Bride & Groom Reception Etiquette?

At every wedding I have been to, the bride and groom make their rounds to every table and say their hellos and thanks for coming to the wedding. They mingle with the guests, etc. That is also what FH and I intend to do at our wedding.

I thought so too and I have every intention of making the rounds as well! It's just good manners.

Wow... if they couldn't have all the guests inside, then they should have cut the guest list. I think the bride and groom should at least attempt to say hello to all their guests, and certainly not be bothered by people wishing them well.

I have been in several wedding (3 of which were outdoors during the summer) In each, the bride and groom made their way to speak to their guests and also worked the room during the reception. This couple did not consider the weather for a wedding this time of year and obviously were not concerned about their guests who were outside sizzling like bacon. You were a very gracious guest hunting them down to say good night, and they did not have the decency to appreciate it.

I am getting married July 2013 and this is my concern of mine. We are looking at venues now, and want to keep it near the beach just in case it's 100 degrees.

Totally rude. I don't get this concept of outside weddings when the odds are that it is going to be screaming hot. And having some guests inside and most outside? Ridiculous. Why invite 200 people if you don't care about 160 of them?

See, there is a reason that I do not do outdoor events. Rude, rude, rude!

Sorry but...my first thought "That's so ignorant." I would have left and took my gift with me. lol

We did a receiving line after the ceremony to thank guests for coming. And we still tried to make table rounds although we didn't get very far. Every time I walked one way, somebody pulled me another way. I think it's definitely ideal to make the effort to spend time with every single person but I know our wedding day was so overwhelming and went by so fast, it just didn't happen. And our reception lasted until nearly 4am. I definitely appreciated the people who came up to talk with me! Although we weren't hiding out - H was chatting with people by the bar and I was on the dance floor if I wasn't going to pee (I swear I had to pee like 50 times).

I wonder if that couple was just really overwhelmed or dehydrated/exhausted? IDK, I'd try to cut them a little slack. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. But you know them better than me, they might just be rude.

Also I'm with Celia in that I definitely don't understand the idea of planning an outdoor wedding in summertime unless you live in Antarctica.

We went to Men's Wearhouse to pick up H's free suit b/c of his tux rentals, and the sales guy was talking about all the outdoor weddings they were supplying this weekend. Um, outdoor wedding the last weekend of June in Tennessee? The heat index was 112? Granted it's absurdly hot this year but it's not like the temps are usually in the 70s.

My daughter and son-in-law wanted to have an outdoor wedding, in Portland Oregon, in July (2010.) I do NOT to outdoors in the summer as I am allergic to bees. So, my money, my choice of venues.

Sooooo happy we moved the event to a hotel. Most of July, that year, was in the upper 70's, lower 80's. Wedding weekend, 98!

Whew!

We aren't planning on doing a receiving line but we are planning on making our rounds at the reception. That does seem rude they were bothered could be dehydration. Our ceremony will be outside but our reception will be inside. It's going to be right on the Chesapeake bay do I'm sure there will be a breeze due to the water

That is rude. I don't agree with cutting them slack. I do however agree with Donna R. I would have taken my gift and left after realizing what was going on.

Our ceremony was outside, out reception was inside. We went to every single table and shook hands or hugged every single person. That is the right thing to do. They are YOUR guests, you invited them there, you wanted them there so make them feel welcome.

We have gone to some weddings though were we were never greeted at our table and others were only the bride or only the groom came to see us depending on who we were there for. I made a pact with my husband that the day of our wedding we would be by each other's side for the whole day/night. Even when we had to use the bathroom, the other one waited outside of the restroom. That is our day, we were going to be together every minute.

I def wanted an outdoor wedding/reception in Georgia so made sure to consider time of year for temp/rain/etc. That is why we chose mid-Sept. Went back through weather reports for that time of year and all showed reasonable temps and minimal rain. We are still having a tent though with access to the house or back deck (shady and still in the reception area for those who are sensitive to heat. There will also be lots of water, iced tea and lemonade since alcohol really does nothing to keep you hydrated.

I also think it was incredibly rude for the bride&groom to escape like that. To ensure we have lots of time to mingle with our guests (most of who are from other states), I kept our guest list to 60.

I considered it very rude and my feelings were a bit hurt. I host our annual family Christmas party at my house every year and this couple comes. I am always very hospitable and welcoming.

My thought was... this Bride planned this wedding at the end of June and planned an outside reception. Bustle up that dress Sweetie and get out in the heat with the rest of us!

We'll be having an outdoor wedding and indoor reception. Weren't planning on doing a receiving line.

I agree with the others who said that it was rude that they had essentially 2 receptions, the one indoors and the one outdoors. If you don't have room inside for all the guests, you should have cut your list. I would rather not be invited than to be put outside, with the couple inside with some of the guests. it's just inconsiderate. If you want the larger wedding, book an appropriate wedding venue, or have all the guests outside, with something inside so that they can go in and cool off. The couple could have done the same.

I agree, totally rude. We were 100% set on an outdoor wedding, no excuses. We chose mid-November in FL and plan to supply about a bajillion water bottles and enjoy the day sweat, rain or shine.

Well, you made it much longer than I would have! So congrats to you for being a great sport :-)

It certainly is rude, no question about it. But although the happy couple should make an attempt to say hi to everyone, it's not necessarily feasible with a large guest list. If you spend just 1 minute with every guest out of 200, for a basic polite conversation, you're talking 3.5 hours.

Mrs S, that's exactly why we did a receiving line. Our family members are talkers, I knew we'd never get through rounds. We decided to divide and conquer and still only covered 4 family tables before toasts.

My point about cutting slack was just in case there was something else going on. Like, a family drama or some logistics issue. Crap happens. My H was in the urgent care the day before our wedding and wasn't feeling his best on wedding day (you'd never know it though.) My stomach was a wreck the first couple hours and I felt like I was always running to the bathroom. And then there was some dumb family drama and issue with tip envelopes that H and I got called on to resolve which took us away from each other and our guests for a while, good times.

It's not ideal hosting behavior no matter what, I would just wonder if something was going on, that's all.

That was very rude. I agree w/ you. I would like to see all my guests

It sound like the venue might not have been such a good choice, to leave that many people outside when it was so hot.

This is precisely why we are doing a receiving line.. and might still make some rounds to see our guests but we would never do an outside reception, older guests are very important to us, and i know my grandma wouldd throw an absolute FIT if she was forced to sit outside .