Can I skip the receiving line?

One of the venues I looked at gives the couple a private dinner. Guests are sent through the buffet line at the same time, so no one even notices we are gone.

May want to consider that- but you have to be careful of time. Your ceremony will end, plan 30-45 minutes for pictures.

To be blunt, don't expect much alone time until you run out of there for your wedding night...

My daughter /fsil are not doing a receiving line. It takes forever - and for the most part it's tedious for you and the people waiting in line. Just do the math. We expect 200 people. Even ONE minute on each person is over 3 hours. No way. I think you could definitely grab a few minutes (and only a few) on your balcony - and have your officiant tell everyone to go directly to the ballroom and that you'll join them later. This way - everyone will know not go looking for you! Meghan's right though - your moments alone will be few and far between. And 45 min for pictures is a conservative estimate. Everything seems to take longer.

I aggree with Meghan adn MB's Mom. It is becoming more and more common not to have a receiving line. I personally do want to have one. But I do know it is going to take awhile to get everyone through. Although I dont agree with the part about it taking a minute per person. I have only ever seen people give a hug kiss quick congrats and then on their way. You will have all night to talk to people.

I plan on doing one at the cocktail hour. Greet people as they enter and the few we miss maybe do a few tables after dinner time is completed. I have 200-210 and to do a receiving line at the chapel would be a 30mins??? I really need the guests to get over to cocktail hour or we just wanted money on that food.

I can't remember the last wedding I went to that had a receiving line. Glad a lot of people have done away with them. I always hated going thru receiving lines.

We aren't doing one! I have only been to one wedding that they did it at and that's because they were a HUGE italian family and the guest list was probably near 500 or so...So it was more time efficient to do a receiving line. I think you can get away without doing one!

No to receiving line...yes to a few moments alone!!!!

No line here :-)

Not doing a recieving line at our wedding. I have set aside two different 30 minute intervals for us to be walking around and greeting and speaking to everyone.

No receiving line for us either I plan to visit tables during the dinner and say hi to people. I am also having the wedding coordinator bring me and the wedding party some of the snacks from the cocktail hour so we can snack while taking pictures waiting to be introduced etc. And as far as being alone you can pretty much just forget it until the end of the night.

Skip it if you are tight on time, receiving line can easily eat up 30 mins that can be used for picture taking instead.

Most of my weddings have receiving line after the ceremony at church, I usually advise my bride and groom to skip it instead.

I am breaking the rules altogether! And since I am paying for it I don't care. No line and I am going to just thank everyone for coming from the mic before the toasts. I don't want to spend the whole time going from person to person table to table. I wanna eat drink and dance. So I will be giving the speech!

I agree with Jessica. I want to enjoy my wedding day I feel like if someone wants to come up to us and give us congrats they can but Im not walking around in a huge dress to do it. Im not paying 10 grand to do any extra work. When I went to a wedding with a line I honeslty hated it . It felt too forced I feel if someone wants to give me or my guy a hug they can get up and do it if not thats fine too

We didn't do one because we knew we'd be standing there FOREVER because we had just over 100 guests. No way! Instead we stood near the bar and made a few rounds there saying our "hello's" and "thanks" which seemed to work fine and then we went straight into dinner.

We didn't do a receiving line and I don't know that I have ever been to a wedding with one. I think that the balcony idea is nice - you could see all your guests walking into the reception but still have some time for just the two of you. However, I strongly feel that you need to walk around to the tables and speak to each guest. They took the time to come see you and I know that they would love to have some time with you, even if it is just for a few seconds. But you can do this throughout the reception. We ate first and then, as the rest of our guests were eating, we walked around and thanked them all for coming.

Thanks guys for all the good ideas...When visiting the tables do we have to go as a twosome...or can we go solo to cover more ground?

I've actually never been to a wedding with a receiving line. i think you can do what you want. pretend you're jewish....for their ceremonies it is expected that the bride and groom go to a room together for some down time and then just join during the end of the cocktail hour, or they can totally skip it and just join the party when they are announced for the reception.