Even if you’ve been to hundreds of weddings, planning the 
timeline and running order of your own wedding reception can be confusing and frustrating. Here is a simple, seven step guide to a traditional reception and the order of events:
Step 1 – The Receiving Line
Traditionally, the bridal party are the first to enter the reception venue, and they form a receiving line just inside the entrance for guests to pass along as they arrive. Some brides choose to keep the receiving line until later in the reception; having it when the guests are on their way to the wedding breakfast.
Another modern alternative is for the bride and groom to sneak off for some photos between the ceremony and reception, meaning that their guests are already at the reception venue when they arrive. Their entrance is announced along with key members of the bridal party.
Step 2 – Drinks Reception and Photographs
After passing through the receiving line, your guests have the chance to mingle and drink a glass or two of champagne or your perhaps signature cocktail, combined with a few tasty nibbles. This is a good opportunity to gather them together for the group photos, while everyone is still looking their best.
Step 3 – The Wedding Breakfast
The next step is the wedding breakfast. Guests find out where they are sitting using a displayed seating plan, or escort cards that they pick up at the entrance to the dining area. Guests are usually seated first, and they stand up as the bridal party enters to sit at the top table.
Step 4 – Toasts and speeches
It is customary for the speeches to follow the wedding breakfast, perhaps beginning while guests are having coffee, although some modern couples prefer to spread the speeches out and have one between each course. There are usually three speeches, with toasts at the end of each. The bride’s father usually makes the first speech, followed by the groom, and finally the best man.
Step 5 – Cutting the cake
Cutting and sharing the wedding cake symbolises the bride and groom wanting to share the rest of their lives together. They should cut the bottom layer of the cake, with the groom’s hand placed over the bride’s on the knife. The bride should feed the groom with a piece of cake first and then he should return the favour. Some couples choose to cut the cake during the wedding breakfast and then serve the cake as dessert, while others just take part in the cake cutting ceremony and then have the cake cut up later for guests to take home.
Step 6 – The First Dance
Once the wedding breakfast is over, and in some cases the table are cleared away, the dancing can begin. A special song is chosen for the bride and groom to dance together for the first time as a married couple, and sometimes the best man and maid of honour are asked to join in part way through the song. Many couples take dance lessons in the run up to the wedding to make their first dance something truly spectacular.
After the first dance, the bride should dance with her father, the groom’s father, and the best man, and the groom should dance with his mother, the bride’s mother and the maid of honour.
Step 7 – Making an Exit
he custom of leaving the reception early is losing popularity as couples want to carry on partying into the small hours with their guests. However, some do still set off on honeymoon or to their hotel an hour or two after the first dance. While they are changing into different outfits, their transport is traditionally adorned with tin cans and streamers, and as they leave the building the bride throws her bouquet, to be caught by one of the single female guests.