Italian Wedding Traditions

Q: I am having an Italian wedding and wanted to confirm what the tradition is for the bride and groom when the guests arrive at the reception. Does the bride, groom and wedding party stay at the receiving line while the guests come in to congratulate them? Also, do the bride and groom have the first dance and then eat?

A: In traditional Italian weddings, the entire bridal party, parents of the bride, parents of the groom, and the newlyweds all stand in the receiving line and greet the guests as they enter the reception facility. Certain tasks are allocated to a few bridal party members as well. For example, you should ask one of the bridal party members to encourage guests to sign the guest book as they go through the receiving line, someone to give out the bonboniere, and someone to direct the guests to the bousta, or the money box. That's pretty much all you need to know with regards to the formality of an Italian receiving line. With regards to the first dance for the bride and groom, it is usually done as the first dance after dinner is served. However, it is perfectly acceptable to do the first dance as soon as you make the grand entrance into the hall.