The point of the receiving line is to give you a chance to greet and thank each of your guests who have taken the time to attend. A receiving line can be done at either the ceremony location directly after the recessional or at the reception site where it is typically done at the beginning as guests arrive. It is the mark of a good host to properly welcome your guests to your party. But try to make this short and sweet because a long receiving line could be perceived as boring to the guests not meeting with you. Besides who likes a long slow moving line any way.

Using the time at the start of the reception might be your best bet because it allows your guests to be greeted during the twenty to forty minutes in usually takes to let the guests arrive at the reception hall. Whether you welcome them at the door or go around to each table and say hi, don't let any of your guests go without a personal greeting from you. A lot of times photographers can take up a lot of time with formal pictures. Try to make these happen outside of the reception time as much as possible, so that you can spend your valuable reception time with your guests.

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.