If you have 125 guests and allot each one 30 seconds, you’re looking at an hour-long receiving line. In spite of this fact, many wedding manuals still consider receiving lines a must. A receiving line does ensure that the couple greets all the guests, but you can greet them by making your rounds at the reception, which is more hospitable, anyway. If you feel you must have a receiving line, keep it short. You don’t need to have all 24 of your attendants glad-handing the guests. The fastest way, if possible, is to hold the receiving line at the door of the ceremony site as guests are leaving. Even that, however, doesn’t prevent traffic jams. Having the line at your reception shouldn’t mean torture for your guests. Make sure someone offers them drinks and hors d’oeuvres while they’re waiting.
An ample receiving line includes, from left: the mother of the bride, the mother of the groom and the bride and groom. A longer one has, from left: the mother of the bride, the father of the bride or groom, the mother of the groom, and the father of the bride or groom. If time isn’t an issue, you may include the maid of honor and, even though it’s not considered part of the standard lineup, the best man. Anything longer is for the Rockettes. If issues exist with divorced parents, be kind. Don’t force people who can’t bear each other to stand side by side, smiling through clenched teeth.
The receiving line is like a good game of telephone. Guests introduce themselves to the mother of the bride, who then introduces the person to the mother of the groom, who introduces the person to the bride, and so on. Of course, by the time Harriet Luce gets to the end, she has become Harry Caboose.
Obsessing about the weather is a big part of wedding planning. Several Web sites are tailored to this compulsion at no charge, including
• The Weather Channel (www.weather.com)
• The National Weather Service (www.nws.noaa.gov)
• Accuweather.com
