Before the Party, here are some suggestions...
If you aren't sure of what traditions or activities to keep, or advice you need to pass along, this is what we've learned over the years.
Don't want attention on yourself?
Some people want to not have too much attention on themselves, even if it is their wedding date. With so many activites, some attention is unavoidable.
What's the solution?
For certain things, like cake cutting, instead of having it announced and having everyone gather around, you can do a "silent cake cutting", where you only have your photographer, and anyone particularly important that you want to witness it (some people just want their parents to watch). This can be done during dinner, when guests are distracted eating.
You can do this for various aspects of the event.
Get rid of activities you don't want to do
If it isn't a "Hell Yes!", it's probably a "No". You can get rid of things for your day that don't excite you, and that's okay.
If you don't want to do Introductions into the reception, or walk around to tables to chat with everyone, or cake cutting, no worries! You don't need to!
How to talk to everyone you've invited
It's hard to talk to everyone on the day of the wedding!
Let's do some quick math: if you try to chat to 120 guests during just the dinner hour, giving everyone 30 seconds, that's a full hour! And if you are doing photos during cocktail hour, that's one hour you can't chat to anyone.
So what are the options?
1: Chat with people over the full wedding weekend (if you are doing days of multiple activities, i.e. some at the rehearsal dinner, some the day of the wedding, some the morning after brunch)
2: Chat with everyone during dinner, by you and your partner going between each side, divide and conquer, or saying hi to each table together and addressing everyone there as a whole
3. Get on the mic and say thank you to everyone (and tell them you aren't going around to each table). If they want to find you, have them meet you on the dance floor!
How to hold a mic
Tell anyone who is giving a toast to hold the mic up to their mouth (like they are eating ice cream or rapping). The mic needs to be close enough so all the guests can hear them.
How to Give a Toast
The simple toast formula:
1. Introduce Yourself
2. Tell a short story about the couple (no more than 5 minutes)
3. "Cheers!"