What about that receiving line?

Sylvia asked, “We are thinking about not having a receiving line after the wedding is over and [instead] coming back down the aisle to dismiss everyone. Does that seem like a better idea?”

I have officiated weddings where couples chose to exit the chapel, then immediately return to the front row of guests with the intention of personally thanking everyone for sharing in their celebration. My take on this is that not much is gained by choosing this approach, other than a break from tradition. I honestly do not see much in the way of receiving lines at the chapel these days, unless couples are looking to aim for tradition. Couples have found that skipping the receiving line presents a benefit of not having it seem to take “forever” for their guests to exit the building. No matter how hard you try to move things along – it still seems to take an extraordinary amount of time to get to your last guest. And if you opt to dismiss your guests – row by row – you gain very little. You still interact with everyone attending the wedding. By the time you get to the back row, people in that row are thinking we should have skipped the ceremony and gone straight to the reception.

What are your thoughts on the receiving line vs. dismissing the wedding quests?

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One Response to What about that receiving line?

  1. Becky says:

    My cousin did the dismissing thing. The church air conditioner was a bit marginal and I thought we were going to die before we got to leave!

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