Hey Beautiful Readers!
In the heat of wedding planning, we often get caught up in the big moments and neglect some meticulous details. You’re busy reading blogs like mine, scrolling through Tik Tok and Instagram for inspiration, and following celebrity trends. And that is great - trust me, in no way am I telling you to stop… but, leaning on the experts you hire is critical to nailing the moments of wedding day that probably never even crossed your mind.
There are a number of critical transition periods throughout the wedding day. What do I mean by transitions? I mean those moments where you’re shifting the day from ceremony to cocktail hour, cocktail hour into the reception, from entrances to dinner & dinner to dancing. These are the “in-betweens” that most people don’t consider in their planning details.
It probably seems common, why not, right? Isn’t it obvious? Why do I need to plan for something when nothing is happening? Aren’t people just walking from place A to place B?
In very simple terms, yes. Guests, party members, family and the couple transition through each of these major milestone moments seamlessly - but behind the scenes there are a number of considerations that greatly enhance enjoyment and guest experience.
The bride and groom are still always, the guest of honor, when talking about “guest experience”.
CEREMONY TO COCKTAIL HOUR
Dare I say the “biggest” and most crucial transition period is ceremony to cocktail hour. I will spend the rest of my career attempting to find the perfect solution to the first bar line at a cocktail hour. After the beautiful nuptials, we all have one thing in mind when moving into the next part of the night: DRINKS! So naturally, the first place guests gravitate towards is the bar, coming just slightly above the grazing table or first server to circle the floor with a tray of dumplings.
This transition is commonly only for guests, as the couple - and often family and parties, may be taking photos and joining later, or not at all. A few basic tips include having pre-made cocktails, offering grab-your-own beer and seltzer, having multiple bars, or a signature drink seating chart (where guests will not only find their name, but each will have a drink they chose waiting for them as well), and of course, passed cocktails.
There are so many more I can’t wait to stumble across and work with. This is a huge moment in every wedding I coordinate and even attend. It offers the couple an opportunity to be very creative and lean on their coordinator's support to ensure it is not only a fun transition but one that logistically makes sense.
The same thing goes for food; Grazing stations are a great way to draw guests away from pouncing on servers walking around with small bites, and limit the pace at which the servers come out - people will generally clear the trays for the entire hour of cocktail time - so make sure that they don’t go rushing out first just because people are eating fast.
FROM COCKTAIL TO RECEPTION
Here’s one I bet most of you don’t even think twice about. But I’ll tell you why you have to. Generally this transition happens out of the blue and guests are mid-conversation. Some of them may need to refresh their drinks, generally the beginning minutes of the reception include entrances, dances, maybe a toast and speeches too. People want to be able to sip on a cocktail and toast the happy couple, so they want a fresh beverage.
My first piece of advice here is to have your Day Of Coordinator open the reception 10-15 minutes before your timeline is slated for your reception to start. This will allow people to move slowly and freely at generally their own pace and still keep you on track. This also allows guests to make one final pit stop at the bar and freshen up.
As a coordinator, I encourage guests to do so - and I give a brief explanation of what is to expect in the coming moments so they have a good understanding in case they need to use the restroom or do anything else.
Guests will also meander around the venue and inevitably need a reminder that it’s time to move, the best case scenario in this situation is ensuring that the couple and the bridal party are the first to leave cocktail hour and get ready for their reception entrance to encourage other guests to follow suit.
Make sure your bartenders are prepared for this final rush, just as they were for the earlier rush. The line will be longer than usual at this one particular time, and you don’t want that to delay your timeline at all.
FROM ENTRANCES TO DINNER & DINNER TO DANCING
So now you’ve entered the reception, what comes next? These next two transitional phases go hand in hand and are heavily dependent upon what you do before, vs during and after dinner. I will spend a whole blog's worth in the future discussing the endless possibilities to consider when crafting your reception timeline, but for now, we’ll focus on just the in-between moments.
Some couples like to get people dancing, get a few more drinks in them, and then sit everyone down for the meal. On the contrary, other couples will knock out dances and speeches right away, go into dinner, and then have the rest of the night for open dancing. There is no right or wrong way (as always) but it is important to make sure the flow is seamless for you and your guests.
The most successful receptions are guided by bands or DJ’s with a strong microphone presence and a great handle on your timeline. Have them make an announcement when they reach their seats to please rise for entrances, maybe sit back down for first dances. If you wanted all of your guests to circle the dancefloor for your first dance, have them say that. It might sound commonplace, but not all of them will interject and “MC” the night if you don’t encourage them to! Get them involved, it makes their night much more fun too!
If you are eager to get through the fluff and dinner to make it to dancing, I recommend having a strict cut off time where the entertainer knows that the vibe in the music goes up - and you will immediately hear your cue to hit the dancefloor.
As a general rule of thumb, if the couple is on the dancefloor, guests will follow. Work with your venue staff on a dinner timeline that allows servers effective but efficient work flow, and also gives your guests time to enjoy and digest before they bust a move! I will also go into all the different unique ways we can indicate meal choices for guests in next week's My Pinterest Faves - Part 3; which helps servers speed up if you’re doing a plated meal.
THE VERY END OF THE NIGHT
There is one final transition to consider and that is your exit. Yes - you plan the moment, whether that be sparklers, bubbles, a getaway car - maybe an outfit change - you name it, people have done it; but getting your guests from the dancefloor to the exit line is no small feat - especially after an open bar.
Make sure your DJ calls last call 30 minutes prior to the end of your event so everyone can grab one final cocktail and still be front and center for your final song of the night. Having one final dancing song is a call to bring the couple back to the center of the dancefloor together, and generally encourages all guests to get up and join them in one final sing-a-long.
After this happens, it is best to have the lights turned on, music turned off and have your Coordinator guide guests to the exit area. Guests will need a minute or two to collect their belongings, women may have taken their shoes off and bags or phones are probably at the table. So always account for these few extra minutes before you can actually line up for the exit - couples may want to have a private last dance or moment before officially exiting for the night so providing clear directions to guests will be key in having them make a swift exit.
CRAZY RIGHT?
I am sure it sounds overwhelming to consider planning for transitional periods between the portions of your wedding day, but it is truly a make or break moment in upholding your timeline and providing a seamless guest experience with the utmost enjoyment and time for celebration.
Hiring a coordinator and planner, as well as a tried and true entertainer and an efficient bartender and service staff are pinnacle decisions along the way to achieve this. If you’re unsure where to start, ask for help - and always put yourself in your guests' shoes for a true sense of what the experience will feel like.
As you are reading my blogs, what are some things you did in your own wedding that improved your transitions? What did you forget? And if you’re currently planning - did this encourage you to think twice about some menial moment decisions?
I hope all of the above for my readers - past, present, and future brides. I can’t wait to keep sharing knowledge with you all. See you next week.
Xoxo,
Alyssa
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