Receiving Line
While convention used to lean toward no reception or a small luncheon, you really can do it however you’d like these days. Have an intimate dinner at the restaurant where you met or a backyard barbeque. Have cake or cupcakes. Have a string quartet or a DJ. Dancing and cutting the cake are perfectly acceptable. Toasts are definitely in order but should not get out of hand (see below). Two traditions that should not be included, however, at a repeat reception: the bouquet and garter toss.
Toasts
No one needs to pretend this is your first wedding, but toasts are not the time to talk about previous marriages or, worse, bash exes. If you’re afraid someone is steering a toast in the wrong direction, do not be afraid to cut him or her off. Again, the theme of the day is focusing on the future, not the past.
The Honeymoon
You’ve just planned and been through a wedding—get yourselves to a tropical paradise, stat! Some newlyweds choose to bring their children along, especially if they are young and still at home. This is fine and a great way to start making memories with your newly blended family, but be sure to get some time to yourselves, whether it’s staying a few days longer or taking a separate trip later. Who wouldn’t want two (or three or four) honeymoons?
In the end, this is your day, and who cares if it’s your first, second, or third? It’s your first with your new spouse. So celebrate!
