Receiving Line & Reception Timeline

MattsPenguin · December 2010

So, we are inviting about 300 people. (I'm hoping that only about 240 will show). I think that doing a receiving line will be faster than table visits, since I think that you can get stuck talking to Great Uncle Joe for 20 minutes when you visit his table. Anyway, I'm trying to figure out the timeline for when the reception (well cocktail hour) will start.

Ceremony is at 3:30pm and will probably last 15-30 minutes (typical Protestant ceremony). Then we will do the receiving line. After that, the guests can head down to the reception site 20-30 minutes to downtown. When should the cocktail hour start?

My cousin, who had a similar guest list, said that her receiving line took 1.5 hours (way longer than she expected). Dang!

emilyinchile · December 2010

I don't know the answer to your question, but if you'd like to do table visits and are just worried about the time, I think it could work. We took a picture with each of our tables (this always happens at weddings in Chile, so people don't mind shuffling round for the picture - I honestly can't remember if that would be weird in the US), so we hugged each person, had a couple minutes talking to people, and then the photographers would kind of shoo us along to the next table. Prevented getting trapped anywhere and made sure we got round to everyone, plus we have a picture of everyone who was there.

xyrius · December 2010

Personally I don't like receiving lines much (as a guest), especially when it's a LONG line and you have to stand there doing nothing for half an hour. If you do table visits your guests can enjoy themselves and relax while you go around - just a suggestion. (I know it's a lot of ppl to do table visits for, but 300 people is an awfully long line too).

MattsPenguin · December 2010

Thanks Emily - it could work, I just thought that the receiving line might ensure that I said hello to everyone. Five minutes per table * 30 tables = 2.5 hours. That is such a long time!

MattsPenguin · December 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_receiving-line-reception-timeline?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:32c53e4f-bcf8-4d7f-8edb-267c0c99e5caPost:c19938a7-922e-4319-b6eb-40b44f2146fd">Re: Receiving Line & Reception Timeline</a>:
[QUOTE]Personally I don't like receiving lines much (as a guest), especially when it's a LONG line and you have to stand there doing nothing for half an hour. If you do table visits your guests can enjoy themselves and relax while you go around - just a suggestion. (I know it's a lot of ppl to do table visits for, but 300 people is an awfully long line too).
Posted by xyrius[/QUOTE]

I know that it could be long, and they are sometimes not popular, but I thought that I might get to enjoy my reception if I did this.

I'm so torn.

MattsPenguin · December 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_receiving-line-reception-timeline?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:32c53e4f-bcf8-4d7f-8edb-267c0c99e5caPost:483dcbeb-3a3c-4d1e-a742-71d8d133e0e4">Re: Receiving Line & Reception Timeline</a>:
[QUOTE]I would start your cocktail hour at 4:30. 3:30-4, ceremony 4-4:30ish drive to reception. Some people will skip the receiving line, and some will be at the beginning of your receiving line, so they won't be at your church for much longer past your ceremony. Start it at 4:30 so they have someone to go. FWIW, receiving lines really vary. We had about 200 people at our ceremony, and about 180 went through our receiving line, and we were out of the church in just over 30 minutes.
Posted by mrs.jesse[/QUOTE]

We were thinking 5:30, to make sure that there was ample time for driving, etc. I was just concerned, when my cousin told me that it took 1.5 hours, that there wouldn't be enough time to get down there.

I was thinking that the receiving line could take like 30 minutes. And I guess yours sort of did, with about 2/3 of the people. So maybe 45 minutes?

Thanks!

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · December 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_receiving-line-reception-timeline?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:32c53e4f-bcf8-4d7f-8edb-267c0c99e5caPost:15dbfe55-9398-4411-8ca5-ed0495eee166">Re: Receiving Line & Reception Timeline</a>:
[QUOTE]Thanks Emily - it could work, I just thought that the receiving line might ensure that I said hello to everyone. Five minutes per table * 30 tables = 2.5 hours. That is such a long time!
Posted by MattsPenguin[/QUOTE]

What can we say? That's one of the downsides of having a large wedding.

Honestly, I've skipped receiving lines before, so you might not actually get to talk to everyone that way. The line I skipped was when the ceremony and reception were in the same place and the wedding was about as big as yours.

MattsPenguin · December 2010

I think that receiving lines are the norm in my family, too. And my fiance liked the idea. He says that when he goes to weddings, he never gets to see the bride and groom, because he always feels that there are people "more important". So this way we would definitely see everyone (at least those who go through the line).

I plan on visiting with people at the reception as well, but don't want to end up missing someone.

MattsPenguin · December 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_receiving-line-reception-timeline?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:32c53e4f-bcf8-4d7f-8edb-267c0c99e5caPost:d16813c0-8618-486b-833d-0434ff184461">Re: Receiving Line & Reception Timeline</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Receiving Line & Reception Timeline : What can we say? <strong>That's one of the downsides of having a large wedding.</strong> Honestly, I've skipped receiving lines before, so you might not actually get to talk to everyone that way. The line I skipped was when the ceremony and reception were in the same place and the wedding was about as big as yours.
Posted by msmerymac[/QUOTE]

Tell me about it. But I just have a very large family (that I actually know) and lots of friends. It's not a bad problem to have.

emilyinchile · December 2010

Oh yeah, ours weren't 5 minutes either - maybe like 3 at a couple where H got into a conversation and 1 at others. We only had 16 tables, so obviously yours would take longer, but we managed to do them all between first/second and second/third courses of dinner (and eat too!).

MattsPenguin · December 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_receiving-line-reception-timeline?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:32c53e4f-bcf8-4d7f-8edb-267c0c99e5caPost:a3d01d98-97fc-4ad6-ad4a-208ee190ea41">Re: Receiving Line & Reception Timeline</a>:
[QUOTE]Oh yeah, ours weren't 5 minutes either - maybe like 3 at a couple where H got into a conversation and 1 at others. We only had 16 tables, so obviously yours would take longer, but we managed to do them all between first/second and second/third courses of dinner (and eat too!).
Posted by emilyinchile[/QUOTE]

That's good! I'm just remembering my friends' wedding where we had to hurry her along with table visits, since it was after 9pm, and we hadn't started toasts or anything. And the natives were getting restless. Her whole reception felt kind of rushed. Then again, her ceremony was at 5:30, and the bridal party got to the reception by 7:30.

tenofcups4me · December 2010

I'm also not a fan of receiving lines, but if you're deadset on having one, I agree with the poster who said to start the cocktail hour at 4:30. You can't plan for it to begin when the last person gets there, but when the first person gets there. And the first people will get there around 4:30. Alternatively, you could plan for it to "officiallly" start at 5 -- that's when hors d'oeuvres start to come out -- but with instructions for the venue to have the doors and bar open at 4:30 when the first people arrive. I'm not really sure there's any advantage to that though.

Or you could do a receiving line at the entrance to the cocktail hour -- instead of people having to say hello to you as they're leaving the site, you get to the venue quickly and greet people as they're coming in, but that can be tricky to coordinate.

Or just attend your cocktail hour and speak to everyone then, which eliminates all the questions about how to do the receving line :-)

Calypso1977 · December 2010

id start at 430. not everyone waits to go through the receiving line, so if they head down to the reception it needs to be ready for them.

strlzfan11 · December 2010

I think a lot of it depends on how many people are actually participating in the receiving line. The more people you have, the longer it will take. Have you considered the option of having the bride & groom usher the guests out of the church (after BP & parents recess the B&G come back in and dismiss everyone by row)?

balasj · December 2010

I think it is polite to do the receiving line - it at least gives people the opportunity to ensure they get to see you and vice versa. I'd suggest starting your cocktail hour around 5/5:30 to ensure you have time and aren't rushed. I'd still try to do table visits but hopefully you can expedite it and still have said hello to everyone at some point!

Beachy730 · December 2010

I can't even say I don't like receiving lines; I hate them. If you aren't fortunate enough to be one of the first few in line then you are stuck waiting a really long time with no food or drink. With a wedding that large I wouldn't even stand in line and just head straight to the cocktail hour. Also, people can just as easily stand and talk forever at a receiving line as they can at the tables. You will get some older ladies up there who just won't stop talking.

We ended up with 195 people at our wedding, and I think we had 25 tables. We only did table visits, and we were seriously done with them before any of our dances started. We spent maybe 1 to 2 minutes at each table. Everyone knows that you are trying to get around and nobody held us up. Plus, nobody was stuck waiting without food or drink.

As for what time the cocktail hour should start, I think the reception line leaves you with a big problem for that. The first people in line could be there right at the start, but if your receiving line takes over an hour there could easily be people who miss it, including you. But I would start your cocktail hour at 4:30 since you will have guests getting there that early.

[Deleted User] · December 2010

Our cocktail hour started at 3pm and by the time we (bride and groom and rest of WP) arrived and it was time for the grand entrance about 4:30, our guests were lined up and waiting for us.

We were not allowed to have a receiving line at our church, probably for those vary reasons of it taking too long and them wanting to get the formal pics after the ceremony and lock up, etc.

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