The ceremony is over and you’re officially married. Now it’s time to party.

But this is not just any party. It's your wedding reception -- the party you've been planning for months. It’s your special celebration and you want it to be just right. You envision a party that flows seamlessly from cocktails to toasts to cake cutting to the bouquet toss. All the pieces are in place, and everyone is having so much fun they don't even notice how well orchestrated everything is.

 But with all the elements you want to include in the reception, and a time limit imposed by your reception site, how do you pull it off? The key is planning. Behind the scenes of the most spontaneous-looking receptions is precise, almost militaristic planning. We suggest putting together a reception timeline -- an intricately detailed, minute-by-minute reception game plan. We will guide you through the ingredients that traditionally compose a reception, but please include the things that will personalize your own.

We’re going to share with you the timeline that a fictitious couple, we have named "Brittany Bride" and "Gordon Groom", prepared for their five-hour, sit-down dinner reception at the "Inspiration Inn" (a fictitious location). (Most receptions last from three to five hours due to time limits at reception sites and the stamina of everyone involved.)

But first, a word about receiving lines. Brittany and Gordon have chosen not to have a receiving line. They’re expecting 200 guests and have decided that a receiving line would take too long, and they want to get right to their party. Instead of greeting each guest personally in a receiving line, they will make a point of visiting the tables during the reception to say hello.

 If you do choose to have a receiving line, it’s traditionally held at the beginning of the reception after the photographs of the wedding party have been completed. The line should look like this: mother of the bride, father of the bride, mother of the groom, father of the groom, bride, and then groom. For a shorter line, eliminate the parents of the groom. For a longer line, include the maid of honor and best man.

Brittany and Gordon’s Reception Timeline

(This is a fictitious couple and is created as an example only)

6:00 p.m. Musicians prepare for cocktail hour music. Guests will arrive soon for cocktails so hors d’oeuvres and bar must be ready to go.

6:15 p.m. Wedding party meets in the back of the Inspiration Inn for photographs. (Some couples choose to complete the photographs in the afternoon before an evening wedding so they can enjoy the cocktail hour with their guests.)

6:25 p.m. Cocktail music commences.

6:30 p.m. Guests begin to arrive from the church and are shown to the cocktail area adjacent to the ballroom. Guests pick up place cards, start chatting, enjoying the tray-passed hors d’ oeuvres and getting drinks.

7:00 p.m. Photos are completed. Wedding party joins the fun in the cocktail area.

7:30 p.m. Brittany’s parents, Bob and Bertha Bride, check on things in the ballroom. The band completes a sound check well ahead of the guests entering the ballroom.

7:35 p.m. Guests enter the ballroom to the band playing a lively number selected from the couple’s song list. Guests begin to take their seats.

7:45 p.m. Grandpa Gus says grace. (It’s a nice touch to have a special relative bless the reception meal. At a Jewish wedding, a special guest can cut the challah and recite the blessing.)

7:50 p.m. Waiters serve wine to guests.

7:55 p.m. Bob Bride, Brittany's father, offers a welcome toast. (A welcome toast is optional. Sometimes both fathers, or fathers and mothers, welcome guests and comment on the joyous occasion.)

8:00 p.m. Waiters serve the salad course.

8:15 p.m. Bart Best Man takes the microphone and begins his toast. During the toast, waiters clear the salad course.

8:25 p.m. Buddy Bandleader announces the first dance. Gordon and Brittany walk to the dance floor hand-in-hand.

(In an extremely traditional reception, dancing is not supposed to start until all toasts have been offered and the dessert has been served. Most modern brides and grooms can’t stand to wait that long and kick off the dancing before the main course -- or even first course -- is served.)

When the music switches, it’s time for Bob Bride, Brittany’s father, to cut in and dance with Brittany. Gordon Groom brings his mother, Gertrude, onto the dance floor to dance with her. Gregory Groom, Gordon’s dad, brings the bride’s mother, Bertha, onto the dance floor and dances with her. Bart Best Man cuts in on Bob Bride and dances with Brittany. Bob then cuts in on Gordon Groom and dances with his wife, Bertha. Gregory Groom then cuts on his son Gordon to dance with his wife, Gertrude. Gordon cuts in on Brittany’s father Bob to dance with her mother, Bertha. Bob Bride then cuts in on Gregory Groom to dance with Gertrude Groom.

After the best man has cut in on the bride, the other attendants may begin dancing. After that, any couple may get up and take to the dance floor. (If there are stepparents, sometimes it’s easiest to have dancing open to all guests after the bride and groom finish dancing. Do what works best for you and your particular family situation.)

8:50 p.m. Guests take their seats as Buddy Bandleader announces that the main course is served.

9:25 p.m. Family toasts begin. Bob Bride proposes his toast followed by Bertha Bride.

9:35 p.m. Gordon’s brother, Gerry, sings a song he composed for Brittany and Gordon.

9:45 p.m. Main course is cleared. Dancing resumes. (If you plan to have a traditional ethnic dance, such as the hora, it’s a good idea to do it after the main course so guests can get up and move. If you’re not having such a dance, plan on at least 20-30 minutes of dancing before cutting the cake -- you want your guests to work up an appetite.)

10:10 p.m. Bob Bride and Brittany have a special father/daughter dance that ends this dance set.

10:15 p.m. Waiters serve champagne.

10:20 p.m. Brittany and Gordon take their places at the cake table. Brittany, standing on Gordon’s left, cuts the first piece, with Gordon’s hand atop hers. She feeds him a bite and then he feeds her.

10:30 p.m. Dancing resumes. The cake is cut and served with coffee and petits fours.

10:45 p.m. Brittany turns her back to her single female guests and tosses her tossing bouquet. (Some receptions include a garter toss, but many do not. It’s up to the bride to decide.)

10:55 p.m. Brittany and Gordon duck out to change into their special "going away clothes," while the attendants pass out birdseed.

11:00 p.m. An old-fashioned Rolls Royce pulls up to the inn. Guests begin throwing birdseed and cheering as Brittany and Gordon get in and drive off to their hotel, where they are staying for the night.

Guests begin to leave. Members of the wedding party help load the gifts into Bob and Bertha Bride's car.