What Happens at a Wedding Ceremony and Wedding Reception?

by Chris Brower
Last Updated: November 22, 2021

For wedding DJs, each wedding ceremony and wedding reception is, of course, different. Every couple does things differently, and some add their own unique spin to the day. But a lot of weddings, from the DJ’s standpoint, have a ton of similarities.

Here’s what often happens at wedding ceremonies and wedding receptions if the couple chooses to do all the traditional events. The order might be different, and some events might be skipped, but many follow some form of this.

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Wedding Ceremony

Background Music – While guests arrive before the ceremony, the DJ plays background music.
Processional – The DJ plays a specific song or songs as members of the wedding party walk into the ceremony. Typically, the bride is the last to walk in. She often has one song played for just her entrance.
Ceremony – The ceremony occurs. The DJ’s main job is usually making sure the officiant’s microphone is at the right volume. There might also be some event that requires a background song, such as a sand ceremony (where the couple pours sand from separate jars into one jar, symbolizing their new union), communion, candle lighting, or something else.
Recessional – The officiant announces something like, “It is my great honor to introduce to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Couch!” The DJ then plays a song as guests applaud and the couple and their wedding party exit the ceremony.

Wedding Reception

Cocktail Hour – After the ceremony, the wedding party and their families go off to take photos, while the guests go to the reception room and have a cocktail (or five). The DJ typically just plays background music, but occasionally there might be an announcement or two. “Be sure to add your name to the guestbook,” etc.
Grand Entrance – Once the wedding party is done taking photos, the DJ announces them into the reception (“…Let’s make some noise for the new Mr. and Mrs. Couch!”). This is when the wedding reception really starts.
Dinner – The DJ announces that dinner is now ready. Most weddings have either a plated dinner (where the caterers bring food to each guest, like at a restaurant) or guests go through a buffet line. During dinner, the DJ again plays background music. Occasionally, someone (religious leader, parent, etc.) will say a blessing/prayer before dinner begins.
Toasts – The DJ supplies a wireless microphone* so toasts (speeches) can be made. Typically, members of the wedding party or parents of the couple make the speeches.
Cake Cutting – The DJ invites the couple to cut the cake. The DJ plays a background song.
First Dance – The DJ invites the couple to the dance floor to do their first dance.
Father of the Bride & Bride/Mother of the Groom & Groom Dance(s) – The couple does a dance with one of their parents. Often, one pair goes at a time, such as the father of the bride and the bride. Occasionally both pairs dance to the same song.
Anniversary Dance – The DJ invites all the married couples to dance to a song. After a bit, the DJ starts excusing people by how long they’ve been married, starting with the newlyweds and then increasing the amount (1 years, 5 years, 10 years, etc.) until there’s only one couple left, the couple who’s been married the longest. The DJ asks how long they’ve been married and then announces, “55 years! Let’s hear it for them!”
Open Dancing – Everyone is invited to the dance floor to dance—married, unmarried, whomever. Now the DJ really takes over the wedding reception and creates the musical flow the rest of the night. Many wedding receptions have two segments of open dancing, starting with a 30-minute (or so) chunk. And then, after any remaining formal events (bouquet toss, dollar dance, etc.), a second chunk, which typically goes until the very last dance.
Bouquet Toss – The DJ invites the unmarried women to the floor for a chance to catch the bride’s bouquet.
Garter Toss – The DJ invites the unmarried men to the floor for a chance to catch the bride’s garter.
Dollar Dance – The DJ announces that for a donation of guests’ choosing—$1, $5, etc.—they can dance with the bride or groom for a little bit. The money will be used for the couple’s honeymoon (or whatever).
Last Dance – The DJ announces that it’s time for the final song. Everyone dances to one more song before the DJ announces the reception has come to an end. If there’s an after party or a send-off (where guests hold sparklers or something similar while the couple exits the reception), the DJ announces this.

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Other Wedding Reception Events That Are Less Common But Occur Sometimes

Hora – This is the fun dance at Jewish weddings, where the bride and groom are hoisted in the air on chairs, and everyone gathers around them to celebrate. Here’s the Hora from one of my weddings. (Notice how this venue made for some difficulties with the low ceiling and large lighting fixtures!)
Shoe Game – Two chairs are brought to the center of the dance floor and put back-to-back, with the bride in one and the groom in the other so they can’t see each other. They trade one of their shoes. The DJ asks silly/cute questions that center around “who” is the correct answer to the question. For example, “Which one of you said, ‘I love you’ first?” If the answer is the groom, both of them should hold up one of the groom’s shoe. The goal is to see how well they know each other. But obviously it’s more for comedy and entertainment sake than a serious test.
Sorority/Fraternity Songs – If one or both of the newlyweds was in a fraternity or sorority, their fellow members might have a special song they want to sing/perform for the bride and/or groom.

Wedding Reception Announcements

In addition to the announcements for the events detailed above, the DJ often makes announcements for these:

Photo Booth – The DJ announces when it’s now open and when it’s about to close.
Cake Is Now Available – Sometimes after the couple cuts the cake the venue stuff has to then cut it into slices for everyone. The DJ then announces when it’s ready for guests to have.
Last Call for the Bar – The DJ announces that it’s last call for the bar (aka, last time to get a drink).
Group Photos – Occasionally during the dancing portion of the night, the photographer and the couple want to take a group photo on the dance floor with family members, fraternity/sorority brothers/sisters, and any other group you can think of. The DJ may announce this over the microphone to help get people to come to the dance floor for this. This is different than the formal group photos that are taken before/after the ceremony. (Note: This group photo on the dance floor can also be a way to reignite a dance floor that has emptied.)
Gifts for Guests – The DJ announces that there are gift bags, trinkets, or whatever the wedding is providing as a gift to guests.

Conclusion

The more weddings you do, the more you'll get comfortable with the various events and timelines you'll encounter. It'll soon get easy, and anything thrown at you at the last minute ("Hey, can we actually do the garter toss, even though we didn't plan on it originally?") will be no big deal. For additional tips on how to DJ weddings and just what to do and say for each event, be sure to check out our complete guide.

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