For those of you planning your general reception structure, here?s a sketch of ours:
6:30 PM – Announcement of family, bridal party, and the couple

6:35 PM – Dinner begins

7:25 PM – Cake cutting

7:30 PM – Toasts

7:45 PM – First dances

7:55 PM – Floor opens for dancing

8:45 PM – Tosses

9:55 PM – Last song

10:00 PM – Lantern release
Dinner

Cake Cutting
We cut the cake directly after dinner. The best part was that we did it to ?Werewolf Bar Mitzvah? the joke party song from the TV show 30 Rock. It was a pitch perfect choice.
?Werewolf bar mitzvah / Spooky scary / Boys becoming men / Men becoming wolves?

Toasts
Honestly, I dreaded the idea of toasts and wanted to put as little emphasis on them as possible. It?s silly but it felt like the most attention-seeking part of the wedding. (I know?even after all the standing and folks looking right at us, the idea of toasts felt the most uncomfortable.) We chose four people to give toasts: one member of each family and one member of each person?s party. In the end, the toasts were so lovely I can?t believe I worried over them so much.
My maid of honor gave a beautiful speech; it was so sisterly and filled me with laughter and tears. She recounted our terrible high school astronomy class, our shared blog about sea monkeys, all these wonderful, weird moments from our lives before that amazing day.

Mr. B-Cat?s groomsman took the mic next. As his college roommate he r...