Wedding Reception Timeline

If your like most Brides or Grooms, this is your first Wedding and you have no idea how a reception should flow. When do you have the toast? Do we do our first dance right away? How long should I plan for dinner?

These are all great questions, ones I get asked frequently. Some of you went out and bought a Wedding Planning Book which should have some tips in there, but if not I have listed below a typical reception. (Now every Wedding is different and you certainly have creative control on how you want your Wedding to flow so this is more of a template to work with.)

Typical Four Hour Wedding Reception

6:00pm = Reception Starts with Cocktail Hour
6:45pm = Bridal Party Introductions
6:50pm = Blessing or Welcome
6:55pm = Dinner Served
7:45pm = First Dance
7:50pm = Father/Daughter Dance
7:55pm = Mother/Son Dance
8:00pm = Dancing Begins
8:30pm = Toast
8:35pm = Cake
8:40pm = Dancing
9:15pm = Bouquet/Garter Toss
9:20pm = Dancing
9:55pm = Last Dance
10:00pm = Reception Ends

Money Saving Idea – Wedding Cake

Since I arrive 2-3 hours early at every Wedding to setup the sound and/or lighting system, I get an opportunity to see the all the decorations, table arrangements and especially the cake before anyone arrives. Normally the cake is delivered while I’m setting up, so I get a chance to talk with the cake designers about the cake. At a Wedding a few weeks ago, I noticed something different. The cake was a lot smaller than usual and I asked the bakers if it’s going to be enough cake to feed the 150 people that was expected to be there. They said “Yes” , but not from this cake. This cake is for the Bride and Groom to cut and eat and everyone else will be served sheet cake that was already pre-cut and ready to serve right after the bride and groom cut their smaller cake. I was skeptical on how the cake would taste, but it was one of the best tasting wedding cakes I’ve ever tasted… even if it was from a standard buttercream sheet cake.

Outdoor Weddings

If your like most brides, you have been thinking about this day for a very long time. You have thought about all the little details from the cake, to your dress and even where you like to have your ceremony. Outdoor Weddings in the summer time can be gorgeous… at least that’s the way you imagined it. But always have a Plan B as bad weather is never your friend on your Wedding Day. Over 50% of the outdoor Weddings that I setup the sound system for it has rained. So if your planning an outdoor wedding here is my advice:

1. Have a back-up location for the ceremony in case of heavy sustainable rain. This could be a tent, a nearby building or your reception hall.
2. Buy a couple of cheap umbrellas to have on hand for your guest, just in case.
3. Bug Spray the bottom of the chairs (underneath where you sit) unless someone in your wedding party is allergic to it. Especially if your ceremony is near water.
4. Never light a unity candle outside (it will not stay lit even with a hurricane glass) instead mix colored sand together.
5. Keep your ceremony short. 20 Minutes or less. Your elderly guest will thank you. Also, it gets hot standing in the heat of summer especially if your nervous and in a black three-piece tux or a dress that you can barely breath in. You don’t want to faint. I’ve seen this happen…it’s not pretty.
6. Have ice cold bottle water for your guest to enjoy before the ceremony.
7. If you can, stay in an air conditioned room before the ceremony. If you have to be outside for pictures before your ceremony have a small hand towel to help blot your sweat so your don’t ruin your make-up. A small battery powered handheld fan may help to.

Six Years in Business

King Studios DJ Services started in Feb 2003 and after six years in business I have preformed at over 100 Weddings around the Shenandoah Valley. During this time I have preformed at over 50 different venues ranging from Resorts, Country Clubs, Hotels, Vineyards and even backyards. So I wanted to start a blog on the different Weddings and Event that I have preformed at to give you a sense of what my services can offer you. I don’t advertise in the traditional sense (Yellow Pages) because the majority of my business comes from referrals (which is the best form of advertising). Check out my website at www.djyourwedding.com or call 1-866-708-6574 for more information.

Candy Wedding Favors

At many Weddings Brides and Grooms provide their guest with a little memento as a way to say “thanks for coming”. Normally this is in the form of mints in a tin. At some Weddings I have even seen gourmet cookies with the Bride and Grooms monogram. But at this particular Wedding they treated their guest to a “create-your-own” candy favor. They had a table designed like a candy shop with many different styles of candies (Skittles, M&Ms, Ike & Mikes, Runtz, etc) and guest would grab a chinese take out box and load it up with whatever they liked best or a mix of all of them. Needless to say this was a hit with all the kids there.

The Best Garter Toss Idea

Last week I saw the funniest garter toss ever. The Groom loved working on cars and decided to incorporate that into the garter toss. When it’s time to toss the garter, most Grooms just get down on one knee and pull it off, however this Groom decided on a different route. The bride was sitting in the chair waiting for the Groom to take the garter off when out of no where he slides across the floor on a creeper (see picture) and begins to go to work. While “under the hood” he yells at his best man…”This job is going to require some tools”. His best man runs over with a tool box and starts pouring tools on the floor. Everyone is laughing as he hands him a pair of pliers and a flashlight.

I have seen some Grooms use their teeth to remove the garter, but never tools.