Just returned from a wedding... bad flow - reception timeline?

Well we have all of the above too (great food, open bar & DJ) and an MC to guide our guests through it but we still plan on completing dinner before dancing. This is what we are doing (based off on what we want and seen work for other friends. Note the times are flexible) ...

5:00 - 6:00 Cocktail Hour w/ Signature Drinks

06:00 Everyone seated (I am told it can take a while to get everyone together and settled after mingling and drinking during cocktails)

06:10 Wedding Party and Couple Introduced

06:15 Welcome and Prayer

1st course (soup) served while guest performs

06: 30 Main Course: Buffet Style

07:30 Cake Cutting

07: 35 Cake Served/ Toasts

-Maid of Honour

-Best Man

-Toast to Bride's Parents

-Toast to Groom's Parents

08:00 Bouquet Toss

08:05 Garter Find/ Garter Toss

08:15 First Dance

08:20 Slow Section/ Couples Dances

08:45 Party!

Only wine/ champagne will be served throughout dinner but the bar opens up after with bartenders on hand

We are eating dinner before the 1st dance too - is that a bad idea

Not bad at all, to eat prior to the first dance.

I would, however, do the first dance prior to cake cutting. Once the cake is cut, you will have some guests depart.

We went straight into the first dance, then the dinner, speeches during dessert, then party time! we had a brief few minute break while we cut the cake.

We're doing Father/Daughter dance, dinner, toasts, first dance, followed by lots of dancing interspersed with cake, and later bouquet toss. Once we do the first dance, we want the party to continue to amp up and for everyone to get out on the dance floor.

My thing is that we have five courses.... I'm not sure that A) I want to wait that long to dance and B) that anyone will even be able to move after that much food all in a row!

A friend had her food spread out throughout the entire night and cake cutting less than an hour before the reception ended... we didn't even know how late it was we were having so much fun and everyone stayed until at least 30 minutes before the reception ended! (People didn't leave early!) I thought it was also nice to eat a little and dance a little and keep going back and forth.

Http://www.frugalbride.com/stepbystepreception.html Here is a useful site. They also have several other useful articles there. The reception order of events is very flexible and is dependent somewhat on your crowd and other reception details (like how many courses and speeches you are having).

In my situation, we are a party crowd so it suits us to get all the formalities out of the way so we can dance the rest of the night away. The entire wedding (guests and all) are overnighting at the villa where the wedding is so as noone has to drive/travel afterwards, we're that much surer persons will stick around a bit.

The only special dance we are having is our 1st dance and we are only having 3 courses (including the cake/ dessert).

The site does have some great ideas - thanks!

We are going straight into the 1st dance after we are introduced. My best friend did that at her wedding and I've been in love with that idea ever since. All eyes are already on you. Plus our guests wont be too hungry because they will have just completed cocktail hour

My guess is they didn't have a very good/professional DJ and/or didn't hire a coordinator. The timeline is one of the most crucial services we provide for our clients and we really believe in it.

There are different ways to do a timeline. No two weddings are alike for us. We take in consideration the time of the wedding, the location and the age of the guests when we create a timeline. It's not a matter of just assigning things to a time... there's usually a reason for doing things that way.

I think some people are more comfortable with not having the attention completely on them. They are the bride and groom so if that is their choice, who cares. The last wedding we went to was like this - yes it was the first time I had seen it. Puts a different twist on the wedding. I think there is nothing worse then the same old "traditional" spin on things. As for dancing before dinner, have never seen it. Once again though, it is your wedding, so whatever you are comfortable with.

Zahra W. Thanks you.Great time line, I am also having a evening wedding and this seem like it can work perfect for us.

I have been to both a wedding with a good time line and one without a good time line. The one with the bad time line turned out to not be the fault of the couple. The DJ screwed up the schedule and the reception venue had the wrong info for the bride and groom. They were basing the time line off someone elses wedding and it took then two hours to figure it out! Sometimes these things happen. But the best was made out of the bad situation and everyone still had a good time. I definitely did not criticize the couple for the mishaps.

@Singing, ya I did read the bottom! LOL.

I was recently at a wedding where my FH wasn't there..I'm part of the party type crowd. so I feel that having the couples dance right after the first dance or wherever kinda alienates those without their partner, or who don't have one..personally I was antsy to be able to get up on the floor and shake it but had to wait quite awhile..Here is the order we are doing things:

reception 5-10..we probably will arrive at 545 or 6

6ish: dinner served (toasts start as dinner is being served)

7-cake cutting and first dance (then father-daughter after that).

(we have a photobooth just for 3 hours so I wanted it from 7-10 so try to get lots out of the way before 7 so people can actually use it)

7:15- (i'm having everyone surround us during the first dance if they want..then after father-daughter having black eyed peas I gotta feeling to get the party started..we will do a couples dance later on. (i may change a few things, not sure about exact times)

Ps-(we aren't doing garter/bouquet toss) also I was recently at a Friday wedding that had allotted 2 hours for all of the dances, garter toss, cake cutting, etc. I was having so much fun especially once we got to the faster songs. that I felt like I wanted more time..I guess that's better than being bored. but it left me thirsty for more lol.

My Only suggestion is to have the first dance Before the cake. You don't want cake up your nose while having your 1st dance.

The last wedding I went to, the bride and groom were introduced *after* they had spent an hour mingling with guests. Then they served food because everyone was starving, and everything was thrown off from there. Even the bride herself was confused about what was happening because the coordinator wasn't doing her job.

The most important thing to me *as a guest* is getting fed immediately after the ceremony. Not hors d'oeuvres, but real food. I can't enjoy anything if I'm hungry. What the bride and groom do with the rest of the timeline is up to them.

We have 10 passed hors d'oeuvres and a stationary display (vegetable crudite). (And a top shelf open bar!) We're also having an afternoon reception (12-5). If we're there at say 1:05, would you really be hungry as a guest to sit through the first dance before lunch is served?

Our reception is an hour away from the ceremony, so we're also contemplating snacks (say muffins/croissants) and coffee/tea for the ride. (It's an easy drive - mainly open highway and just a few turns.)

The best wedding I ever went to... the plated dinner was served throughout the night and I was able to dance between courses. I'd come back to my seat and food would be there. Is it really weird to have dinner spread out rather than served one course immediately following the next and have dancing following it all?

The receptions I have been to it kinda went like this:

intro of wedding party

first dance right after bride and groom are announced

bridal party dance (if there is one)

prayers/speeches

first course

father/daughter dance

second course

mother/son dance

then after that it was mostly free range dancing for an hour then cake cutting/bouquet toss/garter toss

and then more free dancing. I liked that there was a time for everything and that the main "dances" were during the dinner in between courses so there were people up milling around and each had their own "special time"

most venue places will work with you though and recommend different things its all about preference

@singing:

Typically the father/daughter and mother/son songs are done after dinner. The first dance can be done either before the meal (usually following the grand entrance), or after the meal. I prefer to do all the formal dances together.