Editing Wedding reception (section)

==Western culture==

===Location===
[[File:Royal Palace Banquet Hall.jpg|thumb|Banquet hall being used for wedding reception]]

Until after World War II, wedding celebrations were most commonly held in the bride's home, in whatever style of entertainment was within the means of the family.<ref>{{cite book
|author=McBee, Randy D.
|title=Dance hall days: intimacy and leisure among working-class immigrants in the United States
|publisher=New York University Press
|location=New York
|year=2000
|pages=222–228
|isbn=0-8147-5620-4 }}</ref> This might be a grand [[ball (dance)|ball]] for a wealthy family, a luncheon for middle-class families, or an afternoon tea, featuring cake and lemonade, for working-class families.

The choice depended primarily on the family's economic situation, and in some cases, [[mass wedding]]s were favored as a way to share costs. At the beginning of the 20th century, [[dance hall]]s became common, and were rented by those planning a celebration beyond what their homes could hold.<ref>{{cite book
|first1=Ryan A. |last1=Brasseaux |first2=Bienvenu |last2=Marcelle |first3=Brasseaux |last3=Carl A. |title=Stir the pot: the history of Cajun cuisine
|publisher=Hippocrene Books
|location=New York
|year=2005
|page=104
|isbn=0-7818-1120-1 }}</ref>

Typical locations for wedding celebrations now include hotel ballrooms, [[banquet halls]], wedding venues, community halls, social halls at the church or other sacred place where the wedding ceremony took place, and, particularly for smaller weddings, restaurants and [[garden parties]] at home. There are also many small businesses that specialize in providing places for wedding ceremonies and celebrations.

===Receiving line=== <!-- "Receiving line" redirects here -->
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2024}}
In a receiving line, newly wedded couple, the hosts, and often their parents and any honour attendants, stand in [[order of precedence]] and greet every guest in turn.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Everything You Need to Know About Receiving Lines at Weddings |url=https://www.brides.com/story/wedding-receiving-line-etiquette |access-date=2024-09-04 |website=Brides |language=en}}</ref>

Each guest greets the first (lowest precedence) person in the line and, if necessary, introduces him/herself. The first person then introduces the guest to the next person in the line, and turns to the next guest. As each guest properly speaks little more than his/her name (if necessary) and conventional greetings or congratulations to each person in turn, the line progresses steadily without unnecessary delays.

Western etiquette requires at least one of the hosts and the newly married couple, as the guests of honor, to welcome and greet the guests, but the other members of the wedding party, parents who are not hosting the party, siblings, etc., are not required to stand in the receiving line. It is increasingly common to feature only the couple, since more modern couples host and pay for their own weddings rather than their parents.

After formally receiving each guest in this fashion, the receiving line is finished and the people who had been duty-bound to stand in it can mingle with guests, eat, and enjoy more extended conversations.

===Grand entrance===
Another option, especially popular on the East and West Coast of the United States, is having a grand entrance instead of a receiving line.<ref>{{cite web|title=Choosing Between A Grand Entrance And Receiving Line|url=http://www.belvederebanquets.com/choosing-between-a-grand-entrance-and-receiving-line/|author=Jodi Curry|website=Belvedere|date=15 October 2014|access-date=6 July 2015|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304230513/http://www.belvederebanquets.com/choosing-between-a-grand-entrance-and-receiving-line/|url-status=live}}</ref> The grand entrance might involve presenting some or all of the wedding party, the parents, and/or the bride and groom.

The wedding party is usually introduced by a [[master of ceremonies]], [[toastmaster]], [[disc jockey]], or band leader.  It may be done in the same manner as they walked down the aisle during the wedding ceremony. This is generally much faster than a receiving line and guests may be seated before the arrival of the wedding party. In addition, it can be an event in itself and be as entertaining as wished.  Introductions may be accompanied by music and information about each person to introduce them to the guests. However, unlike a reception line, it does not give the guests an opportunity to speak to any of the people being presented.

===Food===
{{See also|Wedding breakfast}}
[[File:MomDadwedding1955 photos.jpg|thumb|The bride and groom cut the wedding cake at an American wedding reception in 1955.]]

The food served at a wedding reception is determined by the time of the wedding and local customs. Food may range from a non-alcoholic drink with [[wedding cake]] to elaborate, multi-course dinners. The type of food is chosen entirely at the discretion and budget of the hosts as costs for catering weddings have soared.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://go.weddingwire.com/newlywed-report|title=Wedding costs on the rise|work=[[Wedding Wire (magazine)|Wedding Wire]]|author=Thelma Louise|date=2020-06-11|access-date=10 June 2020|archive-date=2020-06-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626175102/https://go.weddingwire.com/newlywed-report|url-status=live}}</ref>

Some receptions, especially if the wedding party's culture or religious faith prohibits alcohol or dancing, focus on dessert.  Hosts may also choose to honor regional or local customs, such as by serving a culturally important cake like [[croquembouche]] in France, or featuring a [[cookie table]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/appetizer/in-pittsburgh-the-wedding-cookie-table-is-a-peculiar-and-wonderful-local-tradition|title=In Pittsburgh, the wedding cookie table is a peculiar and wonderful local tradition {{!}} National Post|last=Appetizer|newspaper=Nationalpost|date=2013-11-30|language=en-CA|access-date=2020-01-18|archive-date=2022-05-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524034438/https://nationalpost.com/appetizer/in-pittsburgh-the-wedding-cookie-table-is-a-peculiar-and-wonderful-local-tradition|url-status=live}}</ref> as is celebrated in [[Pittsburgh]]<ref>{{cite news
|author= Lieber, Ron
|title= The Wedding? I'm Here for the Cookies
|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/16/dining/16cookies.html?em
|newspaper= [[The New York Times]]
|date= 15 December 2009
|access-date= 26 February 2017
|archive-date= 2 February 2017
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170202165348/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/16/dining/16cookies.html?em
|url-status= live
}}</ref> and some surrounding areas.

The wedding cake is often a multi-tiered [[layer cake]] that is elaborately decorated with white frosting. Some couples have a smaller display cake, which is supplemented by [[sheet cake]].

The [[groom's cake]] is a tradition observed mainly in the southern United States. In the Colonial and Victorian eras, the white-iced bride's cake was considered "too light" for male tastes, and a second cake choice—usually a dark, liquor-soaked fruitcake—was also offered. Today, chocolate is popular, although the groom's cake may be in any flavor and is usually shaped or decorated as something significant to the groom, such as a favorite hobby or sport.

If a full meal is served, the wedding cake is usually served after the meal. Otherwise, the cake may be served as soon as the family has received all of the guests.

Commonly, the couple ceremonially cut the first piece of the cake, and in a nod to [[confarreatio|an ancient Roman wedding rite]], may feed a bite to one another and perhaps sip a glass of wine or other drink with linked arms. Then the cake is served to the guests.  Like being asked to pour tea at a formal [[tea party (social gathering)|tea party]], being asked to serve the cake is generally considered an honor.<ref name=Martin1/>{{rp|428}}

===Toasts===
{{Main|Toast (honor)}}

In most [[Western culture|Western]] countries, either before or after food is served, toasts are made by members of the wedding party, wishing the couple well. Commonly, toasts are proposed by the [[bride]]'s father, the [[bridegroom|groom]], the [[best man]], and/or the [[maid of honor]], although there is no absolutely required list of people who must make toasts, or indeed any requirement to offer toasts at all.<ref name=Martin1/>

A new trend involves the addition of a DVD slideshow or [[photo montage]] video, featuring pictures of the new spouses growing up and meeting. These are created using [[home movies]] and photos taken over the couple's life, edited and set to music. The montage is shown either on a large TV or monitor or with an [[LCD projector]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brides.com/story/wedding-projector-ideas|title=Wedding Projector Ideas That Aren't At All Cheesy|work=[[Brides (magazine)|Brides]]|author=Stefania Sainato|date=2017-06-11|access-date=10 June 2017|archive-date=2017-06-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170611050813/http://www.brides.com/story/wedding-projector-ideas|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Dances===
[[File:"A Goral Wedding" at Dom Ludowy Theatre - bride and groom dancing.jpg|thumb|"A [[Gorals]]' Wedding" – bride and groom dance]]
[[File:Armenian Wedding, Bride&#039;s Dance.jpg|thumb|Armenian Wedding, Bride's Dance]]
If there is dancing, the newly married couple typically open the dancing with their [[first dance]].<ref name=Martin1 /> When [[waltz]]ing was popular, it was sometimes called a "bridal waltz" to a love song, although other dance styles are more commonly used now. The bride and groom might decide to choose a choreographed dance routine or other forms of dancing, like club, disco or hip hop.

In recent years, couples have personalized their first dance by selecting songs that hold special meaning to them, sometimes opting for contemporary hits or unconventional choices. Additionally, some couples invest in professional dance lessons to perform choreographed routines, adding a unique and entertaining element to their reception.

Top 40 chart hits becoming an increasingly popular option for the first dance – the most popular first dance song at UK weddings in 2020 is [[You Got Me Thinking]], a soft rock ballad by [[Joshua Radin]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hitched.co.uk/wedding-planning/entertainment/wedding-songs-2020/|title=Most popular wedding first dance songs of 2020|author1=Helen Pye |publisher=HitchKnow|access-date=2020-06-16|archive-date=2020-06-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616150630/https://www.hitched.co.uk/wedding-planning/entertainment/wedding-songs-2020/|url-status=deviated <!-- the page is live as of 21 March 2025, but it's updated from time to time to keep it current and is no longer a source for 2020. -->}}</ref> Before the wedding, the newlyweds choose a DJ and agree on a playlist with them.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brides.com/story/what-to-tell-your-wedding-dj|title=5 Things on Your Checklist to Tell Your Wedding DJ|last=Mitchell|first=Elizabeth|date=November 3, 2022|website=Brides|access-date=March 22, 2023}}</ref> As a rule, the performance of the DJ takes place after the official traditional part.<ref>{{cite web|author=Sandy Malone|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/5-tips-for-getting-the-most_b_2649718|title=5 Tips For Getting The Most Out Of Your Wedding DJ|date=2013-02-08|work=HuffPost|access-date=April 10, 2013|archive-date=2019-12-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226001509/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/5-tips-for-getting-the-most_b_2649718|url-status=live}}</ref>

Traditionally, shortly after the dance begins, guests would promptly join in the dancing, in [[order of precedence]], exactly like at any other [[ball (dance)|ball]].<ref name=Martin1/>  In very recent times, some families have told guests to not start dancing until after watching a sometimes lengthy sequence of "special" dances.<ref name=Martin1/> For example, after the first dance, the newly married couple might dance with their parents and/or in-laws. However, there is no requirement that any particular people dance at all, much less with any particular person, and no absolutely required order for the bridal couple, their families, or the bridal party to begin dancing in.<ref>^ Martin, Judith (1995). ''Miss Manners on Painfully Proper Weddings'' New York: Crown Publishers. p. 126. {{ISBN|978-0517701874}}.</ref>

===Entertainment===
[[File:wedding breakfast entertainment arp.jpg|thumb|right|Entertainment at an English wedding reception. The organisers have hired two [[opera]] singers to sing [[aria]]s during the meal for the entertainment of the guests. The mother of the [[groom]] is being [[serenade]]d.]]
Wedding receptions are often the time when couples want to ensure their family and guests will be entertained, and a variety of options such as disc jockeys, live bands, professional dancers such as ballroom dancers or [[Belly dancing|belly dancers]], magicians, fire artists, electric violinists, comedians and more unusual entertainers are brought in to heighten the festivities and make the wedding stand out.

Typically, including lavish entertainment at the wedding reception is a luxury. Wedding DJs have been increasing in popularity in modern cultures as has hiring a live band.

===Departure===
A ceremony is often made of the newlyweds' departure. Rice or birdseed, signifying abundance, may be thrown at the departing couple, with birdseed preferred by facility managers, since it requires less clean up work than rice, and new, mess-free substitutes, such as blowing [[soap bubble]]s or ringing small bells being even more favored by the cleaning staff.<ref name=Martin1 />

As the newlyweds are the guests of honor, the other guests are expected to remain at the reception until they leave them, and consequently, it is an imposition on the other guests for the newlyweds to stay unreasonably long at the party.<ref name=Martin1 /> On occasion, the newlyweds will stage an official leave-taking, so that guests feel free to leave, and then quietly return through another door.

===Expense===
[[File:Formal Black Tie Wedding Reception.png|thumb|alt=A black tie wedding reception held at the Society Room in Hartford, Connecticut.|A [[black tie]] wedding reception held at the Society Room in [[Hartford, Connecticut]]]]
The [[median]] cost of a wedding, including both the ceremony and reception, has generally outpaced the rate of inflation. In the United States, as of 2016, the average price is $35,329, steadily rising year over year, as it also has in the UK where the average cost was £25,090,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.hitched.co.uk/wedding-planning/organising-and-planning/the-average-wedding-cost-in-the-uk-revealed/|title=How Much Does a Wedding Cost? The UK Average Revealed|website=hitched.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2020-01-18|archive-date=2020-04-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200429124016/https://www.hitched.co.uk/wedding-planning/organising-and-planning/the-average-wedding-cost-in-the-uk-revealed/|url-status=live}}</ref> rising roughly 7000 pounds<ref name=":0" /> from two years prior. In Australia, the cost is $36,200 (AUD). Approximately 50% of a couple's entire wedding budget is spent on the reception alone. This is primarily due to the cost of food and alcohol.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brightweddingideas.com/receptions.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708094128/http://www.brightweddingideas.com/receptions.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2011-07-08|title=Wedding Receptions|website=BrightWeddingIdeas.com}}</ref> The wedding industry is a huge industry grossing $161 billion annually, according to Rebecca Mead, author of ''One Perfect Day''.<ref>{{cite web|title=The wedding-industrial complex|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0608/p08s01-comv.html|website=Christian Science Monitor|access-date=4 June 2016|page=8|date=8 June 2007|archive-date=15 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415123927/http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0608/p08s01-comv.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Other Western traditions and beyond===
Wedding traditions vary between countries, and between regions of the same country. Some shared traditions include:

[[Image:Mauritanian wedding party.jpg|right|thumb|Dancing guests at a wedding party in [[Mauritania]]]]
[[Image:East Timor hakka wedding.jpg|thumb|right|Ethnic [[Hakka people]] in a wedding in [[East Timor]], 2006]]
* ''The [[money dance]], or "dollar dance".'' Guests pay a small amount of money to dance with the bride or groom. In some cultures, the money is pinned to a special apron worn by the bride or groom. In others, the money is collected by friends. This is prevalent among Polish and Italian couples, although many other brides and grooms often incorporate it. There is considerable debate about the propriety of a money dance in English-speaking countries, where the practice is frowned upon because making guests pay for dancing or socializing with the bridal couple seems inhospitable, greedy, or distasteful.<ref name="isbn0-393-06914-1">{{cite book
|author1=Martin, Judith
|author2=Jacobina Martin
|title=Miss Manners' Guide to a Surprisingly Dignified Wedding
|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company
|location=New York
|year=2010
|pages=[https://archive.org/details/missmannersguide0000mart_a1u6/page/273 273–274]
|isbn=978-0-393-06914-3
|url=https://archive.org/details/missmannersguide0000mart_a1u6/page/273
}}</ref> It is accepted when the couple and the majority of their guests are of one of the cultures in which it is traditional.
* ''Tossing of the bride's [[Flower bouquet|bouquet]] and [[Garter (stockings)|garter]].''<ref name=Martin1/> The bride tosses her bouquet over her shoulder to a group of all the single women present. Whoever catches it is supposed to be the next to get married. Similarly, the groom tosses the bride's garter to the single men after removing it from her leg. On occasion, the bride will "rig" the bouquet toss by tossing the bouquet to a woman who is engaged.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} The groom then arranges for the fiancé of the bouquet-toss winner to receive the bride's garter.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} Sometimes, the man who catches the garter is supposed to put it on the leg of the woman who catches the bouquet, or the garter is sold in a [[raffle]] instead of being tossed. This tradition is now slightly less common in Western cultures, where some have argued it is old fashioned.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theknot.com/content/reasons-to-skip-bouquet-toss|title=Why It Might Be Time to Nix the Bouquet and Garter Toss|author=Maggie Seaver|website=The Knot|access-date=2019-07-07|archive-date=2019-07-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707202829/https://www.theknot.com/content/reasons-to-skip-bouquet-toss|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''Clinking glasses.'' Guests will often clink their glasses during dinner to ask the newlyweds to stand up and kiss. Some couples pass out [[wedding favor]] bells for guests to ring instead of [[clinking glasses]].<ref name=Martin1 />
* ''Favors.'' The hosts may provide a small gift for each guest. Favors may include chocolates, candles, picture frames, or other small gifts. Such favors are not required.<ref name=Martin1/>