Wedding Reception Ideas
Cocktail Music
While the guests arrive, we are playing either a light, popular jazz, classical, or a light, rock-soul and oldies mix. Because your guests are spending this time conversing with friends and relatives that they may have not see in a while, we try to keep the music low-key and our volumes unobtrusive.
Receiving Line
In most receptions the receiving line is done at the church as the guests leave, but this can also be done in conjunction with the introductions or alone. The bride, groom, and parents will line up and greet the guests as they go through the line. This is a great time to say "thank you" to all of your guests for attending your special day.
Blessing
Once your bridal party attendants are at the head table, your entertainer will ask a guest (someone selected prior to reception - parent, friend, grandparent, uncle, priest, etc.) by name to say the blessing. Once the blessing is complete, your entertainer will now draw the attention to the person who is proposing the toast.
Toast
This is usually done by the best man. We will announce the toast several minutes before it happens to insure that all of the guests have a full glass.
Cake Cutting
This takes place after dinner just prior to the bride and groom's first dance. Your music selections for the cake cutting can either be background music or traditional (bride cuts the cake). We will coordinate with your photographer to when is the proper time to begin the music for this traditional moment, and some entertainer's will ask your guests to gather around for pictures at this time.
First Dance
The bride and groom select this song prior to their wedding date. This song should be well thought out, and define something special about the two of you. This dance can take place either after the cake cutting, or it may have take place after the grand march..
Parents Dances
After the bride and groom have danced their first dance as husband and wife, they may want to dance with their parents. If these dances are occurring the bride will first dance with her father, and then the groom will follow by escorting his mother to the dance floor for their special dance together. At times their have been instances where someone else has danced in the place of either parent.
Wedding Party Dance
Once the parent's dance has been completed, the bride and groom may want to have the entire wedding party come to the dance floor for the wedding party dance. This dance can also take place during the bride and groom's first dance, where the bride and groom's first dance will be split 50/50, and the wedding party will be asked to join our bride and groom on the dance floor.
Let's Dance
After the formal dances have been completed, we will invite everyone to join in on the dance floor. In the beginning of the reception, we usually play a lot of popular music to get everyone involved in dancing, usually a mix of oldies works best, but we are always open to requests and suggestions. A list of your ideas and suggestions usually works best, as we are not only interested in what you would like to have played, we are also interested in the songs that you do not want to hear, but please take into consideration the music preferences of your guests when eliminating song titles.
Anniversary Dance
This is a special dance that has been done in many ways. The way we like to do this is we invite the bride and groom to the dance floor, and in doing so we also invite all of the married couples in attendance to join the bride and groom on the dance floor. Once every married couple is dancing to a slow song we ask for anyone who has been married for one day or less (usually it's the bride and groom, unless one of your guests got married that day & we didn't know about it!!) to please make their way to the side of the dance floor, so that we may form a circle around the dance floor with other guests who will soon be eliminated. Other guest's will be eliminated by five year intervals, until we end up with the couple that has been married the longest, and then we ask the bride and groom to join this couple. A nice touch to this dance that we have seen is the bride and groom presenting this couple with either roses or champagne (the bride and groom may know who this couple will be through their invitations).
Bouquet and Garter Toss
At this moment your entertainer will ask the bride and groom to make their way to the dance floor for the Garter & Bouquet ceremony. Your photographer will probably pose you prior to the music begins for this ceremony. Once the groom has removed the garter your entertainer will ask for all single ladies to please make their way to the dance floor, so that our bride may toss her bouquet. Once we have a recipient of the bouquet it is time for the groom to toss the garter. Once we have the recipient's of the garter & bouquet, it is time for us to have a little fun!!! don't worry it will be done tastefully, and we will use the best discretion, if a younger guest catches either the garter or bouquet. If a young guest is found to be the recipient, your entertainer will just ask for the recipients to pose with the bride and groom, and in this case also we are always open for suggestions and ideas.
Back to Dancing
As the reception progresses, so will the music that will appeal toward the bride and groom's friends. However, we still mix in a few popular oldies to keep everyone involved.