Important Parts of a Wedding Reception

Everyone looks forward to certain parts of the wedding reception. If the ceremony took a little while, many look forward to the food. But once everyone has gathered together again, it is time to really get the party started. Most of the time there are certain events that the bride, the groom, or both participate in. Every couple makes their own choice as to what to include, however these are some of the more traditional parts that typically make the cut.

The First Dance

Every couple gets an opportunity to share their first dance with all of their family and friends at the wedding reception. Usually the couple chooses a song that has some type of sentimental value or significance. While the dance itself is fairly traditional, some couples choose to make changes, including asking the groomsmen and bridesmaids to join in halfway through. Photographers look to capture several moments of the dance to preserve for future memories.

Cutting the Cake

With a large cake ready to be shared, the couple steps up and cuts it together. The couple always shares the first piece, with each person feeding a portion of the cake to the other. A bride and groom can use this romantic moment of their wedding reception to get cheers from the crowd as they tactfully share their dessert. On the other hand, there are couples that tend to feed their partner a piece of cake in a less than dignified manner. When this happens, once again the photographer will be on hand to capture every messy moment.

Garter and Bouquet

At some point during the wedding reception, the groom removes the garter from the leg of his new bride. This garter is then thrown out into a crowd of single men, gathered up at the front. With his back turned the groom tosses out the garter and all of the men compete (or avoid) the garter, depending on their personal preference for what it is said to mean.

Shortly after, the bride turns her back to all of the single women in attendance at the wedding reception. She tosses the bouquet over her shoulder and into the hands of an often-willing receiver. Here traditions tend to vary. Some groups have the garter placed on the leg of the woman that caught the bouquet. Others leave it as is and just get a shot of the bride, the groom, and the lucky single man and single woman.

Regardless of the traditions incorporated into the event, the goal is to have some time to celebrate with the new bride and groom. It is a chance for people to come together in a pleasant atmosphere to enjoy the uniting of two individuals and two families.