Reception formalities

Not sure on the dances, but my venue has a specific time during the reception for when we cut the cake, and the first dance is typically done right after the grand entrance

Our venue typically does it like your original plan. We'll do our first dance after everyone is done with dinner but our father/daughter and mother/son dance is going during the same song and our first dance is only two minutes long because we're doing a fast waltz that's tiring to do for more than that long. So I'm only banking on the guests having to watch approx. 4 minutes of awkwardness.

I agree with the first dance, as soon as the bridal party enters. The party stood around one side of the dance floor, while we danced.

We didn't cut the cake until after the entrée course was eaten.

In my social circle, we always alternate periods of dancing - maybe 15 minutes each, with each course. I.e. our entrance, first dance, and some open to all dances. Then there were 2 toasts and a short prayer and the soup course was served. After that was eaten, parent dances, followed by open dancing, then the salad was served, etc.

I don't know when I've last attended a wedding were all the food was served at once, and then the dancing started later? At the wedding we attended a few months ago, we finnished dessert about half an hour before the reception ended.

We did all of our slow dances after the toasts kind of like your describing. We did 4 dedicated dances and there wasn't any problem. Peopled didn't necessarily have to watch us the whole time many people mingled by the bar if they weren't interested in that part. This is the only way I have ever seen a wedding reception go though.

Actually we did ours exactly how you just described, and it worked out great! By the time the guests had eaten and had a few drinks, they seemed happy. I didn't want to delay food, which is why we chose to have the dances after dinner. We made sure the songs didn't go past 3 minutes or so, so all three dances took less than 10 minutes.

I would spread the dances out a bit!

If anything, bring the first dance back to right after the grand entrance and either go right to cutting the cake, or cut the cake towards the end/right after dinner before moving on to the parent dances.

Our first dance is right after our grand entrance as well.

We're skipping all of the wedding formalities except for the first dance, which we're doing when dinner is winding up, hopefully right about sunset :-D

Here It's normal to have drinks reception and nibbles and then dinner called for half five/ six, 4 or 5 course meal, do speeches,cut cake and then the band set up,the first dance, then dancing till ten, the band take a brake and evening nibbles start, then the band play till about twelve followed by a dj. The odd time the speeches are done before the meal once everyone is seated, but not all hotels are keen on this,for timing purposes for the main course.

Our first dance is right after our entrance. Mostly because I didn't want our first dance pictures having a bunch of people stuffing their faces lol. Here is ours:

Cocktail Hour

Entrance

First Dance

Dinner

Toasts (Starts after the last table gets food)

(We are having a small 2 tiered cake for us then sheet cakes in the back that two staff members will be cutting during dinner. They will start bringing out slices after we officially cute the cake)

Cake Cutting

Father Daughter Dance

Mother Groom Dance

Open Dance Floor

We are doing our first dance right after our entrance, then cake cutting, toasts, and the rest of the dances. All of this is taking place while people are eating. We want to get it out of the way in the beginning. I think your plan should work out fine!

Agree with @Heather...spread the dances out a bit.