With an assortment of events taking place throughout the course of the evening, preparing a list detailing the time and order of all that is to take place during the wedding reception will help to keep things progressing in a methodical manner. The running order of your reception can vary according to your preference, but a typical schedule of a traditional banquet celebration is as follows.
- While the intimate session of the formal photography with the bride and groom at the ceremony site is being completed, the guests will mingle at the reception hall where cocktails and appetizers are normally served during the cocktail hour.
- The announcements follow the cocktail hour at the arrival of the bride and groom. The DJ or elected presenter will first introduce the members of the bridal party in successive order as they enter the room, followed by the grand entrance of the newlyweds.
- Speeches and champagne toasts ensue once the bride and groom and the rest of the bridal party settle at the head table. Usually, the best man is the first to speak or the bride’s father. Then, other bridal party members may opt to speak, and next it is open for guests to say a few words. The bride and groom typically conclude the speeches. As an option in the order of events, the banquet meals can be served prior to the champagne toast, with speeches and toasting occurring afterwards.
- If you choose to do the champagne toast after the newlyweds make their grand entrance, the banquet celebration will follow, beginning with the bride and groom indulging first, then the remainder of the members at the head table. The DJ or other appointed person can announce how the rest of the group can enter the buffet line, unless the meals are being served at the table.
- Cutting the wedding cake is next on the list, shortly after all the guests have finished their meals. Feeding each other with the first slice is customary.
- The bouquet toss is usually next, followed by the garter removal and the garter toss. Immediately after the tosses, the photographer should capture posed photos of the couple and the two who caught the bridal bouquet and garter.
- The first dance between the bride and groom occurs once the bouquet and garter toss photos have been taken.
- Ordinarily, directly after the groom, the father of the bride will step onto the dance floor and have the next dance with his daughter.
- The groom and his mother will have the floor for the third song. Sometimes, the bride and her father will remain on the dance floor with the groom and his mother. Switching partners can occur for the subsequent song.
- At the conclusion of the bride and groom dancing with their parents and at the invitation of the announcer, the bridal party will join in on the dance floor.
- If a money dance has been scheduled, it’s usually a good idea to have it at the close of the bridal party dance.
- The dance floor opens to all the guests after the completion of the bridal party and money dances. The formalities of the reception have concluded at this time and the atmosphere of the celebration launches to a new height.
Organizing the order of events for the reception will help keep the night flowing smoothly. As an extra benefit, it will also allow you to pace the evening to coincide with the allotted time you contracted for at the banquet facility. Furthermore, creating a running order schedule of the reception events is a handy item for the DJ or appointed announcer to maintain in his possession throughout the night so as to be able to announce the activities as you want them to occur. Finally, and equally important, a list describing both the wedding ceremony running order and the reception constructs an overall picture of the wedding day as a whole, offering confidence to the bride and groom that their wedding plans will develop exactly how they envisioned them.
Simple Beach Weddings in Lake Tahoe
There’s no need for a lot of planning if you’d like a simple beach wedding in Lake Tahoe. In fact, there’s no planning at all as our staff at Alpenglow Weddings can arrange everything for you, allowing you to experience an effortless and stress free wedding day in Tahoe. For potential ceremony venue ideas, go to our website and visit the various unique outdoor wedding locations in Northern California and Nevada that we have to offer.
