Reception Timing: First Dance? Toasts? Food?

[sungela]

Hey everybody,

Quick question: what was/will be the schedule for your reception? According to my extensive Google search, there is no one proper etiquette for slating the first dance, opening of the buffet/serving of first course, toasts, etc. So I'm interested in a survey. Did you eat first, than dance? Do the first dance, eat, then the rest of the dances? Toast, eat, toast, dance?

Graphical representation:

 

[wendy46001]

Our reception timing had a lot to do with the hour as we didn’t want people to eat dinner to much after 10pm so it kind of went

Announced wedding party
Bride and Groom First dance
Welcome toast
Dinner, actually happened around 10:15
Father Daughter dance
open dance floor
Best man/Maid of honor toasts
cake cutting
more dancing
bouquet toss
more dancing

 

[PrincessBride010103]

Ours went something like this:

-Announced in
-First Dance
-BM/MOH/Groom Speech
-Welcome Toast
-Dinner
-Father/Daughter Dance
-Mother/Son Dance
-Bridal Party Dance
-Open Dance Floor
-Marriage Appreciation Dance
-Mickey & Minnie Announced In
-Cake Cutting
-Bouquet Toss
-Garter Toss
-Reverse Garter
-More Open Dance Floor
-Last Dance

 

[lurkyloo]

A lot of it does depend on how soon your guests need to eat! We didn't want ours to be starving (never mind that some of them filled up on pre-reception food!), we didn't have any dancing besides the first dances, and we didn't do any tossing, so ours went like this:

- Arrive/Mingle
- Bride/Groom first dance
- Toasts & blessing
- Eat
- Father-daughter dance
- Mother-son dance
- Mingle
- Cake cutting
- Mingle
- Nap time!

 

[Mumofthebride]

For DD's Reception, we are doing it like a traditional Engish Wedding.

The afternoon reception is just dinner and speaches. Then we follow that with a Wishes buffet at Sago Cay. Then to finish we have a dance party till 12:30


Kim