You may not have any experience with receiving lines. They are usually used in traditional or truly formal weddings and it is the mark of a good host to properly welcome your guests to your party.

The point of the receiving line is to give you a chance to greet and thank each of your guests who have taken the time to attend your nuptials. Your family and friends will be looking forward to the opportunity to hug you and give you their best wishes. It will also give them the opportunity to meet your new spouse and his or her parents.

The mother of the bride is normally considered the hostess of the event, no matter who pays the bill, and is placed at the head of the line. Beside her stands the father of the bride. The bride and groom are next followed by the mother and then the father of the groom. In cases of divorced parents, the arrangement may become mother of the bride, father of the groom, bride, groom, mother of the groom and last but not least, the father of the bride.

Guests are asked to go quickly through the line, greeting the family members they know, introducing themselves to the ones they don't and offering their best wishes to the bride and groom before moving on. Now the bridesmaids and groomsmen take their turn in assisting the happy couple by ushering the guests to the proper tables. They can perform introductions and get conversations started between those sharing a table for the reception.

As an alternative if you'd rather not have the formal receiving line, you can ask your guests to precede you to the reception venue. Once everyone is seated the happy couple makes their grand entrance. This would mean though that the couple will need to go around greeting all the guests, table by table. An advantage here is that you can have pictures with all your guests this way. A disadvantage, this cuts down on your partying time as you'll be so busy mingling, you won't have much time to dance and celebrate.