SB1512

Our ceremony and recption are in the same location so the plan is for FI and I to do a first look and get as many photos done as possible beforehand.  We will probably still use the first 20-30 minutes of cocktail hour to take more photos at the venue, but if we arrive at our cocktail hour midway through and mingle, can we cut down on the amount of time we are doing table vists?  FI's parents have a very large guest list, and FI and I do not personally know a large chunk of them, as they are his parents' friends and distant relatives he has never met.  We both would rather be able to spend time with the guests we actually know at the wedding, so if we spend cocktail hour meeting and mingling with the guests we do not know, would it be rude or innapropriate to only stop by these tables later on for a very quick hello and thank you for coming.  Since there is no lag time between when the ceremony ends and reception starts we also do not want to do a receiving line (there are probably going to be about 200 guests), we'd rather be able to make cocktail hour and enjoy some of the food that's being served!

mica178

It's possible, but remember that you are supposed to greet all guests, and during cocktail hour, there's no guarantee that you'll be able to greet all guests at any given table (since when people are mingling, they move around), so you'd still have to visit all tables, KWIM?

AdeleDazeem

You need to remember that it's your job to meet and greet each of your guests.  There's no real way to gauge if you've hit all of them during the cocktail hour.  Doing table visits helps keep the list of people you've met and haven't met organized.

Why not go to the cocktail hour and hang out with those you want to see?  Then do your table visits during the reception and go back to your closest friends after that.

wrigleyville

Regardless of how well you know them, you should greet and thank every guest for coming. As the other ladies mentioned, it's hard to keep track of who you've spoken with when mingling during cocktail hour. You can certainly speak to whomever you like during cocktail hour, but you should also do table visits throughout the evening.

jessicabessica

I don't think it's a good substitute.  We went to our cocktail hour, but it was kind of a blur--everyone congratulating us, lots of hugs, getting pulled into pictures.  Also, if you do some table visits, I think it will look weird if you skip some tables on purpose.  People know with table visits that you have a lot of guests to greet, so you just say hello, thank everyone for coming, introduce your H (or your H introduces you, if it's people on his side), and that's really it.  

I like Joy's suggestion of spending more time during cocktail hour with your closer friends.  

Loopyseven

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_if-we-make-it-to-our-cocktail-hour-can-we-cut-down-on-table-visits?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:42fcc6ce-c1e0-4284-ace6-6738aa9365e8Post:96436083-8c72-4939-b4d6-67548bfb06dd">Re: If we make it to our cocktail hour, can we cut down on table visits?</a>:
[QUOTE]You need to remember that it's your job to meet and greet each of your guests.  There's no real way to gauge if you've hit all of them during the cocktail hour.  Doing table visits helps keep the list of people you've met and haven't met organized. Why not go to the cocktail hour and hang out with those you want to see?  Then do your table visits during the reception and go back to your closest friends after that.
Posted by Joy2611[/QUOTE]

<div>This... out table visits were pretty short, even with the people we "wanted" to hang out with and see.  "Hi, thanks for coming, good to see you, laugh at joke, hug, hug, hug - move on".  It's just the nature of a table visit in order to get to them all.  So yeah, if you make it cocktail hour, I'd spend your time with your friends/family and worry about greeting the acquaintances during table visits.</div>

J&K10910

I do think your best compromise is a receiving line.  We had 100 guests, and we were done with our receiving line in less than 10 minutes (we even actually chatted a bit with a few of the guests when there was a lag in the line, so we could have been done in about 5, realistically).  They don't take nearly as long as people to seem to think they're going to--unless you're having full conversations with everyone.

But I also like the idea of using your time at your cocktail hour to chat with your closer friends and family, doing table visits for those you don't know well (bonus:  getting a full table's worth of people greeted and thanked all at the same time), and then spending the rest of the time with the people you're closer to.

SB1512

We aren't planning on using cocktail hour as a substitute for greeting or skip over tables during visits. I just meant if we were to speak to the 8 people coming from Canada, for example, that we don't know very well during cocktail hour would it be ok to then spend a very short amount of time at their table during visits. However I do like the idea of reversing it and spending time with people we are closer to during cocktail hour instead and hitting up those we don't know at table visits. The problem with a receiving line is if we do one FIs parents will insist on themselves, my parents and possibly our siblings being in it which will just make things longer and I don't have it in me to battle with them which is why I'd rather skip the receiving line altogether.. Because there is a wedding before ours we cannot go to our reception site beforehand and do photos there, and I'd really like to use the time a receiving line would take to get some venue photos.

lauraanne9

Our reception is casual and about 20 minutes from the venue, so we are doing the receiving line.  Makes it easier for us to enjoy everything else as we know we have greeted all the guests.  And don't have to worry about people who run in and out and we somehow miss.

Also, as we are doing the line, if someone chooses to not participate in the line, they are not able to get mad that we did not greet them, leaving us a little more breathing room.  

So, I think receiving line then cocktail hour and reception, without having to worry about table visits.

SB1512

So if we opt to do the receiving line, we can skip table visits altogether and just generally mingle throughout the evening?  Every wedding I have been to in my area, even if there is a receiving line, the bride and groom (and even the wedding party) spends the time during dinner doing tables visits as well.  I guess I just don't want to end up doing both........I'll happily do a receiving line if it means FI and I can skip table visits and possibly get some photos at sunset taken while our guests are eating, but if the expectation (from families or whatever) is that we will do table visits even if we have a receiving line, I'd rather nix the receiving line so we can get some photos of us at our venue during the beginning of cocktail hour, KWIM?

ILoveToRobot

I didn't want to do table visits so we opted for a receiving line. It really only took about 20 minutes for a 250 person wedding. I was suprised how little time it took considering everyone said they take forever. The thing thing you need to take into consideration is who your greeting and who they're sitting with. If you have a seating chart and make it a point to chat with each person at the tables then I'd say go for it. HOWEVER, your not going to do that and I personally think it would take more time to greet some during the cocktail and some during the reception.