Sample Wedding Reception Timeline
Welcome to the home of Kansas City's best dance / variety band - THE TAXIS. We offer this free wedding reception planner for all of our brides and grooms. The TAXIS are Kansas City's most referred band for wedding receptions because they take the time to plan out every detail to make your big night a huge success! Please enjoy planning your wedding reception timeline using the following wedding reception sample planner as your guide, and CONGRATULATIONS from your favorite band, THE TAXIS!
Please feel free to print out this timeline and make your own changes, this is only a sample wedding reception timeline.
Your wedding reception time line may differ from this one - we just picked the most common reception schedule.
Please NOTE: The Taxis do not accept ANY changes after 3pm, 72 hours before your event, so be sure and get all of your information to us by then or your last minute changes will not be honored. Please let your wedding coordinators know this as well. The Taxis DO NOT wait until the last minute to plan our events.
Wedding Reception
6:30pm - Guests Arrive - Cocktails - The Taxis will DJ your cocktail hour, they have a great DJ mix of Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, etc. that is perfect for cocktail hour. If you would like to create your own playlists for cocktails and dinner you may assemble your own playlist on your iPod or other mobile device and give it to the band to DJ during cocktail hour.
7:00pm - Bride and Groom arrive and are announced to the guests. If you want the band to announce your entire wedding party we will need you to email us a phonetically spelled out list of the names). Pick out a cool song for the intros - some examples are "Jock Jams (Let's Get Ready to Rumble)", or if you want something more classy, "This Will Be" by Natalie Cole - etc.
7:15pm - Cake Cutting OR First Dance - it is a good idea to perform some action immediately after you are introduced into the room. The bride and groom will be announced, then the applause will die down, and then you are just standing there. You can avoid this by either going over to cut the cake (band will announce) or going right into your first dance (band will announce). Most people have the misconception that the cake should come after dinner, as if you were eating at home, but just because you do the cake cutting ceremony does not mean that is when you will actually SERVE the cake. You are just doing the ceremony part of the cake cutting, the caterers can serve the cake to the guests later, etc.
7:30pm - Dinner (Sometimes a blessing is said before dinner is announced) Background playlist continues.
8:15pm - Toasts (Best Man, Maid of Honor, Parents, etc.) - you want to do the toasts AS PEOPLE ARE STILL EATING dinner because it will save you time and keep your party moving forward.
8:30pm - Bride and Groom First Dance - if you did not do your first dance in the beginning of the night then you can do it here. The TAXIS will perform your first dance song live if it is on our playlist at http://www.adamblueproductions.com/thetaxisband If not, The TAXIS will DJ the first dances. The TAXIS do not learn songs.
8:35pm - Father of the Bride and Bride Dance
8:40pm - Mother of the Groom and Groom Dance - You can combine the father of the bride and mother of groom dance by starting with the father of the bride and then the band will politely invite the groom and his mother to the dance floor midway through the song. (This is very popular now)
8:45pm - Band Starts
9:30pm - Band Break / Bouquet - Garter Toss - band will break and WHEN THEY COME BACK and get ready to do the second set it's a good time to do the bouquet / garter toss. Pick out a couple of fun songs for the tosses - "Single Ladies" by Beyonce is popular for the bouquet toss and "American Woman" by Lenny Kravitz is a good one for the Garter toss - or whatever songs you want. The band will be onstage and will get "all the single ladies / guys on the floor" as well as do a drum roll during the tosses etc.
9:50pm- Band's Second Set
11:30 / 11:45 - Wrapping Up - The TAXIS will play their last few songs and then DJ a couple of songs while people are leaving so there is no "dead air".
12am - The TAXIS will not perform past 12am.
Couples can choose ALL of their DJ music for band breaks - it's a great time to have songs played that the band doesn't play - or the band has a nice band break DJ list as well. When the band takes a break, they PUMP the DJ music to keep the party going strong.
The TAXIS will not contract for more than 5 1/2 hours total (time starts when the first guest walks through the door) - So if your reception starts at 6:30pm, The TAXIS will provide service until 12am
The TAXIS allow our couples to choose UP TO 5 "please play" songs from our song list at http://www.adamblueproductions.com/thetaxisband and UP TO 5 "please do not play" songs from that song list.
If cocktails, dinner or any other portion of the event are in a different room than the band, a $350 charge per additional room or area will apply if The TAXIS are to DJ for those portions.
The TAXIS provide use of their microphones for announcements and toasts from you and your guests. Have fun planning your big night and thank you from The TAXIS!