Formalities, though important, take up a lot of your total time at the reception. Try to plan the flow to maximize the time it takes to do all your formalities. Be careful not to keep trying to get your guest's undivided attention throughout the night.

TIP: You can group all the full attention activities such as the formal introductions into the special dances, then straight into the toast and/or blessing. This way you can have your guests formal attention all in one sequence, rather than having the DJ/MC or Band Leader keep having to ask “May I Have Your Attention Please.” Having to do this more than 3 or 4 times during a reception can be both tedious and lame.

Formalities are also a perfect opportunity to get your guests involved or engaged in your event. You don't really want a lot of undefined down-time at your party. Down-time is time in which you and your guests have no idea what's going on or what's happening next. This is particularly important when you are coordinating your time line of events with your wedding professionals. Be sure to determine a reasonable start time of the meal and allow enough time for your guests to arrive before starting your introductions (if you are having any) or any major formalities.

If having a receiving line at the reception hall, try to make the duration of the cocktail hour a bit (like 30 minutes) longer to make up for the time. People really like a full hour to unwind and socialize with people they may not have seen in a long time.

Look at your formalities as units or blocks of time in which something important is happening. Plot these "units" around the standard events such as cocktail hour, dinner, etc in a way that not only makes sense, but is most efficient with your guests time and attention spans.

Having too many formalities in too short a span of time can make things seem rushed. Find the right balance and be realistic with how long each event might take. Be sure to consider the additional time it will take to gain your audiences' attention and the preparation of each event to take place.

Having a proper time-line is like having a small script or story board... you can't have a production without it. And believe me at truly remarkable reception starts with a proper plan or out-line. Although a healthy amount of spontaneity is nice, there is no substitute for a good plan of action.

About the Author:

Daryl Thomas is Professional Mobile Disc Jockey and Booking Agent for 1-800-DISC JOCKEY, LLC, North America's Largest Disc Jockey Booking Service with over 12,000 professional DJs represented.

As a professional radio personality, mobile disc jockey and club DJ himself, Mr. Thomas has successfully MC'd more than 1,925 events in the past 20 years.