A lot of brides groan at the idea of a receiving line. "Can't we just skip the boring old receiving line and get right to the reception?", they ask. Well, the answer, ladies, is that, no, you should not skip the receiving line. As with other matters of etiquette, there is a perfectly good reason behind it.
The purpose of the receiving line is twofold. The main reason is to make sure that the bride and groom, as well as their parents (the presumptive hosts) have the opportunity to greet each and every one of their guests and thank them for coming. Rather than spending the entire reception chasing down each guest, the receiving line ensures that every person will be acknowledged in the shortest time possible.
The receiving line functions in reverse, as well. Just as a good guest at any party would take the time to seek out his host to say, "Hi" and "Thanks for inviting me to your great party.", the same should be done at a wedding. Now, which is easier - for a hundred plus people to waste time at the reception looking for the bride, groom, etc., or to stand in line, pay your respects, and get on to cocktails? The latter, of course.
Now that we have established the why, let's get to the how. People to be included in a receiving line are: the bride's mother and father, the groom's mother and father, the bride, the groom, the maid of honor, and the bridesmaids, in that order. The groomsmen and ushers are not expected to participate, as everyone knows they would never have the patience. If the line is very long, sometimes the fathers of the bride and groom may slip in and out of line "to make sure that the guests are all having a good time" (really, they are sneaking off to the bar).
Where you have the receiving line matters as well. If there is a good place for it at the reception, it is normally done there, right as the guests are arriving. Some reception locations cannot accommodate the receiving line. In that case, it can be done at the church, but only outside. It is not appropriate to act as a host inside a house of worship.
Besides standing in line, the biggest complaint that people have about receiving lines is that they never know what to say. It is actually quite easy, however, especially since the whole idea is to make it brief and keep the line moving. As you work your way through, introduce yourself and sum up how you know the newlyweds (ie, "Hi, I'm Sarah, and I was Amanda's college roommate.") Then go on to say something nice about the ceremony and pay a compliment to the person you are meeting.
Don't worry if you don't have anything creative to say. The form when meeting the mother of the bride is something like, "Wasn't it a lovely ceremony? The vows brought a tear to my eye, and Amanda is absolutely radiant. And Mrs. Douglas, your wedding jewelry is so pretty.". The bride's mother would respond with something like this: "I'm so glad that you could come, Sarah. It was a beautiful ceremony, wasn't it. I am so happy that Amanda has found such a wonderful husband. And thank you for noticing my wedding jewelry - my mother gave me these pearls on the day that I was married. I hope you enjoy the reception.". Then Sarah works on down the line, extending her best wishes to the bride and telling her she looks beautiful, congratulating the groom, and telling him how lucky he is, and so on, until the last bridesmaid has been admired.
It is even easier for the people in the receiving line, because all they really have to do is graciously accept compliments and thank everybody for coming. See - that wasn't really so hard after all, was it? And once the receiving line is finished, off you go to have fun at the reception!
Bridget has many years helping clients select jewelry and accessories. Let us know if you would like her to write on a particular topic. Select custom wedding jewelry and great crystal bridesmaid jewelry at SilverlandJewelry.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bridget_Mora |