Planning Your Wedding Reception
Planning your wedding reception can take a lot of effort, and it all begins with deciding on the location and type of reception. Fear not; it’s a fairly methodical process, provided you know which things need to be covered and can have a lot of fun with it, too.
Set the date for your wedding before you start looking for locations for the reception. Keep in mind that many sites are booked a year or even two in advance. So, you may need to fine-tune the date depending on the availability of your desired reception location or be ready to change to a different reception venue.
Set down your budget. When you rent your wedding reception location, you’ll have to give a rounded figure of approximately how many quests you’re likely to have. Therefore, an essential part of planning the wedding reception involves pruning down your reception list; this will also estimate the costs per head according to the room size and your requirements.
Decide on the type of reception you’d like to have. Nowadays, the two main types of reception are sit-down meals or cocktail wedding receptions, but other variants, such as picnics, a simple cake-cutting, or a beach reception, might also appeal.
Consider whether or not you’ll have a receiving line. On the positive side, this can provide an opportunity to greet all guests and allow everyone to feel they’ve had the chance to congratulate you. On the downside, it can take a lot of time and begin to feel tiring for those in it. Some guests may also detest this formality and having to wait in line. Having divorced parents can also make this an awkward decision for some.
Additional tips
Decide when to have the wedding toasts and plan to keep them short. While these are traditional and wonderful, they’re a pain when they’re too long or dull. Make the toasts during or between dinner courses, with two or three people speaking each time.
Decide when dancing will occur at the wedding reception. Nowadays most weddings tend to leave the dancing until all courses are finished rather than having dances between courses. Besides your special song, be sure to have songs people will really want to dance to. Not strange songs that only suit the taste of a few.
Organize the photography of the wedding reception. You will want as many photos of your wedding reception as possible, as well as the ceremony photos. Organize pictures with family and friends, in special groups, or at specific tables. Do you want guests to take pictures, too? They could each be asked to email digital images of the evening they’ve taken; give them a central wedding photo email set up just for this purpose.
Consider whether you wish to have any other ceremonial aspects—for example, the garter belt removal tradition in front of the guests. You might also wish to throw the bouquet at your wedding reception, as per tradition.
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