What To Include in Your Wedding Reception Timeline and How to Pick Your Reception Food

Happy Magazine Monday! Today we’re diving into all things wedding reception, from timelines to hors d’oeuvres.

No matter how much time you set aside for your reception, you’ll be surprised at how quickly it flies by. Whatever you include or don’t include at your reception will be decided by how many hours you have planned, or vice versa.

To Do or Not to Do a Receiving Line

The receiving line, if you choose to have one, can be very time-consuming. If you invited a lot of guests to your reception who weren’t already at your earlier events, you’ll want to plan on an hour or more to greet your guests as they arrive. If your reception is only two hours, your best move will be to set a clear timeline for when you’d like to be finished with the line and moving into other reception events.

Can I Have Your Attention Please

Cutting the cake is a big wedding tradition that everyone loves for a reason. This is a great way to get everyone’s attention before going into your dances! And then comes the bouquet and garter toss if you’re into that… Depending on how long it takes to wrangle the crowd, plan for 20 minutes!

Your first dance and parent dances at your reception are always a sweet moment for everyone (make sure you have tissues on hand). Your guests will be engaged and ready to enter the dance floor themselves right after this! Plan for at least 15 minutes.

Dance the Night Away

Your dance party will be the absolute highlight of your reception, and maybe even your whole wedding day. Plan accordingly! A dance party can take half an hour or more, depending on how hard you’re willing to party. The longer the dancing, the better, in our humble opinion; you only get a party like this once in your life!

And don’t forget the send-off, whether you’re headed to an after-party or leaving for your honeymoon. Give yourself time before to gather your stuff, change if you want to, and really take a moment to take it all in.

When everyone’s lining up, here’s where you can have a private last dance with your brand new spouse!

Read our article about your wedding dance party here!

What to Do for Your Wedding Reception Food

Beyond Dinner

Passed hors d’œuvres, charcuterie boards, dessert tables, taco trucks… The options are literally endless. So how do you choose what refreshments to have at your reception? You can have anything from interactive entrée stations that keep your guests well-fed to a s’mores bar by the fire pit.

Start with your favorite foods or cute nods to your love story. Was your first date at a creperie? Then crepes at your reception are a must-have. Do you love going to the movies together? Get a popcorn cart and candy station. There’s nothing that says you can’t serve chicken wings if you and your fiancé love to eat spicy… Just make sure you have hand wipes at every table!

How many guests will be there? Are they expecting dinner or just dessert? If you already had dinner earlier, odds are most of your guests won’t be ready for another entree later in the evening, so a classic donut wall or chocolate fountain could be fun. Everyone loves savory snacks, too; charcuterie is a popular option for a reason.

If you aren’t hosting a wedding dinner, then go for something more filling. Food trucks and buffet-style options are easy and delicious if your reception is at dinner time!

Late Night Snacks

One more thing to consider is how late your reception will be. If you’re planning on partying into the night, a lot of couples will opt for a late-night snack, like ordering pizza. If you and your guests will be drinking, it’s a good idea to have food available throughout the night, especially when you get hungry from breaking down the dance floor!

Candy Truck

Abby and Carter had the perfect pop of red at their wedding with a Swedish candy truck. But that’s not all; they also had a delicious pizza bar, cookies, and the cake of our dreams. Proof that you can have food that tastes good and looks even better!