Wedding Blog
I’ve been thinking about our timeline lately and how I see the day progressing. This has, in turn, brought up the debate about the Receiving Line.
Traditionally, you would greet all your guests as they exit the church after the ceremony. It takes a while, but it’s a great way to thank all your friends and family for being there to celebrate with you and for you to be sure not to miss anyone.
The other common option is to visit all the tables and chat with your guests during dinner. Here’s the thing with that option – this girl likes her food :). And as much as I want to thank all our guests, I also really want to eat. So this is a mediocre option, at best.
Since we are having the majority of our photos done prior to the ceremony, we should have time to ‘enjoy’ our cocktail hour (less a few rounds of family pics) and I think this would be the perfect time to meet and greet all our guests (with a glass of celebratory champagne in hand, of course)! This way our guests don’t have to ‘wait’ in line to talk to us and can go grab a cool beverage and enjoy the boat and lake while we make our rounds.
What do you think? Are you doing a traditional receiving line?
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I’m thinking of doing the same thing. We’re going to take pics after church and I hope to be done by the time our cocktail hour rolls around. I don’t want to miss cocktail hour (b/c it’s going to be fab!) so my thought was put a disclaimer at the bottom of the ceremony program saying there won’t be a receiving line after the ceremony, we look forward to seeing you at cocktails.
We are doing EXACTLY the same thing….actually going to our cocktail hour to spend time with our guests rather than a receiving line!
I’ve never been to a wedding with a traditional receiving line, so I’m not sure how they work. I think we’ll probably do something less formal. Your solution sounds good.
We are doing our photos 1st than the ceremony than reception and there is going to be 1 hour between the ceremony and reception time (same location) that we will enjoy drinks and spend with our guests togther before we sit and eat
We’re not doing a receiving line and am also hoping to catch up w/ our guests during the cocktail hr.
I don’t know what it’s called but I’ve been to plenty of weddings where there’s an “exit line”, where at the end of the reception, the bride/groom & immediate family members lined up at the exit and give every guests one last hug…, albeit it’s at the end of the reception. I’m thinking of doing that also.
Ditto for us! We’ll be doing the exact same thing. I think it’s going to be wonderful to greet our guests with bubbly in hand and enjoying the lovely hors d’ouerves we’re paying for! :0)
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I am doing the same thing. And let’s be honest receiving lines are SOO awkward. I will never forget when I went to a wedding with my now FI. I’d never met the bride, groom, his or her family or anyone so I’m just introducing myself to complete strangers as the GF of someone they don’t know. Only saving grace was the bride’s brother is FI’s best friend so when we got to him he could at least introduce me. They are now allll attending our wedding three years later and I’m not putting them through that =)
Also, our minister told us with our guest list it could take an hour plus
We skipped the formal receiving line to mingle with the guests during cocktail hour. We planned to visit each of the 15 tables during dinner but quickly decided against it when we realized that people were up mingling and dancing. We decided to divide and conquer the room so between us and our parents, I think each guest was greeted. But don’t beat yourself up if you can’t talk to each guest. They will understand!
Gloss, we did this for our wedding and it worked out really well, but we had a small guest list. We also didn’t end up “mingling” as much because people were so eager to see us after the ceremony and congratulate us and hug us, they started lining up on their own!
We’re planning on using the cocktail hour to thank our guests too, I find the receiving line to be annoying
During cocktail hour can be a GREAT idea. My freind did that. She got married and then my freind and I went and ate and had a drink… in what seemed like no time, the bride and groom appeared and they walked around to all the little tables and groups and said hello to everyone. It was really nice. No one had to stand and weight in line and they got to eat thier dinner. I think cocktail hour is the way to go! 
i’ve been to one wedding with a receiving line and it took FOREVER to get out of the church. so i just hung back in the multi-purpose room for the crowd to die down. didn’t get to greet the couple but i also didn’t want to hurt anyone from waiting too long.
one friend of mine excused guests from the pews after walking down the aisle. that was cool and didn’t take long at all. plus, at least you can sit down until it’s your turn to go.
other friends have done the table visits but were able to eat beforehand [with buffets, they were served first so had plenty of time to enjoy their meals while everyone else went through the line].
i did have a friend who did the cocktail hour mingle. that was great and probably something i’d like to do. i think everyone got a chance to talk to them that way
We’re not doing a receiving line. I just find them awkward, mainly because usually it’s weird greeting the rest of the wedding party that most people don’t even know. Instead, we are planning on (just the two of us) releasing everyone from the ceremony row by row. It might be time consuming, but I really want to make sure that we get a chance to thank EVERYONE for being there.
We did a receiving line with a twist. We had our wedding in a chapel and then a reception at a historic inn. We left the church first (did pictures before ceremony) and got back to our reception site first. We then greeted our guests at the door as though we were welcoming them into our home. B/c guests were driving, their arrivals were perfectly staggered. No jams at the door.
I loved it and would have had it no other way! It was such a warm and welcoming experience to get to individually hug and see each of our guests and not just “make the rounds.”
That being said I think the receiving line worked b/c of a few things…1) it was just us. No parents, no bridesmaids, no family members. Just us. This keeps the line moving quickly and there is no awkwardness for your guests since hypothetically they all know you and want to see you! 2) We had a small wedding. I wouldn’t have done it if we had 200 guests.
Another option to consider is a “receiving line” into dinner from the cocktail time. Our guests mingled with us during cocktails, then my FI and I just stationed ourselves at the entrance to the banquet hall, and greeted everyone as they entered for dinner. We had about 150 people and got through the line in no more than 30 minutes, and since people were mingling during cocktails, they didn’t have to feel obligated to stand in a boring line for too long - they just headed towards the door when they wanted to go in and sit. There was no way we would have had a chance to go and greet each table during the dinner, and we really wanted to make sure we saw everyone!
I think we’re going to have a recieving line. I want to be sure to see each person for at least a second of face time. I’ve actually always enjyoyed having an opportunity to meet and thank the parents at friends weddings I go to. Otherwise it seems sort of weird not to actually introduce yourself to all of the hosts. I think the post cocktails, pre-dinner is when we’re going to do it.
i personally disliked receiving lines as a guest. thankfully we’re having only 40 people, so it’s easy to mingle. AND we have an after-party!
I haven’t decided. We’re inviting like 250 people, so the idea of it right now makes my head spin!
We’re planning on mingling during our cocktail hour too, thanks to taking pics prior to the ceremony. But since our wedding and reception are at the same venue (wedding outside, reception inside), we’ll be greeting guests casually as they walk into the structure from the gardens since we’ll beat them in.
I am still unsure how to gracefully get the guests from the various parlors to the ballroom for dinner and dancing after the cocktail hour. Does that just happen naturally and quietly because people see others moving into a different part of the venue?
We had a mini-reciving line - My brand new husband and I stopped at the doors of the church as we recessed after the ceremony and greeted our guests as they exited the church. This worked great for us, (and guests commented that they loved it!) because we got to greet everyone without holding things up too much cause it was just the 2 of us and only 90 guests.
I don’t know where I heard it… maybe on smitten kitchen?, but I love this idea! Whomever it was, they had baked their own cake with a friend, and then instead of a receiving line, husband and wife stood at the cake table and people lined up to get their cake. So the guests got to say hi individually and the couple was able to say thank you and give them cake!
Miss Gloss - I’m doing what you’re planning. Though technically since it’s a destination wedding I’ll be mingling all weekend with the folks. That gives everyone more time to PARTY! I picture the delish foods that will be in our buffet and I don’t want to miss a single bite, haha. Nor do I want to sneak up behind guests that are eating for a photo op 
I’m not a fan of receiving lines. Having been a date or a co-worker at many weddings, it’s so awkward making small talk with whomever you’re stopped in front of on your way to the couple. I don’t plan on having one, partially because it will take forever with 200+ people and partially because my dad’s right hand has an old injury and rough/too hard handshakes cause him serious pain. And men can be rude like that, with the vise grip handshake. Jerks.
I like the welcoming people to the reception site idea! But in those cases do couples still do the “Announcing Mr. and Mrs. _____” and make a grand entrance?
I hadn’t even thought of the possibility of enjoying the cocktail hour (more as a distraction for our guests while we are getting our photos done) but now that you’ve brought the idea to light, why wouldn’t you take this time to enjoy your guests and extreme happiness with those you love most.
However, you said that you’re planning on doing most of your photos prior to the ceremony, I assume that means that Mr. Gloss will see you before your walk down the aisle?
I went to a wedding about a year ago where the receiving line was on the way into the reception and that subsequently caused a long line to get in. I think it was enjoyable for the parents and bride and groom, not so much for the guests.
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Mrs. Gloss, Boston/Maine
Age and Occupation: 24, Designer/soon-to-be Architect
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Systems Engineer
Engagement Date: May 23, 2008
Wedding Date: August 2009
Venue: SS Katahdin/Lakeside Tent
About Me: I don't like nickels or the skin that forms on pudding when it's in the fridge for too long. I couldn't live without Pantone markers, fountain soda (3/4 diet, ¼ regular Coke), run-on sentences, or ridiculously oversized sunglasses. I will try to DIY almost anything and am just OCD enough to make most of it work. I am truly excited about having all my family and friends together, becoming Mrs. Gloss, and having amazing photos to prove it!
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