Reception order

GinaV0822

I was was wondering what the order was/is for your cake cutting and first dance?  We are going to be announced into the reception and my first thought was to go right into our first dance.  Is that normally how it goes?  Or do you come in and go sit down and eat dinner and then maybe get up to cut the cake after the first course and then the first dance during dessert?  

I realize there's probably no right or wrong way, but I'd like to know what worked or didn't work for you.  We're having a plated dinner and want to be able to get right into dancing as soon as dinner as over so I thought maybe it would be good to do the dance during dinner.  Or is that an interruption?

I have been to so many weddings but not in the last several years so I honestly can't remember. 

Thanks!

lyndausvi

We were announced and then right into the first dance. 

  We both come from big dancing families.  The first dance seems to be the cue it's okay for others.  so we had it first.  Glad we did because people danced in between courses.

We had the cake an hour or so after dinner.

courtski2004

We had a buffet, and were the first to go through the line and sit down to eat. We finished fairly quickly (but still took time for ourselves to actually EAT), did some table visits and began the dances while people were still finishing up their dinner. I didn't want to take much time away from the dancing part of the reception with our spotlight dances, so we got that out of the way. We went right from that to cake cutting and then started to party. I don't think it is too much of a distraction to do it that way. Our first dance song was so emotional for us that I totally got lost in the moment, so I don't remember if any of our guests were distracted or not.

Others choose to do the dances and cake cutting upon arrival to the reception prior to dinner. I think it just depends on what kind of timeline you have.

arendiva

I plan to do my first  dance, my father daughter dance, and the mother son dance in the hour between coctial hour and dinner.

Fancypantsamy

We were announced, had our first dance and then immediately cut the cake before starting dinner. After dinner we had our parent spotlight dances and then everyone was welcomed onto the dance floor. I really liked it because once my father-daughter dance was over, I was just free to mingle (I didn't do a bouquet toss or anything like that)

OliveOilsMom

We did first dance after the introduction.  Then sat down to eat.  As soon as the last course was served, we did our father/daughter and mother/son dances.  That way as people finished eating, they could go dance as they wanted.  We saved the cake cutting for later in the evening.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

Introduction
Speeches
Dinner (with table greetings)
first dance
some general dancing
cake cutting
more dancing

KellyBrian2013

We were announced, then went straight to the cake cutting so that it could be wheeled out and cut by the venue staff after dinner was served. Then we ate, doing table visits between courses. Then we did our first dance, my father/daughter dance, DH's mother/son dance, then my stepfather/daughter dance and then opened up the dance floor...

wrigleyville

I've seen a lot of weddings on TV that went right into the first dance, but my family/friends have never done it that way (not that it's wrong, just different).

We're doing:

Announcement
Plated dinner (with some table-hopping since we'll be served first)
Cut cake
Father/daughter dance
First dance
More table-hopping

kipnus

We had dinner first (buffet), speeches as people finished eating, then our first dance. This opened up the dance floor, and after about an hour, we cut the cake, had some dessert, and then went back to dancing.

getaclue44

We are in the planning stages, but here is what we are thinking

walk in and do our first dance

Blessing

1st course

father/daughter dance

2nd course

mother/son dance

3rd course

cake cutting

Not sure where we are going to fit in the toasts--I think maybe while people are eating or right after the blessing

lauralaur

We went straight from announcements into the first dance. The parent dances kicked off the dancing part of the reception. We cut our cake after salad and in retrospect I regret it. My thought was to get it cut so that it could be served as soon as possible, however I have since come to learn that many people take the cake cutting as the cue that it is OK to leave the reception and now I'm wondering if a lot of people would have stayed later if we had waited a bit to cut the cake, not forever, but just longer than we did. People may have left earlier for other reasons, maybe my wedding was boring and I just didn't know it! but like I said, I personally wish I had waited to cut the cake.

DramaGeek

The way I remember it is we were announced and went straight into our first dance.

What actually happened is that we were announced, we cut the cake, then we did our first dance.  We planned it that way so people could be eating cake while we danced.

libby2483

This is what we did:

Entrance into reception 

Cake cutting (so venue could plate cupcakes for serving after dinner)

Welcome speech from my dad 

Salads served (MOH speech) 

Dinner served (BM speech) 

Cupcakes served (B & G thank yous)

First dance, father-daughter dance, and mother-son dance

GinaV0822

Great, thanks for all the responses!