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Wedding
Reception Planning:
A Complete Planner's Guide
Planning a wedding can be a huge job, and the wedding reception planning
is definitely going to take a good bit of work. You need to decide on
the food, whether or not to have a buffet or a catered meal, where
everyone is going to set, the decorations, and of course don’t forget
about a program of events as well. It can all be a bit confusing and
harrying for any bride, so here is a complete planner’s guide to help
you get plan out an excellent reception for your wedding.
Set Your Budget First
The first thing you need to do when planning your wedding reception is
to decide on a reception budget. Just how much are you willing to
designate towards the cost of a reception? Once you decide on your
budget it will help you to make the rest of decisions that you will need
to make regarding your wedding reception. When you figure out your
budget, write it down and make sure you stick to it too.
Choose a Location
Next you will need to pick out a location for your wedding reception.
More than likely you will want to pick a reception location that is
nearby where you are holding the wedding. Make sure that there is plenty
of room for all your guests, and also take the prices into
consideration. It may be best to check around at a few places to find
the best price for what you want and need.
Choosing the Food
Choosing the food is another important decision when it comes to
planning out your wedding reception. Many of the food decisions will
probably depend on the time of day that you will be having your
reception. If the reception is early afternoon or late morning, then a
light brunch may be in order. Afternoon weddings often lend themselves
to a reception that only requires some simple luncheon foods, cake, and
punch. For weddings that are in the evening, you will probably want to
have a full dinner as well as the cake of course.
Buffet Anyone?
If you are planning a full meal at your wedding reception, you will need
to decide between a buffet style meal, or a meal that is served to
everyone. The problem with having a meal that is served is that you have
to pay your servers and it can be much expensive. For brides who really
want to save money on their reception, the buffet may be the best
choice. If you do not want an actual buffet table, you can choose to
have various food stations around the room where guests can go to get
their food. It uses the same concept of a buffet but without causing
huge lines or traffic jams with everyone trying to get to one table.
Deciding on the Bar
You will also need to decide whether or not you prefer to offer just a
few choice alcoholic beverages or whether you want to have an open bar.
Of course you will also need to remember to have the champagne on hand
for toasting as well. Having an open bar can be quite expensive, so if
you are trying to stick to a budget, just offering a few alcoholic
drinks may be best. Limiting the drinks is definitely more classy than
having a bar where your guests have to pay for their beverages.
Seating Arrangements
One of the biggest frustrations of planning your wedding reception may
be doing the seating arrangements. While they are not mandatory, most
receptions do have them. This means trying to figure out where to seat
everyone at your wedding, and it can be a pain when your fiancé’s Aunt
Eva doesn’t get along with your Aunt Betty or if you have invited
friends that absolutely do not get along. When it comes to the seating
arrangements, the most important thing is to make sure that you have
your wedding party all together and that there are specific tables
especially for your very close family members, such as your parents and
siblings. As far as the rest of the seating goes, try to place people
together who will be able to enjoy conversing among themselves. Seating
your friends together, coworkers together, and then extended family
together is a good start.
Decorating for Your Reception
No doubt you will want to have your reception hall decorated
beautifully. You can choose to have the decorations at your reception go
along with the colors and theme of your wedding, or you can choose
something totally different. Flowers are definitely a great choice for
decorating the tables at your reception; however, avoid making
arrangement on the tables so big that you cannot see the person that is
across from you. You may also want to bring along the flowers from your
wedding site and then you can use them at the reception for decoration
as well. Also, you need to remember any decorations you may want for
your car as you drive away as “just married.”
Your Reception Itinerary
It is also important that you decide on your reception itinerary as
well. You need to decide when you want to serve the food, when the cake
should be cut, and when the dancing should begin. Also, you will need to
schedule in the bouquet and boutonnière toss as well as the toasts to
the bride and groom. Be sure that once you figure out your itinerary for
the reception that you make copies and give them to all of your vendors
and to your wedding party as well. This will help you make sure that
everyone knows what is going on.
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