Wedding Customs & Traditions Forum

When do the guests wave us goodbye?

I am newly engaged, getting married in February and I love my fiance. What I DON'T love is fact that I have NO clue as to how any of this wedding stuff goes.

When do the guests get to throw rice/ blow bubbles/ wave ribbon sticks or whatever to my groom and I? I'd love for my photographer to get a picture of this happening. Does this occur after the ceremony and before the reception or after the reception? When do you hand out said rice/ bubbles/ ribbon sticks or whatever?

Also, must I have programs for my ceremony? I'm on a really tight budget and I'd rather not have them. Thank you for your help.

Re: When do the guests wave us goodbye?

  • Stage, post the picture!!  It's my favorite picture ever.

    And ditto Stage - you can do the grand exit as you leave the ceremony and head to the reception or when you leave the reception.  Of course, if your ceremony and reception is in the same place, it would be easiest to do it at the end of the reception; that's what we did.
  • I think you should think of the logistics of your grand good bye. If your ceremony and reception are at the same place, it'll look silly if you have the grand goodbye at the ceremony... only to see them a little while later in the next room. So, you might want to wait until after the reception.
    HOWEVER, some guests leave early and sometimes the bride and groom are some of the last to leave, so saving it for the end of the reception might not be the best way to go, either.

    Programs aren't always necessary.
    image
  • That's the one!  I'm sorry that happened to you guys...but really i'm not because that is the best photo ever.
  • We didn't have one.  We were actually the last ones to leave that night.
     
      Image and video hosting by TinyPic Lilypie First Birthday tickers
  • I've been to a lot of church weddings, so after the ceremony is when I've seen it done mostly.  As people leave the church, people pass out bubbles, ribbon wands, noisemakers, etc and then wait for the couple to leave the church.  I think it's a lot more common to have the ceremony and reception at the same place, so I think the logistics would make it difficult for a grand exit after the ceremony, so then leaving the reception would make most sense. 
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  • I'm having a church wedding and I want to have our send off after the ceremony. However, we need to take pictures in the church after everybody leaves. Should I have our limo just circle the block a couple of times then bring us back to the church? Has anyone else had this issue?
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_customs-traditions_when-do-the-guests-wave-us-goodbye?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:36Discussion:e5293bff-1b0c-442c-8cc3-6105a6d38842Post:01551cd7-93cb-44bd-b933-db19ab3d6c32">Re:When do the guests wave us goodbye?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I guess I don't understand what a "church" wedding has to do with it. We had our ceremony at a church, but we still did the grand exit after the reception thank goodness. How does a church affect it?
    Posted by StageManager14[/QUOTE]

    I brought up "church" wedding having the exit after the ceremony because often when the wedding is in a church, the reception is at a separate venue, so everyone would be leaving anyway, so that is a good time to do a grand exit.  Not saying that if you do a church wedding that's when you have to do it or if you don't have a church wedding that you can't do it then, but it just usually works well then due to logistics.  Also, with the popularity of having the ceremony/reception at the same venue, it might be awkward to have a grand exit after the ceremony when you are coming right back in to the same place... saying that then it would probably work best leaving the reception.
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_customs-traditions_when-do-the-guests-wave-us-goodbye?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:36Discussion:e5293bff-1b0c-442c-8cc3-6105a6d38842Post:f93b18b6-2df8-4c81-b331-708372415b2e">Re: When do the guests wave us goodbye?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I'm having a church wedding and I want to have our send off after the ceremony. However, we need to take pictures in the church after everybody leaves. Should I have our limo just circle the block a couple of times then bring us back to the church? Has anyone else had this issue?
    Posted by FlintstonePearl[/QUOTE]

    This is what friends/family have done and what I plan on doing (no limo though-my uncle's classic car).  I wanted pics of us walking out of the church and then in the car with the "just married" sign.  There are actually 2 parking lots where I'm getting married though, so we'll probably leave the main one, circle the block and then park in the small lot behind the church to come back for pictures.
    Image and video hosting by TinyPic
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_customs-traditions_when-do-the-guests-wave-us-goodbye?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:36Discussion:e5293bff-1b0c-442c-8cc3-6105a6d38842Post:1f29eba2-18bd-42ff-8b42-32ef92c9c84c">Re: When do the guests wave us goodbye?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I assume you mean this photo, Drama?  Yeah, this is the best argument ever to not have things "tossed" at you, but the pic is priceless enough to be worth it.  DH may disagree though. 
    Posted by StageManager14[/QUOTE]

    <div>Seriously?!  What is wrong with people that they think <strong>pelting</strong> people with birdseed is cute, funny or in any way an ok thing to do - at <strong>any </strong>time, let alone a wedding!?! Rice, birdseed, etc. was meant to be <strong>gently </strong>tossed <u>above</u> the heads of the B&G and when done properly makes for a beautiful photograph of rice falling down on the couple like blessings.  Jeesh!  Idiocracy at its finest.  I was considering doing an exit toss, with high expectations that guests would be considerate, but seeing as how you went to the extent of NOT PROVIDING PELTING MATERIAL and <strong>still </strong>got it, perhaps I'm giving too much credit.  Ugh!  So sorry you had to endure that!</div>
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