Are you currently debating whether or not to have a receiving line?  Here are some things to consider :

1.  Time –

Does your ceremony lead right into the reception?  If it does, you may want to forgo the reception line after the ceremony and greet guests at the beginning of the reception as they enter OR after you and your new hubby finish dinner.

However, if you do have time between the ceremony and reception – and enough time still for pictures- you may want to consider having a receiving line at the ceremony to guarantee that you see every one of your guests that made it out for your special day.

2.  Enjoying the Party –

Do you want to enjoy the band that you hired?  Or the fun DJ?  If you want to enjoy some time on the dance floor with friends and family, you will want to make sure you carve in time to greet guests before the band/DJ really starts kicking things into high party gear.

3.  Number of Guests –

Are you having less than 50 guests at your wedding?  If you are, then it is fine to greet everyone during the reception, you will be able to talk to all of the guests at some point during the evening!

Are you having more than 50 guests?  Than proper etiquette is to have some sort of receiving line  to tell every guest thank you for coming and supporting us during this special day.

There are a lot of Brides and Grooms that forgo having the receiving line these days.  Mike and I were one of those couples.  However, looking back, a formal receiving line after our ceremony would have been very doable.  We had more than enough time for fabulous pictures in between the ceremony and reception.  Yes, it would have been a very LONG receiving line at the church, but we would have been able to say hi to everyone and give them a hug.  And because we waited until dinner was served, there were a couple of older guests that had already left by the time we made it around to their tables.