After all the almost endless months of preparations and keeping up with frenzied schedules, it all goes down to the one single day when you would walk down the aisle to exchange marriage vows with the man you want to spend your whole life with. While the ceremony may be the most important aspect of your plans, the wedding party that follows should also be given equal importance. Truth be known, almost half of your budget would probably be spent on your wedding party or reception and since you would always want to celebrate the grand event in style, its only appropriate that you need to oversee every minute details such as the seating arrangements, wedding party favors, cocktails, decorations and so much more. So here’s a quick guide on the wedding party traditions that you would want to incorporate in your own planning and preparations:

Bridal Portrait – wouldn’t it be a great idea to display a full sized portrait of the bride or the life size photo of the newlyweds at the entrance of the reception area? If you have a guest book table, the portrait would present a wonderful accent and backdrop right before the guests would venture inside the halls where the celebration will be held.

Receiving Line – in keeping with the traditions, the receiving line is the perfect way to greet and welcome every guest in the wedding party, where they will have the chance to congratulate you and for you to extend your gratitude for attending your nuptials. Typically, the line would include the bride and groom, the bridesmaids and both sets of the couple’s parents.

Guest Book – If you are planning for an exceptionally large party or even a small and intimate one, it is a generally great idea to have your guests fill up a guest book at the reception area. You need to appoint one attendant for this to supervise with the traffic as well as provide assistance. A guest book can be a valuable memento than you might want to keep and keep track who came and celebrated the wedding with you.

Toasts – the best man usually gives out a toast to the couple right before the meal is served, and the groom could also give one to salute his bride, or the newlywed couple to their parents. It you want to avoid awkward moments or dead airs, you should assign someone to oversee this part of the wedding and contact the best man to prepare a wedding toast.

First Dance – this will take place right after the mean, and you can decide to do the entire dance as a couple or you can also invite the rest of the entourage to join you about halfway through the song. You need to coordinate with the band or the DJ to prepare the song that you prefer to be played.

Cutting the Cake – one of the important components of the party is the cutting of the wedding cake, which will be done by the couple along with the wedding cake server. The bride would be the first one to serve the groom the first bite, and vice versa. Then the server will immediately cut the rest of the cake to serve to the guests. It would be a good idea to select an appropriate song for this moment. Soon after the tossing of the bouquet and throwing of the garter will follow.

Of course, you would never want to leave out your wedding party gifts, since it’s customary for guests to bring one for the couple. It is appropriate to include your sincere ‘thank yous’ if you will give out a speech before you depart. However, it will still need to send out your thank you cards soon after the wedding to show your appreciation and gratitude.