Sample Wedding Reception Timeline
Welcome to the home of Kansas City's best dance / variety band - THE KC ALL STARS. We offer this free wedding reception planner for all of our brides and grooms. The KC ALL STARS 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! Over 500 happy couples can't be wrong. Please enjoy planning your wedding reception timeline using the following wedding reception sample planner as your guide, and CONGRATULATIONS from your favorite band, THE KC ALL STARS!
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 KC All Stars 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 KC All Stars DO NOT wait until the last minute to plan our events.
Wedding Ceremony - If your wedding ceremony is at the same venue as your reception, The KC All Stars offer a ceremony package that includes DJ service for the ceremony, a wireless lapel microphone for the officiant, and up to three standing microphones for singers, poetry readers, etc. Ask us about this additional service!
Wedding Reception
6:30pm - Guests Arrive - Cocktails - The KC All Stars 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.
LIVE MUSIC OPTION FOR COCKTAIL HOUR: We do have a jazz act that we hire for some of our couples who want live music during dinner and cocktails, just ask us about hiring the jazz band when you contact us at kcallstars@gmail.com
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.
LIVE MUSIC OPTION FOR DINNER: We do have a jazz act that we hire for some of our couples who want live music during dinner and / or cocktails, just ask us about hiring the jazz band when you contact us at kcallstars@gmail.com
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 KC All Stars will perform your first dance song live if it is on our playlist at www.kcallstars.com If not, The KC All Stars will DJ the first dances. The KC All Stars 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 - please have the venue turn the lights down when the band starts - people don't like to get on the dance floor if the lights are too bright - plus The KC All Stars have an incredible light show.
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 - This set is usually a little more upbeat since the younger guests have had enough liquid courage to get on the dance floor by now, and it's time to cut loose!
11:30 / 11:45 - Wrapping Up - The KC All Stars 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 KC All Stars 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 KC All Stars 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 KC All Stars will provide service until 12am
The KC All Stars allow our couples to choose UP TO 5 "please play" songs from our song list at www.kcallstars.com 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, an additional charge per additional room or area will apply if The KC All Stars are to DJ for those portions.
The KC All Stars 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 KC All Stars!