Timing is Everything A RECEPTION TIMELINE
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our wedding reception should be a well-timed event. From cocktail hour to dinner and dancing to cutting the cake, everything should run on a precise schedule, which means you need to know what to do and when to do it. This article will break down the reception basics and help you plan your party hour by hour.
GET STARTED EARLY. Venue setup takes time and should be done well before the party starts. Your reception flowers and centerpieces should be in place at least an hour before the reception starts; the same goes for your wedding cake. Decorative elements like candles, chair covers and linens should be ready to go a day before the wedding. Banquet staff can arrange these elements for you. Then you and your planner can review the look and make any
necessary changes the day of your wedding — or even after the rehearsal dinner if everything is in place. If you leave these details to the last minute, you’ll feel hurried and frustrated, especially if something doesn’t go as planned.
HAVE A RECEPTION GAME PLAN. As with any event, you need to develop and write out a party plan. Make sure each person assigned to a job — from the bartender to the wait staff to the band leader — knows what’s expected of him or her. Write out the plan, review it with your vendors to foresee any problems, and then test the plan with a dry run a week or more before the wedding. Part of this test run should involve having a backup in case something doesn’t go as expected. Meet with your planner a few weeks prior to your big day, so you can map out the celebration hour by hour and area by
WRITTEN BY Kristen Castillo & Kelsey O’Shaughnessy-Podgorski | PHOTOGRAPHY BY Danielle Brown Photography
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