Reception timeline sample

Not weird at all that's totally the standard however we're doing our first dance after dinner because we are moving to a garden area after dinner

We are also walking in and doing our first dance and cake cutting as soon as we enter the reception. I would share your plans with your reception venue and see if that would cause them to adjust their plans. But I personally wouldn’t want the salad sitting out when people come in and sit down. People tend to mingle for a few minutes before being seated and I’d like people to be served their salads.

Additionally we plan on being served first and eating quick then circulating the room while the rest of the room is served.

Hey Sayer-ah! It's not strange at all for the caterers to have already placed salads in each table before guests are completely seated. You could also suggest they serve them WHILE your first dance is happening since a large portion of people will most likely gather around the dance floor to watch, so the tables would be less crowded and the salads won't have had to sit out a while.

Your caterer should be willing to work with the timeline you would be most comfortable with, but what they;re suggesting is not strange or uncommon practice!

What kind of food are you serving at your wedding?