It’s another installment of Bridal Bliss and this time it’s all about receiving lines! Don’t know what a receiving line is?? Not sure whether or not you should have one on your wedding day? Let’s answer some of those questions right now. 🙂

In short, a receiving line is a way for a couple to meet and greet every guest at their wedding ceremony. They literally “receive” their guests, giving lots of hugs and kisses, and quickly exchange a few words with each person. Some couples have their guests line up to greet them. Some couples receive their guests by dismissing pews or rows. Whichever way it’s done, it truly is a good way for the couple to see a majority of their wedding guests.

BUT receiving lines do increase the time between the ceremony and reception, they can take away from time with your photographer and they can create some awkward moments, which is why more and more couples question them. After photographing over 70 weddings, here’s my take on how to handle the receiving line situation…

1. Keep it minimal! Instead of standing at the back of the church or behind the last row of chairs, consider dismissing your guests row by row…just you and your new spouse. It’ll keep the number of people your guests have to greet to a minimum and it’ll prevent them from physically standing and waiting in a line (who likes to wait in line anyway?).

2. The couple and parents only! If you opt for a traditional receiving line and want to keep it as short and swift as possible, only include the couple in the actual line…and at most, add the parents of the couple. Avoid awkward moments and long delays by keeping your wedding party out of the receiving line. Your bridesmaids and groomsmen probably don’t know a large majority of your guests and they can probably be more helpful at corralling people for your grand ceremony area exit or directing them to the cocktail hour/reception. I bet you cut the receiving line time in half just by removing the wedding party.

3. Don’t be afraid…to cut the receiving line completely! Of course it’s important to greet all your guests and thank them for coming, but you can do it at the reception if you reserve that time. Keep in mind, however, that greeting 200+ guests at a reception will be challenging and you don’t want to keep everyone waiting for the party to start (maybe the “keep it minimal” option would be best for larger weddings?) , so if you’ve got a smaller crowd, saying hi to everyone at the reception is totally doable. Just make sure your DJ is aware that you’ll be mingling and you’ll let he/she know when you’re ready to dance! Note: if you do decide not to have a receiving line after your ceremony, make sure you find a “hiding spot” for you and the wedding party. If you hang out too close to the ceremony area, guests will find you and you’ll end up having an accidental receiving line.

So there, that’s pretty simple, right? Receiving lines can definitely be done, but they can be challenging when it comes to figuring out when and where. Hopefully my suggestions will get your guests celebrating earlier, eliminate a majority of potentially awkward moments, allow you to greet all your guests in a timely manner and maximize your time with your photographer for fun pictures like this…

Happy receiving and happy planning! 🙂