When should we do our ‘first dance’ at the wedding reception?

Wedding planners can help take the stress away when planning the flow of your reception, however not everybody can afford this ‘luxury’. It can be a little daunting trying to figure out what order to do everything in, but bear in mind there really is no right or wrong, it is after all YOUR special day and you can plan as you see fit.

Some popular order of proceedings are as follows:

• entrance, cutting of the cake, speeches, bridal dance (and father/daughter dance), bouquet/garter toss, farewell circle
• entrance, cutting of the cake, bridal dance, speeches, bouquet/garter toss, farewell circle
• entrance, bridal dance, cutting of the cake, speeches, bouquet/garter toss, farewell circle

Here are some things to consider, especially when it comes to your first dance (bridal dance).

Some couples choose to have the bridal dance after the speeches, to ‘kick off’ the ‘fun’ part of the reception. That way, they have their first dance introduced right before the main dance bracket, as then everybody can be invited to the dance floor straight after to get the dancing (and partying!) underway.

Other couples choose to have their bridal dance following the cake cutting, which allows for a smooth transition from that tender (or sometimes ‘light-hearted’) moment to the romantic first dance.

Whilst other couples opt to have their bridal dance straight after their entrance to the reception (either to ensure that they have all their guests attention from the get go! or to ‘get it out of the way’ especially if they are nervous!).

In any case, there is no ‘wrong’ time, you just need to think about what will feel right for you. Your venue may be able to give you some ideas from their experience (but bear in mind that some venues may make suggestions based around what works best around their catering, as opposed to your best interests), as may friends, family or even other internet blogs.