How to Add Your Own Creative Twist to the Receiving Line

If you've finished the guest list, selected the menu and started thinking about the seating arrangements, then you may have been wondering whether you should have a receiving line. The tradition of forming a receiving line at the wedding draws mixed emotions. Of course, you would like to personally greet each guest and thank him or her for sharing your special day, but do you have to spend the first hour of your married life standing in a line? The guests are anxious to speak to you and leave lipstick on your cheeks, but as a veteran guest can tell you—it's not always fun waiting in the receiving line.

So what is a caring, but trend-changing couple to do about the receiving line? I've gathered ideas from near and far to help you with this dilemma. Before I fill your head with visions of non-traditional ideas, let's discuss the traditional receiving line.

Tradition
According to the rules of etiquette, the receiving line should be formed at the reception following the ceremony or, according to other sources, immediately after the wedding ceremony before your guests leave for the reception. The order of the line is as follows: Mother of the Bride, Mother of the Groom, Bride, Groom, Maid of Honor and finally the bridesmaids. The most formal receiving line does not include the men of the bridal party (with the exception of the groom). Child attendants are also left out of this one. The order and makeup of the receiving line is acceptably open to change. Such exceptions include adding the groomsmen and fathers, adding children attendants or changing the order or the line.

If you choose to follow tradition, you’ll want to decide whether to have the receiving line at the ceremony or reception site. When making your decision, consider the needs of your guests, the weather, the space required for the line and any other special circumstances. You won’t want to be standing in the rain and neither will your guests. You also don’t want to make your guests wait around for too long standing in line, so consider ways to make the process efficient and comfortable for everyone.