Take A Number Please!!

Have you ever been to a wedding where you felt like you had to take a number – just to give a quick “Hi” to the bride and groom?  Who hasn’t!?

With 15 years in the wedding industry I have seen a good mix of:

1. Brides that choose to have wedding lines – This is the “take a number, wait in line” feeling that guests often get. I have seen it all, including the all-out 15 person bridal party line complete with bridesmaids, groomsmen, and flower girls — these can last 3+ hours…  Is this what you want to be doing on your wedding day?!  The stereotypical Utah Reception Line comes because of the excessive guest list that many brides have.  It is not uncommon to send 500+ invitations.
2. Brides that choose not to have wedding lines – This is usually when the bride and groom have an intimate guest list and have a traditional celebration (wedding, pre-reception photos/cocktails, dinner, dancing).  They generally greet wedding guests during the dinner, cocktails, and dancing – whenever is conveniant.  There isn’t a set time or area blocked off for a formal greeting line).
3. A combination of having a line or not having a line – This is a great option when you may have a lot of guests, but you want the line very limited – usually just the bride and groom.  In this scenario, the bride and groom aren’t usually in a fixed location.  They spend a lot of their time moving about, greeting guests.  The parents and other wedding party members aren’t a part of the line and get to relax and enjoy the reception.

Having attended hundreds, if not thousands of weddings over the years including mine that was thrown in the middle there somewhere, it seemed like there were more people that did lines than didn’t.  Over the years, it has become more popular not to have a formal line.  The drawback of not having a line is – the more guests you invite, the more likely a line will form naturally.  Also, it is important to remember – your wedding guests have set aside part of their day to celebrate with you and it is important to acknowledge they came.

When brides choose a more intimate guest list and limit it to close family and friends, they have the opportunity to spend more time with each guest.  Another plus — more time for the bride and groom to enjoy the reception!

Think twice about how many people to include in your guest list.  The number of people you invite to your wedding and reception greatly impacts other decisions throughout the day.  If you have chosen to have a line, take into consideration those who will be part of the line.  I have seen people literally fall asleep (especially children) while standing in line and if you think a little ring bearer or flower girl can stand in line for more than 10 minutes you are going to have a big surprise.  Also consider your guests, they are there to see you and wish you well but they shouldn’t have to wait an hour to do so, their time is precious too.

If you plan on having a line and you also want to have dancing it is very important that you indicate that on your invitation.  I have been to many weddings where the bride and groom want to break to dance but the line is still going out the door.  Not only that but if you have a photographer or videographer at the reception it is likely you are paying them by the hour.

Wedding receptions can be a great place to catch up with old friends, meet new people and celebrate marriage but remember this is your day.  Make it magical, don’t feel like you have to give in to “tradition” just because that is what everyone else did.  Make is special for you because once it is over all you will have is the pictures and video to look back on and you probably would get bored watching yourself just standing in line.