Weddings Your Order of Sequence?

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C

Capital Disc Jockeys

New DJ
Nov 5, 2006
1,202
4
55
Schenectady, NY
I have an Order of Sequence for Weddings and it works for me. What is yours to make it the Best Reception Ever!?

My preferred OOS -

I do a brief Welcome to the guests, Welcome to the (venue), who I am and what my role is...

I always out upbeat music, usually selected by the Bride and Groom....

Then!!

Intros of the Parents of the Bride
Intros of the Parents of the Groom
Intros of the Wedding Party
Intros and Grand Entrance of the Bride and Groom
Their First Dance
Blessing
Toast (s)
Dinner
After Dinner, I start open dancing, I announce to the guests we will be continuing the formalites in approx. 1/2 - 45 minutes.

((The bride and groom will eat first, thus they will finish first. They will want to go to the guets table and say hello...This gives the venue a chance to clear the tables and get ready for the cake))

(If you have a better idea, I'm open for suggestions:)

When it's time, I get the attention of all guests,

Bride and Father dance
Groom and Mother dance
Cake
Bouquet and Garter
Open dancing with requests
Last song...

What say you???
 
It varies depending on bride preference, whether cake is being served as desert, and total time

But most common is

cocktail hour
Grand Entrance
toasts
Blessing
Dinner
cake
First Dances
Dancing
Garter toss
Dancing
Last dance
 
The majority of my weddings are upbeat and high energy.
There is a lot of inter-action with the guests, and personalization with the bride and her wishes.

Cocktail Hour is upbeat with instrumental pop performed by such artists as Michael Buble and Vitamin String Quartet, mixed in with American Songbook favorites.

Introductions of Wedding Party
Introduction of Bride & Groom
Bride & Groom First Dance
Parent Dances
Toast
Blessing
Open Dancing Immediately - Upbeat High Energy
Dinner with dancing in between courses - mixed music ( slow dance and pop high energy)
Cake Cutting
Garter & Bouquet
Group & Line Dances
More Open Dancing
End with high energy tune with sing-along when suitable
 
One of the big differences I see so far is that a few of you do the toast before dinner, in Cali it's fairly common to do the toast during or right after dinner. (Often we change it up a little but the flow is fairly standard. Some here like do do the cake after the toast and some prefer to put it off for awhile. If we do a money dance or an anniversary dance we usually do that as the last formality before we open the dance floor for the rest of the night.


1. Family & Wedding Party Entrance

2. Grand Entrance (Bride & Groom)

3. First Dance

4. Blessing For Dinner

5. Dinner

6. Toast

7. 1/2 Hour Open Dance

8. Cake

9. Father & Daughter Dance

10. Mother & Song Dance

11. Bouquet & Garter

12. Open Dance Floor

13. Last Dance
 
Depends on a number of factors. Every market area tends to be different.

The main factors:
What does the client want (but sometimes they don't actually know)
What does the venue want (most times venue wants dinner to start before dancing)
Is the venue's staff available to assist at the times needed (dinner, champagne, cake, Etc.) I always requeest they converse with the catering manager before we lay out an itinerary for their opinion.

Other factors: What works best for the layout of the room, The amount of guests, What else do they have planned, Has the champagne already been poured, are salads on the table already?, is it a buffett dinner, Etc. Most do not want cake cutting to early, or too late.)

At most of my weddings, they prefer the dancing portion to start after dinner, it creates a better flow for the evening, ...but I'm flexible. Whatever works.
 
Here in Pittsburgh.

Introductions
Toast
Blessing
Dinner

Cake Cutting

1st Dance
Bride and Father
Groom and Mother
* Bridal Party - Most people are not doing this anymore

Open Dancing

At Some Point

Garter and Bouquet
Dollar Dance
Anniversary Dance
 
Mine is pretty much the same as Scott's in this area, although we normally do the Toast at the same time of the cake! From time to time I have a B&G that want to go directly from the Introductions of the B&G to the first dance!

cocktail hour
Grand Entrance
Blessing
Dinner
toast
cake
Formal Dances
Open Dancing
Bouqet Toss
Garter toss
Open Dancing
Last dance
 
Steve Cie said:
The majority of my weddings are upbeat and high energy.
There is a lot of inter-action with the guests, and personalization with the bride and her wishes.

Cocktail Hour is upbeat with instrumental pop performed by such artists as Michael Buble and Vitamin String Quartet, mixed in with American Songbook favorites.

Introductions of Wedding Party
Introduction of Bride & Groom
Bride & Groom First Dance
Parent Dances
Toast
Blessing
Open Dancing Immediately - Upbeat High Energy
Dinner with dancing in between courses - mixed music ( slow dance and pop high energy)
Cake Cutting
Garter & Bouquet
Group & Line Dances
More Open Dancing
End with high energy tune with sing-along when suitable
Click to expand...

Your bride and groom want upbeat high energy dancing during dinner? Would never fly here. After dinner and the formalities are done, sure...Interaction with guests? What do you do, games/contests?
 
Today's Brides ( at least in my area) want to party! They are tired of the old ho-hum wedding reception rituals. They want to be spotlighted and want to have fun!

As for inter-action, yes, we do some games. We do line dancing, ethnic group dancing, and custom tailor the time line to fit the Bride's wishes.

High energy dancing before & during dinner entered the arena about 2 years ago and is going stronger and stronger! For years it was American Songbook slow dance favorites. That's gone now - at least for the time being. Next year? Who Knows?

For now--it's about individuality, and fun! Cookie cutter weddings are essentially out.

This new entertainment formula is working fantastically. The banquet managers don't like it--but they aren't paying me--the bride is!

And I have to tell you--the bookings and the prices are WAAAY UP!

Weddings Today --- Make It Fun!
 

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Steve Cie said:
Today's Brides ( at least in my area) want to party! They are tired of the old ho-hum wedding reception rituals. They want to be spotlighted and want to have fun!

As for inter-action, yes, we do some games. We do line dancing, ethnic group dancing, and custom tailor the time line to fit the Bride's wishes.

High energy dancing before & during dinner entered the arena about 2 years ago and is going stronger and stronger! For years it was American Songbook slow dance favorites. That's gone now - at least for the time being. Next year? Who Knows?

For now--it's about individuality, and fun! Cookie cutter weddings are essentially out.

This new entertainment formula is working fantastically. The banquet managers don't like it--but they aren't paying me--the bride is!

And I have to tell you--the bookings and the prices are WAAAY UP!

Weddings Today --- Make It Fun!
Click to expand...

To me it just doesn't seem right for people to dance before the Bride and Groom have their fist dance. With dancing during dinner it would anger alot of people. The old people like to be able to talk during dinner.

If it works for you its great. I don't think it would work in my area. To me it seems like a resort / destination wedding.
 
For me the usual time line is:

Guests arrive and background music
Wedding party arrives and we do Introductions (Wedding Party then B and G)
Wedding party mingle time / cake cutting
Get guests seated for dinner
Blessing
Meal
After head table is done eating and if buffet, last table is through line we do toasts
Cake/Slideshow either one first depending on if they did the cake earlier
Interactive time. Game or activities requested by B and G
First dance
Father Daughter dance
Mother Son dance
Anniversary Dance
Wedding party Dance
Open Dancing
about 1 hour later Dollar dance
open dancing
about 1 hour after Dollar dance ends Bouquet and Garter
Open dancing
Scheduled end time last Song of night picked by B and G
One more song, one more song
 
Cam I think the Bride and Groom Dance after their Grand Entrance in Steve Cies case and many of the East Coasters. Out here in the west we do it after dinner etc. I wish it was like the East as it seems more flowing to do it their way. Bride and groom dont risk getting food on their clothing before a very important part of photos are being taken. I mention it to my Brides and Grooms and have had them use the order though I never push it on them.
 
I agree with Cam's order, but I try to put the cake before the garter/bouquet if possible.

I always keep it high energy. That is why I am hired. I promise. The last time I gave into that, I never felt that I got the guests to the level of energy that was satisfactory.
 
I just find it odd that you would not do the cake before the meal or during. Don't they eat the cake with the meal or right after?
 
Here they most often will cut the cake and serve it alongside a lavish dessert table which usually will be pre toasts and such.
 
Karl Langford said:
I just find it odd that you would not do the cake before the meal or during. Don't they eat the cake with the meal or right after?
Click to expand...

My experience is that the wait staff wants to have time to get things tidied up before they spend time cutting and serving cake. Also, many want to set out coffee service before cake.

Also, many guests seem to stay until the cake, then leave. Some b & g's want to keep the reasons to leave at a minimum as long as possible.
 
Thats why here in BC folks tend to want to celebrate with the couple more so than other places I have been which means they want to get to the dancing and not be stopped two or three times. Also important to have your a game from the start as you are final portion of the fun celebration.
 
Thunder said:
cocktail hour
Grand Entrance
Blessing
Dinner
toast
cake
Formal Dances
Open Dancing
Bouqet Toss
Garter toss
Open Dancing
Last dance
Click to expand...

This is your basic Eastern PA wedding format...
although the venues may adjust a little to suit their needs.

Around here, no one dances until the b/g have their first dance...
the locals do not understand "dancing between courses"...
and many of the halls won't you let start the formalities until dinner is done and the tables are cleared. (which makes for some very LOOOONG dinners)
 
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