As far as Poland is concerned, a wedding is a truly special time of celebration with family and friends. It can last just a few hours, but can also stretch to several days. It all depends on the customs and traditions of a particular region, as well as the involvement of the guests. One thing is certain - a wedding reception, no matter how long it is, remains in the memory for a lifetime.
Why have a plan?
A wedding reception is not just an occasion to enjoy a toast to the happiness of the bride and groom. It is also a long-awaited family reunion that encourages reflection and reminiscing about the most wonderful moments of the past. It is also a time when two complete strangers' families have the chance to really get to know each other and integrate.
Delicious food, touching conversations, wild partying, dancing, chants and endless toasts - wedding receptions have their own rules. There is no need to rush things or add to the nervous atmosphere. Give the bride and groom and their guests the attention they deserve.
When organising the wedding reception, it is a good idea to prepare a detailed timetable so that no important element is forgotten in the heat of excitement. A list, in which all attractions, games, greetings and acknowledgements will be arranged point by point, hour by hour, should be placed in a place accessible not only to the bride and groom and their witnesses, but first of all to the people serving the guests. It is a good idea to put all your comments and preferences, even the smallest ones, on it quietly, long before the reception itself.
How it goes wedding party step by step?
The wedding reception begins traditionally with a ceremonial welcome to the bride and groom. It is an old Polish custom for the parents to greet the 'young' with bread, salt and two glasses - one with water and the other with vodka. According to superstition, the person who chooses the glass with 'fiery water' will rule in the relationship.
After the bride and groom enter the hall, the wedding guests are welcomed. Everyone with a glass of champagne sings 'Happy Birthday' together, and then the father of the bride and groom or another pre-designated person makes a celebratory toast, after which the bride and groom drink the contents of their glasses and throw them behind them to break into tiny poppy seeds. This augurs a long and happy union. All the guests then sit down at the table to share a celebratory, usually three-course dinner.
After dinner, the craziest part of the gathering begins, which is tentatively preceded by the bride and groom's first dance together. This is probably the most touching moment of the wedding reception and the source of the most stress. It is clearly followed by a relaxation and the wedding party begins to go on with its life. All the games, attractions and dancing together are punctuated by numerous toasts and moments of recuperation over cold and warm refreshments.
During the wedding, time should also be set aside for a thank-you ceremony for the parents, which is often accompanied by singing and dancing together, and increasingly often by a multimedia presentation or screening of a film that the bride and groom have prepared especially with their loved ones in mind.
One of the most important points of the wedding reception is the wedding ceremony, an old Polish wedding ritual symbolising the bride and groom's transition into marriage. The course of the wedding banquet varies depending on the region, so it is worthwhile to agree in advance with the organisers, ringleader or music band all its finer elements - throwing the veil, throwing the bow tie, chants and games involving the bride and groom. The final stage of the wedding reception is the ceremonial cutting of the wedding cake and the invitation to the guests to party together until dawn.
And last but not least - an invitation to the rehearsal dinner
The end of the fun in the wedding hall does not necessarily mean the end of the party. A still very popular wedding custom is the Amendment, which is the continuation of the wedding reception on the following day. Amendments are usually more casual and symbolise the hospitality of the bride and groom. Although they used to resemble a 'second wedding reception', they now take the form of a looser get-together over a barbecue, bonfire or outdoor lunch in far less formal attire.