There are many names for the “grand entrance” into your wedding reception, and it’s hard to know exactly what it is for and what to do. Some people have seen this whole introduction piece of the wedding day before, but it’s hard to know who is supposed to walk in and what you’re supposed to do in general. While it can be called a grand entrance, grand announcement, introductions, or other names, there is a general consensus on what, where, when, who, why, and how to do this. We will go over all of those things so that you can have your grand entrance exactly as you would like it to go.

What

The grand entrance, grand announcement, or introductions is for you as the newlywed couple to be ushered into the reception room. Generally, the DJ will make some kind of announcement for everyone to take their seats so you can get this started. It really can be boiled down to you literally walking into the room and taking your seat so that the dinner portion of the evening can begin.

Why

For many weddings, especially those who are not doing a first look, the couple doesn’t generally see their guests during cocktail hour because they are taking photos. This grand entrance gives the couple an opportunity to get the crowd excited for the reception and be able to “greet” their guests at the reception.

Where

Your DJ will make some kind of announcement for your guests to take their seats so the reception can begin. This will move them into their seats and give you an opportunity to “line up” and get ready for the entrance into the room - usually at some doors that you can have opened for a little more drama.

When

Generally, right before the end of cocktail hour is when the DJ tells everyone to take their seats. It can take guests anywhere between 5-15 minutes to take their seats depending on if they know their table numbers ahead of time and how many guests there are all together. As this is happening, you’ll likely begin to congregate at the “entrance” of the reception space to get ready.

Who

This is totally up to you! Many couples will opt to have their parents and wedding party go in before they are announced as a couple. If you’re doing your wedding party members, you can have them walk in as pairs or have “your side” and “your partner’s side” go in all together. Some will also include their grandparents, but if they aren’t able to walk this gets a little more difficult. You can also have your DJ announce those people to stand at their seats or give a wave if you’d like them to be included. The more people you add, the more time it will take in your timeline to have the grand entrance. Some couples would like to get their reception started sooner, so they are the only ones that get announced. You can have any combination of people join you for this though!

How

Many grand entrances you will find that people do a little wave and walk to their seats. Sometimes, you will see the wedding party do some choreographed moves with whoever they are walking in with but if you do or don’t want your wedding party to do this, you should let them know while you’re lining up. Another option that some people like is to have the wedding party and parents crowd onto the dance floor to then do a little boogie before they all take their seats. I personally find this one hard to navigate because people don’t know how long they are supposed to be out there for and it can feel a little odd to have everyone watching your mini-dance party, but if that is something you’re interested in just have your DJ let everyone know when to take their seats!

What’s Next

Many weddings of today will use this as an opportunity to cut the cake, do a welcome/thank you speech, or even do the first dance before the dinner since you already have everyone’s attention. I would say it’s best to not do too many things before the dinner is served as your guests may be getting very hungry, but it is incredibly common and even recommended to do a cake cutting at this time nowadays because it doesn’t interrupt dinner later, and your caterers can work on cutting and serving the cake in a more timely fashion. After the grand entrance is finished, it’ll be time for your DJ to announce that dinner is ready to be served and you can begin the rest of your reception festivities!

Remember, if this sounds like something you’d rather skip altogether, you totally don’t have to do it! Many people feel weird about just “arriving” into the reception, but if you walk in with your guests then it doesn’t need to be a big deal. Some people don’t love the attention so it’s totally understandable to skip this just to get the night started. Even if you did see your guests during cocktail hour, this is totally a possibility just to get your guests hyped for you. It doesn’t need to be a huge ordeal, or it can be the highlight of the night and everyone goes crazy! It is your wedding day after all, so just do whatever feels best for you.

If you’re unsure on if you should do a grand entrance, reach out to us at our contact page and we can talk more about the pros and cons.