Important Wedding Reception Features
Though nearly every detail of a wedding ceremony is usually planned down to the minute, sometimes there is a lack of planning when it comes to the wedding receptions. Once the ceremony is over and the guests and wedding party arrive at the scene of the wedding receptions there is usually a sense of relief. The more casual atmosphere at the reception is usually to blame for the casual attitude of planning and organizing the events of the wedding reception. Oftentimes, things get overlooked.
Optional wedding reception features that can sometimes be overlooked:
The First Dance
Usually a dance featuring the bride and groom takes place before the dance floor is opened up for the use by guests.
Parental Dances
Following the first dance, the bride will often dance with her father and the groom may dance with his mother.
The Money Dance
A money dance is when guests approach the dance floor and pay a fee as an additional gift for the privilege of dancing with either the bride and/or the groom. Often the money is taped to the clothes that the bride and groom are wearing.
The Toasts
Toasts and/or short speeches are made traditionally by the Best Man as well as the Maid/Matron of Honour. Others who sometimes make speeches at the wedding reception include; The bride or groom, the father of the bride, the father of the groom, the minister, bridesmaids, groomsmen, and siblings of the bride and groom.
The Throwing of the Bouquet
At some point, usually on the dance floor, the bride will face away from a grouping of all the single women in attendance and throw the bouquet over her head towards them. The women scramble for the bouquet and the one who catches it is said to be next in line to be married.
The Removal and Tossing of the Garter
Similarly to the throwing of the bouquet, the groom will remove the garter from the leg of the bride and toss it in the air to a group of single men gathered on the dance floor. The men try to catch the garter and it is said that the one who does will be the next to be married.
The Cutting and Feeding of the Cake
The bride and groom traditionally cut the first pieces of the wedding cake and then feed each other the first bite. This is sometimes done gently and carefully, and sometimes with encouragement from the attendees either the bride or groom or both will attempt to force the cake and frosting into the fact of the other.
The Clinking of the Glasses
Occasionally attendees of the wedding reception will repeatedly clink their glasses with a spoon. The noise will grow as more and more people will join in and the only way for this behavior to be stopped is for the bride and groom to kiss, which is usually followed by applause.
With proper planning by those involved, the wedding reception will be looked back on as an amazing event. The festivities are often enhanced by inclusion of some or all of these traditions.
