Of course, we are not telling you what to do, but whatever time constraints you have planned, stick to them as close as possible. When making arrangements for these add a few extra minutes. Most wedding receptions start late and their guests sit around waiting due to those four events. It will be harder than you think to get everyone situated for events. The larger amount of people the longer the time it takes. Guests arriving late or right on time is the biggest reason for late starting wedding ceremonies. Although you are not in control of getting your guests to the ceremony on time it doesn't hurt being ready yourself. Receiving lines are also a large time consumer, make sure you add alot of time for this event. You may believe it will only take a half hour now but on your wedding day it could easily consume much more then that. Sometimes it takes twice as long.

Riding around in a limousine can be a great deal of fun, but if you have it for an hour make sure you plan when to use it ahead of time. Don't wait till the last minute and keep riding around because you still have time on your hands. Especially if your guests are waiting for your arrival at the reception.

Another good idea is knowing when to do things at your wedding reception. Listed below are the events in an order which we feel have proven their value, time and time again.

When the food is ready we will get everyone seated in the room and turn the microphone over to the best man for his toast followed by the blessing of the food. It's easier having the toast first, because people are seated and paying attention. As the evening progresses it gets harder to get everyone seated. After your guests have gone thru the food line once is the best time to cut the cake. Many brides and grooms hesitate here too long, especially if they are out minging with their guests. People generally like to have their cake as desert, so cutting it as soon as possible will allow them to do so. The longer you take to cut the cake the less of it will be consumed that evening, especially if your guests are returning to the bar.

The dancing portion of the evening is fairly simple. First comes the bride and groom dance followed by the bridal party dance. Introductions of the bridal party as they come up to the dance floor is a nice way for guests to find out who they are. Its really nice when the bride calls up her side of the bridal party alternating with the groom. This adds a personal touch to this introduction, after all they are your friend and/or family members. If your the nervous type and choose not to do this simply give us a listing of their names and we can announce them as they come up. Parents are also welcome in this dance or can have one of their own, even the bride and her father can have their own dance. I have noticed things work well if the parents join in with the bridal party and take turns with the bride and groom.

By now many of your guests are tired of sitting and doing little of nothing for hours. This is why we like to open the dance floor right after the first two dances. After about five to eight songs is usually a good time to have the garter and bouquet toss. Then we reopen the dance floor, wait another five to eight songs, then proceed with the dollar dance. After all, you do want these two events somewhat early in the evening prior to any of the guests leaving. Please note, the Best Man and Maid (or) Matron of Honor are in charge of the dollar dance,make sure they know this ahead of time. They will also need to know how they are to collect the moneys and how they are to serve any type of fluids. A good way to help them know how fast to move people thru the dance line is by thinking how bored the first person is who has been sitting down waiting to dance again.

Many times brides and grooms haven't been instructed how to cut their cakes, etc. Although the Avtec staff has nothing to do with cutting the cake, your photographers should. The Avtec staff makes it a point to know who's providing your other services and will actually coordinate events for you. For instance, prior to the first dance we will make sure the photographer, etc, are ready prior to making the announcement.