- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee Blog
Having a large wedding often means that you won’t get a chance to lay eyes on each of your guests. We had two mechanisms to make sure we saw and said “thank you” to each and every person. We had the receiving line / photo booth at the entry and we did table visits. I first talked about table visits as a custom in Vietnamese wedding receptions way back when. We had 28 tables. If you estimate about two minutes per table, you’re getting pretty close to an hour of your reception. I can’t recall the exact amount of time it took to visit each table, but it was under one hour. Our table visit entourage included us, both sets of parents, one cousin to help with collecting gifts, a photographer, and a videographer.
Each table had a representative that spoke with us. We had lots of different types of interactions. Some tables gave us congratulatory words and advice for a good marriage.
Some tables flaunted the gifts they had for us and made us do stuff or answer questions to get the envelopes containing gifts.
To get our gifts, some tables made us prove our love by kissing.
Other tables made our parents kiss to prove their love for one another.
And other tables made Mr Hot Wings speak in Vietnamese to get the gifts. Thank goodness he had several Thank You phrases ready to go!
Lastly, we got a photo with each table, toasted with everyone, and we were on our way.
How are you planning to get face time with all of your guests?
*All photos by the ever fab Hanssie Trainor unless noted otherwise*
That’s awesome@ I really wish we would have went table by table 
Wow I’m so glad to hear that you got through the tables that quickly! We’re probably going to end up with somewhere around 18-20 tables and it is tradition in our family as well (we are Italian) to go table to table. I was worried about how much time it was going to take. Of course I want to see and visit with all of our guests, but I also want to enjoy our reception and more importantly… EAT SOMETHING! 
What a great idea for the parents to make the rounds with you!
It’s def an Asian tradition to do table visits. We had to do that too to get our “gifts.” Fortunately, it was tame and we only had to drink to collect the envelopes. Easy to do. LOL!
Yay, so glad you are back with the recaps!
Love these photos! I can’t believe you got to all your tables in an hour!
@TinyTina: @Miss Pony: I think we got through the tables quickly because a lot of the tables were really easy and took under 1 minute. Some tables took a little bit longer. So it worked out well.
@Mrs. Elephant: Our parents totally enjoyed it too!
@Ms. Sparkles: Thanks! I’m determined to finish these pronto!
What a terrific tradition! What a warm celebration your reception was!
I’m with Mrs. E! I love the idea of including parents in the table visits. I may have to do this myself!
It looks like you got to spend some quality time with your guests! I’m very thankful we had the opportunity to visit everyone as well.
Having a large wedding did leave me with the worry about how to get to talk to all our guests. We might employ your strategy, although we won’t be stopping to collect gifts, since that’s not an African-American tradition at the reception.
That 1st photo is so fun! We will also do table visits and I appreciate your post on how to pull it off successfully 
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Mrs. Hot Wings, Chicago/San Diego Age and Occupation: 28, Professor Fiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Instructor Engagement Date: December 20, 2008 Wedding Date: August 2010 Venue: Ocean View Villas/Jasmine Seafood Restaurant About Me: I am a psychology grad student living in Chicago and planning my wedding to a fellow psych grad student. I am a Sunny So-Cal bred gal who trudged across the country to follow her love of psychology and ended up finding a partner in the process. I am overly passionate about anything I involve myself with. I am an activist, a foodie, a reality TV watching junkie, an over-analyzer, a photography obsesser, and am utterly cheesy to the core. This is a story of what happens when a boy and a girl meet, fall in love over academic dorkiness, and a shared love for life. We (mostly I) are planning our semi-destination wedding in my hometown of San Diego. We are excited to bring our families and friends together from across our lifespans to celebrate our future in a grand 400+ person culturally blended affair!
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
Latest Gallery Pics