If you’re unsure who says grace at a wedding reception, it can be the officiant, couple’s friend, or family member. We will discuss the expectations for this role in more detail below.
You might also be interested in knowing how long should a wedding toast be. Similar to who gives the prayer at the wedding reception, there are also some guidelines about the toasts in the wedding.
Who Usually Does The Grace At A Wedding Reception?
The person to pray for grace at a wedding reception is usually the wedding officiant. However, the couple can also choose someone close to them that they think can pray appropriately, whether it’s a relative or a friend.
Who to ask to say grace at the wedding reception
If you want the wedding officiant to perform the prayer at the reception, don’t forget to mention it to them beforehand. It should be discussed during the planning sessions to prepare the person to give the blessing before the reception.
If you’re thinking about how to include friends in the wedding that aren’t bridesmaids, you can consider them for praying at the reception as well. Just make sure that they are comfortable doing so and be open to the idea that they might turn your request down.
The same applies if you’ve picked a family member to say the grace at the reception. But, again, never pressure them if they don’t want to, as some people understandably are uncomfortable with public speaking.
Who not to ask to say grace at the wedding reception
Besides anyone who isn’t a fan of speaking in front of many people, there are other considerations to consider when deciding who must pray at the wedding reception. For example, the most significant factor is religion.
If you’re having a specific religious ceremony, asking someone of another faith to pray at the reception would be inappropriate. It can make them, or the guests feel uneasy, especially if it’s a very traditional event.
Even if we love them dearly, some people also have unpredictable or erratic personalities. So you want the person who’ll say grace at the reception as respectful and calm to avoid an awkward atmosphere before the meal starts.
How Do You Say Grace At A Wedding Reception?
The grace at a wedding reception is a blessing in the form of a prayer before everyone eats. There are various wedding reception prayers available online that you can use or browse prayer books to find the one that will suit the wedding reception.
If you chose the wedding officiant to pray before the meal at the reception, make sure to communicate with them your expectations, especially if you want a traditional blessing. But what if you’re the person chosen to pray during the wedding reception?
Ask the couple themselves if they want a traditional blessing or if you can take inspiration from religious texts. You want the prayer to be sincere and include the main elements of a wedding reception blessing.
How to write a wedding reception prayer
- Start with asking God, or the deity of the couple’s religion for blessing them, then thank and bless the guests for attending
- Thank God for the food and praise Him
- Write the reception grace two weeks before the date of the wedding to help you draft the perfect one
- Check the elements you’ve included and make sure that nothing is inappropriate or out of place for the reception
- Keep the wedding reception grace concise; focusing on the couple and asking God to bless them as newlyweds
- You can always add a short introduction to make the grace feel more sincere; include the guests in the experience
- Write the blessing in a paper, so you can have a backup in case you forgot
- Try practicing the reception prayer in front of someone so they can give you pointers about its content and your delivery
How Do You Pray For A Wedding Reception?
A traditional prayer for opening the wedding reception includes addressing God and thanking Him for the gift of marriage. In addition, you want to thank God for the couple and ask Him to bless them.
Finally, mention that you give your hearts and beings to Him in adoration and that you welcome the Holy Spirit among you. And as for the prayer or grace before the wedding dinner or meal at the reception, you can take inspiration from dinner prayers while also incorporating how everyone is there to celebrate with the couple.
It can be as simple as addressing the Creator and how everyone is gathered to celebrate the couple’s unity. Ask for blessing the meal and the newlyweds, then you can do the Lord’s Prayer after.
Who Says The Prayer At The Rehearsal Dinner?
The rehearsal dinner host can say the prayer, typically the groom’s family. It’s also common for any parent of the couple to do the grace before the rehearsal dinner.
However, there is no specific rule on praying at the rehearsal dinner. Some couples also invite their officiant to the dinner, which means they can bless the event as well.
Conclusion
And that’s it! We just learned who says grace at a wedding reception: typically the officiant, but it can also be the couple’s close relative or friend with the same religion.
Whoever you choose, you can help them write the prayer or guide them to traditional wedding reception prayers. If it’s the officiant, don’t forget to mention it during the planning.