|
The wedding reception is almost as special as the wedding
itself, so why not start your new lives off together with
a big celebration? If you want a reception that has your
guests talking for years to come, you’ll want to make
sure you have all the plans in place for a spectacular party.
After all, the wedding is one of the biggest events of your
life together as a couple.
Be Prepared
The wedding day isn’t just special for the bride
and the groom. They’ll likely be surrounded by their
closest family and friends who will share in their big day,
many of whom traveled great distances to be a part of the
festivities. So when you begin planning the post-ceremony
celebration, you’ll want to have an idea of how many
people might attend. This will help when trying to narrow
down a proper venue. Are you inviting a small group of your
closest friends and family? You might begin by searching
for an intimate setting. Are you inviting everyone in your
family tree including Aunt Tilda on your future brother-in-law’s
wife’s side of the family? You might want to find
a venue like a hotel banquet hall that can accommodate a
large party.
Next, you’ll want to plan a party that reflects your
taste as a couple. Many couples choose to have a themed
party; others make it a black-tie affair, and still others
prefer a casual setting. Deciding what kind of atmosphere
you’d like your reception to have will also aid you
in choosing your venue. If you want additional help in choosing
a reception location, you might also want to consider soliciting
the help of a wedding planner to help you iron out all the
details.
After you lock in your guest list and venue, it’s
time to figure out what kind of food you’d like to
have served at your reception. Many venues have on-site
catering services or you can find a caterer to prepare the
meals and deliver them to your reception. No reception would
be complete without a beautiful wedding cake, so you’ll
want to check out some of the local bakeries to figure out
what kind of cake you’d like to serve.
If you plan on having flowers arrangements at the ceremony
or as centerpieces at your reception, you will also want
to find a florist who will work with you to suit your individual
taste. The cost will depend on how simple or elaborate you
want your floral arrangements to be.
Don’t forget to solicit help in setting up for the
reception. Many venues offer services to help the couple
decorate beforehand, but it is important that if the venue
does not offer this option, that the couple create their
own set-up team to get things in place before they walk
through the reception door worry-free, as Mr. and Mrs.
The Party
Once everyone is sitting down and eating, the party is
in full swing. The flow of the party will depend on who
the couple hires to emcee the event. A good DJ will help
the couple choose songs to play throughout the reception
as well as write a basic script for how the events like
the cake cutting, the toasts, and the first dance will take
place.
And when the bride and groom take center stage for their
first dance as a married couple, everyone will be watching.
Many couples opt to take dancing lessons to prepare for
the big day. For other couples, though, swaying together
to their favorite love song is just enough.
But the party isn’t just about the bridge and the
groom. It is likely that the happy couple will want to take
time to thank all the people who helped get them to their
big day, like their parents, the Maid of Honor and the Best
Man. So having a good speech prepared in advance will help
them make sure not to leave anyone out.
|
