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Receiving lines vs greeting guests at tables?

casims3casims3 member
100 Comments
in Ohio-Columbus
Are/Did any of you do a receiving line? Or did you just go around to all of the tables at the reception and greet your guests? I keep going back and forth on this. On the one hand, receiving lines sometimes drive me crazy. We will have around 200 people, and I feel like it can take a long time to get through the line and can be annoying for guests. (I may be over estimating the time in my head.) Also, our ceremony and reception are in the same place, and the cocktail "hour" is already only 45 mintues. so I feel like it will end up only being 30 minutes or so.

On the other hand, I went to a friends wedding a few weekends ago, and she and the groom spent sooooo much time going to the tables to greet the guests. I felt like they barely got to enjoy most of the reception.

What are your thoughts?
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Re: Receiving lines vs greeting guests at tables?

  • amcollins32amcollins32 member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I think we are doing a receiving line as we dismiss our guests from their rows at the ceremony.  You're right that it's time consuming, but I'd rather greet everyone at one time and get it over with so I can enjoy to rest of the evening.
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  • jnkreagerjnkreager member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We are doing the same thing as PP; we will be dismissing guests after the ceremony instead of doing the receiving "line."  We will, of course, mingle and circulate the room some during the reception, but I want to be able to dance when I want to dance, eat cake, etc. without worrying if I have said hi to everyone.
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  • MrsBoss2012MrsBoss2012
    1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    We haven't decided yet but I'm just worried if we don't do a receiving line what if we miss someone? What if someone is only able to make the ceremony so they won't get a chance to be greeted at the reception. Just recently I went to a wedding and we had to hunt the bride and groom down on the dance floor because they tried to make it around to the tables but we got skipped and didn't want to leave without speaking to them. Just something to think about.
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  • tiffanydanielstiffanydaniels
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We are trying to decide this too, we have a limited time at the church so we will probably just go around at the reception, we also have a 6 hour block for our reception so we have plenty of time there. 
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  • TheBeckmeisterTheBeckmeister
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We're not allowed to do a receiving line after our ceremony due to the mass schedule.  We have a gap between the ceremony and reception, so we're planning to get the reception venue early, and greet guests as they come in for cocktail hour.
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  • sweetcarolannesweetcarolanne member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    FI's cousin did what amcollins and jnkreager mentioned with about 200 people.  It was great and also allowed people time to mingle outside before the sent the wedding party off for their last pictures.  I think we're going to do the same thing.
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  • HunkamunkaHunkamunka
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Every couple at all of the weddings I went to this summer (4 of them) tried to make it around to tables at the reception, but not a single one of them made it around to all of the tables.  I'm leaning towards a receiving line because I really want to make sure I see and say hi to everyone. 
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  • AjoydAjoyd member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We are not doing a receiving line but our wedding isn't very big, maybe 125. We are going to greet people during cocktails. We probably won't go around to every table either because I'm pretty sure between cocktails and dinner/dancing we will be able to talk to everyone.
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  • green795green795
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We ended up greeting 80% of the tables together between food courses, then seeing we were going a little over our timeline for other things (cake cutting, first dance, etc.), we split up and greeted the remaining "sides," or got a chance to see them on the dance floor. We greeted just about everyone within 2 hours. We went to one a wedding for my extended family a couple weeks ago and the couple greeted their respective side seperately, which although it was a little bummer we didn't see them together, it was a practical way to greet over 350 guests. 

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  • FutureMrsG2013FutureMrsG2013 member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    This was a suggestion from my photographer when I asked him about first looks. His suggestion was to do a first look and get almost all of the pictures done before the actual wedding, then maybe take a few right after the ceremony, then we will be available during the cocktail hour to mingle with guests. This way, we make sure we see everyone, but we're not missing the fun party at the reception because we're too busy going from table to table. So we'll mingle, eat, drink, then probably leave the room, freshen up, then get everyone ready for the grand entrance. =)
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  • spainstaceyspainstacey member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We are dismissing row by row as well... OUr photographer suggested this, because generally not only will you at least get to say hi to everyone, but it will also move people along.... as they know other people are waiting....I want to at least get to say "hi and thanks for comming to everyone and that seemed like the best option. 

    Our ceremony wont last as long as we originally intended whne we set our reception time, so this will also help fill that gap a little bit :)
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] member
    10000 Comments Fourth Anniversary 5 Love Its Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_ohio-columbus_receiving-lines-vs-greeting-guests-tables?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:112Discussion:ad239dc5-d011-4dde-aad6-aaa58fc2e7cdPost:b8709fc4-5e88-429f-974f-b6bf3bd62e1b">Re: Receiving lines vs greeting guests at tables?</a>:
    [QUOTE]We're not allowed to do a receiving line after our ceremony due to the mass schedule.  We have a gap between the ceremony and reception, so we're planning to get the reception venue early, and greet guests as they come in for cocktail hour.
    Posted by TheBeckmeister[/QUOTE]

    Exactly this. We were not allowed to have a receiving line at our church either.

    After we were done with pictures and as the cocktail hour was winding down, we made our grand entrance as husband and wife as the dj introduced us. Most of our guests lined up and as we made our way to the head table we hugged, kissed and thanked everyone for coming.
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  • csh96csh96 member
    Fifth Anniversary 100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Our chuch did not allow a receiving line.  Instead we finished eating and then walked around to each table before the dances began.
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  • christie311christie311
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We didn't have a recv line b/c it was going to cut into too much of the photo time so we just went around to the guests, even then we didn't get to them all but I am starting to hear that this is totally normal, and we only had 85 people. It all worked out great though!
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