Here's One Way to Cut Down on the Reception Waiting Period

~I wish I had thought of this for my own reception~

A happy guest is a food-filled guest - am I right? Can I get an amen? But really, "hangry" is a made-up euphemism for a reason. Some people serve snacks at the reception during the waiting period (that's what I did) but a way to kill more time and also get the reception moving faster once it starts is to serve the meal before the wedding party arrives. After waiting for bride and groom, guests already have to wait again to be dismissed or served. So, why not feed them while the bride and groom and friends are being photographed, and when the wedding party is done with pictures they can just jump in the food line. And then, instead of waiting for everyone to eat, the newlyweds can start right into cutting the cake, doing toasts, and all that jazz. The reception moves faster and everyone's full.

Because here's the reality:

A lot of brides (and grooms) will be too excited or anxious to eat anything. Plus, they'll need to talk to a lot of people and do their first dances and all the fun reception traditions. So in reality, it's not necessary to have guests wait for the couple to get food first when they're not going to eat anything.