Thoughts on the Wedding Receiving Line

While I do believe it is very important to thank your guests for coming to celebrate with you, it doesn’t have to be in what some would call an “old fashioned” traditional way. If you are looking for an alternative to the traditional, check out these ideas.

Dismiss Row by Row 

After the ceremony, before everyone begins to file out, the bride and groom will dismiss each row. This way you can say your hello’s, give hugs, kisses and thank them for making the trip to your perfect day. It’s nice to have appetizers or even your drink area available in the reception area for those that will be through with the meet and greet process. This will also give the bride and groom a few minutes when they are done to freshen up a bit before continuing the festivities. It might take up to 30 minutes (depending on guest count) for this “dismiss by row”, but then you won’t feel rushed later to make sure you haven’t missed anyone. Also, people will keep it short because they can see others waiting.

Visiting Tables During Reception

Visiting guests while they are eating their meal is probably the most popular. This works best if you have a smaller guest count. It’s easy to hand out your favors at this time too or maybe you would like your photographer to follow you around and get photos of you with your guests. Just remember that bride and groom need to eat also!

Serving Dessert to the Wedding Guests

Maybe you are not the hugging, touching type and just want to speak thank you to your sweet guests. Serving dessert is a great way to say thank you from across a table. Just hand them their delicious dessert with a smile and kind words.

Parents Greeting as Guests Arrive

Having the parents greet as guests arrive is a great idea. I actually did this at both of our daughters’ weddings and it was so much fun. This way the parents do not miss out on greeting the guests when the bride and groom elect to do it at a different time.

Greet at the Photo Booth

The photo booth is very popular these days and would make such a fun place to greet your guests. You could stand outside and greet or maybe climb in the booth alongside of them for some really fun photo opportunities!

There are lots of ways to say thank you to your sweet guests.   Do you have a receiving line option you would like to share?

Blessings,

Teri : )