To have or not to have? This is often the question when it comes to a wedding-day receiving line. Our view is that it's always good practice -- and good etiquette.
Think of a receiving line as an insurance policy that guarantees the bride, groom and wedding hosts will have an opportunity to personally welcome the guests and thank them for sharing in the special day. Some couples choose to hold a receiving line immediately following the ceremony (after the recessional, those involved line up before guests have a chance to exit the chapel or room); others hold off until the start of the wedding reception (the line can be positioned near the entrance of the banquet room). Either way, here's what you need to know if you're planning to have a receiving line.
Who Participates?
A receiving line can be as big or as small as you like. At the bare minimum, the wedding hosts and the bride and groom should take part -- even if the bride and groom are the hosts. And, if only one set of parents is hosting, both sets may still choose to stand in line. The maid of honor and bridesmaids may also participate -- although the larger the receiving line, the more cumbersome it becomes for guests. Typically, groomsmen don't take part, however it's fine to include them if that's important to you. Sometimes, instead of standing in a receiving line, fathers of the bride or groom will mingle amongst the guests while the mothers do the official honors. Groomsmen may do the same. There's no need for children in the wedding party to participate in the receiving line, though one exception might be children of the bride or groom.
Lining Up
Traditionally, members of the receiving line stand in the following order: bride's mother, bride's father, groom's mother, groom's father, bride, groom, maid of honor and, finally, the bridesmaids. If either member of the happy couple has any children, they can stand wherever they feel most comfortable. If either of the couple's parents are remarried, it's up to the bride and groom to decide who stands in the receiving line. Say the groom's parents have divorced and are remarried. If neither of his parents are hosting, no one need stand in the receiving line. If one parent is hosting, he or she might stand in the receiving line with or without her spouse. If both sets of parents and their new spouses are hosting, they can all stand in the receiving line. In this case, the bride's parents or the bride and groom might stand between the two ex-spouses and their new partners, so as not to confuse guests or cause discomfort. The maid of honor can also serve as a buffer in this way.
Saying Hello
Long conversations can wait for later -- the receiving line is simply a place for a quick handshake or kiss and a "thank you for coming." Guests will get in line and bear the responsibility for introducing themselves to the first greeter. They should quickly offer their name and their relationship to the bride and groom. Each greeter, in turn, introduces that guest to the next greeter in the receiving line. And finally, greeters should not allow themselves to be monopolized. It's important for greeters and not guests to set the pace, so that the line does not last interminably.
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