Tag Archive | "Reception"

Wedding Reception Venues That Will Make Your Day Special

Popular wedding venues for wedding receptions include banquet halls in your local area. When you choose a banquet hall, you are signing on not only for the physical space, but usually you also are committing to using their caterer. Make sure that you take the time to try out their caterer’s food and look over the prices on the catering menu. Less scrupulous wedding reception venues may offer the banquet hall at a nominal fee – provided that you commit to spending an exorbitant amount of money on their catering.

Large, beautifully restored and maintained country homes, such as tudor mansions, offer your wedding reception the size both inside receptions rooms and on manicured grounds outdoors for your large wedding. Outdoor wedding receptions can be a marvelous way to celebrate your new marriage, but it is impossible to guarantee good weather for any day. This is particularly true for weddings, which are planned months or even years in advance. Having a suitable alternative reception hall that can accomodate your wedding party on site means that you can make the decision to move the party indoors without worrying about guests going to the wrong location for the wedding reception.

Having a more intimate wedding reception, such as one with fifty guests or less, means that brides and grooms have the opportunity to hold their wedding celebration in a smaller and more personal wedding reception venue. It could mean renting a large home for a house party with your guests for a night or two before going on to your honeymoon, or making use of a restaurant for your wedding reception. Look for smaller spaces that your wedding party will fit into comfortably. Your wedding reception will be the right size if it is held in an appropriately sized venue.

A smaller wedding reception also means greater opportunity for the bride and groom to investigate exciting gourmet options. Instead of the standard wedding fare, consider holding your wedding reception at a restaurant that specializes in seafood, or one that offers tableside flamed desserts to your guests. Holding your wedding reception at a venue that can accommodate your guests and your reception exclusively is a great way to foster a fun and celebratory atmosphere, before, during, and after your wedding ceremony and reception.

Whatever the size of your wedding reception, be sure to look for a wedding reception venue that will offer you and your guests experience with wedding receptions. A good wedding reception venue should have staff that are capable of handling the small details that make up your wedding reception, and allow you and your guests to enjoy celebrating your new marriage.

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Unique Wedding Reception Favors

Being creative when deciding on wedding reception favors can help create a lively atmosphere. The wedding reception is a time for celebration of the new couple, so why not use a play on words to create unique wedding reception favors. The following list can help you come up with a play on words that will work for your wedding. After the list is an example to help give you an idea of how to do it.

1. Think of words associated with couples, marriage, weddings, love. Also think of variations on words, like pair and pear. Use a thesaurus to help you out. Make a list of these words.

2. Think of popular sayings or twists on the words on your list. Also write down any sayings that might convey the overall idea of couples and love. Write everything you think of down even if it seems crazy or useless. You may surprise yourself with how an off-the-wall idea can become perfect.

3. Try to edit each phrase or saying down to no more than five words. You may be wanting to use it on the favors and you want to keep the length to a minimum.

4. Choose your favorites and brainstorm different things that could represent the saying. For example, for the phrase ” birds of a feather flock together” you could use feathers or birds or even flowers – birds of paradise. do not worry about being too practical just get the ideas out there.

5. Choose your favorite. Make it fit to your reception. Make sure the favors will be practical. Try to have the saying you use printed on the favors or somewhere at the reception so the guests are sure to get the joke.

The following is an examples of using a play on words to create great wedding reception favors.

Perfect Pear:

The idea here is the play on the word “pear/pair”. You can use the image of pears to convey the idea. Silver pear shaped bells with “perfect pear” engraved on them along with the couples names and wedding date make for a nice favor. Another idea is marzipan pears served on small silver platters. If you are looking to have fun with the idea you can give tubs of pear flavored lip gloss. You can also tie this theme into the reception by serving pear dishes and decorating the room with pear theme favors.

As you can see there is a lot of fun in using a play on words to create your wedding reception favors. It may take some creative thought on your part, but the end result is well worth it. People will be talking about your unique wedding reception for a long time. Do not be surprised to see others copy your ideas. This is not only fun, but creates a great conversation piece for your guests. Plays on words are all around, so think hard and get to work on those great wedding reception favors. It is more important than you think when you need to choose the perfect unique wedding reception favors.

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Wedding Favors – Ideas for Wedding Reception Favors

Finding wedding favors ideas can be overwhelming and is not always that easy to plan and prepare.  With so many things to do and so many things to purchase for the wedding most budgets are stretched to the limit. 

A couple may consider compromising the quality of their wedding just to keep the budget down, but this does not have to be the case.  There are many practical ways that will allow you to keep the budget down without sacrificing the quality.

One area where you can save a lot is to consider inexpensive wedding favors ideas such as:

Wholesale Wedding Favors – Look out for wholesale wedding favors, you can usually find these online or on eBay, or if you can’t find anything wholesale don’t be afraid to ask for a discount especially if you are purchasing your wedding favors in bulk from one store.

Homemade Wedding Favor Ideas – If you have the time and are the crafty type you can easily make your own wedding favors such as cookie wedding favors or purchase candy then with the help of family and friends these can be packaged in cheap wedding favor bags, add a personalized wedding favor tag you will have a wedding favor which is unique.

Ultimately you need to decide on how much you want to spend on the wedding favors and stay within or below that budget.  There are many wedding favors ideas available to you both online and in your local area all at varied prices. 

If you don’t want to spend your valuable time going from store to store in your local area your best bet would be shopping online which will give you a wider range to choose from in the comfort of your home.

All sorts of wedding favor supplies can be purchased online including wedding favor tags, wedding favor cake boxes, wedding favor ribbons, wedding favor candy bars and wedding favors that will suit almost any wedding theme and budget.

 

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Learn About Choosing A Wedding Reception Venue

Your ideal location for your wedding reception should continue with the theme and style that you have chosen for your wedding. If you are lucky, and can have the reception at the same place where you get married, you will have a head start on creating a day where one part of the day flows seamlessly into the next. If you are getting married at a church, however, this may not be an option. For those of you who have family and friends living all over the nation, you might find that it makes more sense for everyone to have your wedding reception at an easily accessible location which is well connected by highways, railroads, and airports. You will know if this idea fits your particular situation once you are aware who will come to your wedding, so that you will be capable of choosing most appropriately where to host your wedding reception. In this way, you will be able to make certain that all of your guests are able to reach your wedding without too much trouble and cost. Should you end up choosing a local place for the reception, think about the guests whom you plan to invite, and how they will be able to get there and even at what place they will be able to stay. It could be appropriate to offer transportation, travel, directions, and area hotels on your wedding invitations. No one should plan a stunning wedding reception in a castle, on a cliff, or a sandy beach if they dwell in the city and are working on a smaller budget. You have to settle on a wedding reception place for which you are able to afford the cost; be real. You have to come to grips with making wedding dreams which work together with your budget, with what you realistically can afford to spend. In such a way, you will avoid a great number of arguments while putting the wedding itself together, as well as a great mountain of debts once you have been married! This is not to say that you are not able to have a dream wedding. Wonderful locations for wedding receptions are available to fit every particular taste, as well as every budget. If only one of the parties is making the decision, finding a location for the reception is a little easier. However, if both parties participate in the decision making during the wedding planning phase, finding a venue becomes a little tougher. If joint decisions are being made but the parties do not agree on budget, colors, style, theme, etc., compromise is your best ally. Each party should make a list that includes what features a venue must have for the ideal wedding reception. Another list should be made by each party listing what features they do not want in a potential venue. Numbering the list in order of importance will help the parties see what is important to the other party, which makes a compromise easier to achieve. Remember that some wedding venues are often reserved as much as a year in advance so start looking early for the best possibilities. Ideally you should begin your search for your reception location when you start looking for a place to have the wedding ceremony. Some locations will allow you to make a temporary booking on their facility as long as you give them a final yes or no answer within 48 hours. That will give you time to look around a little more while it prevents you from the disappointment of having a venue fall through!

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The Importance of Wedding ceremony Centerpieces for your Wedding ceremony Reception Planning

Wedding centerpieces are significant components that constitute the wedding ceremony theme within the reception venue. At your wedding ceremony reception, your wedding centerpieces will determine the mood of the party. Since centerpieces are the focal position of your wedding ceremony reception, it really is essential to choose the very best type. Your wedding centerpiece will undoubtedly be the focus of focus on each table. Needless to say, selecting out your wedding ceremony centerpieces may be tough. Wedding centerpiece choices can very easily run you a lot of cash, with individuals shelling out hundreds and in some cases thousands on a good number of wedding party arrangements.

One particular strategy could be to choose a wedding party decoration that doubles as wedding and reception party favours . Other forms of wedding party table decorations may contain unique forms of lights, which in turn can be beneficial for arranging the actual lights in the wedding party venue.

Wedding service table decorations are generally appealing products set at the middle section of each and every dining place table in the marriage ceremony and also reception place. A great fun thing to complete while preparing your own reception could be to generate your own Diy wedding ceremony table decorations. Do-it-yourself reception service centrepieces certainly are a fantastic method for wedding brides to prevent losing cash when performing their wedding ceremony organizing.

Early spring variety of centrepieces are generally perceived as pleasing for wedding ceremony activities, not to mention homespun table decorations are significantly less pricey and much more distinct. An further springtime motivated wedding centerpiece decoration is produced with springtime influenced blossoms. Spring inspired centerpieces are always beautiful for weddings, and handmade centerpieces are lower-cost and additional individual. Fall wedding centerpieces are an vital aspect of fall wedding ceremony decorations .In this kind of arrangement, it can be a superb concept to make use of fall leaves and berries scattered around the table.

The first step in beginning a wine- themed wedding ceremony centerpiece is always to select your flowers. Flowers utilized as wedding ceremony centerpieces are 1 of the most favorite styles. Flowers and candles for wedding centerpieces are now the widespread trends. Flower patterned wedding centerpieces are amongst the most classic and typical sort of centerpieces. Also try this in your wedding ceremony table decorations. Position some varied shaded flower petals and leaves round the container. Yet another trend in wedding ceremony celebration centerpieces is flowers and other all-natural components artistically exhibited with their stalks removed and placed in h2o vases.

Seaside wedding centerpiece can enable you to give a finishing touch for your beach wedding theme. Most of these ideas for a beach wedding centerpiece are of the fun nature. You will find plenty of do-it-yourself wedding ceremony ceremony decoration strategies that middle about using new fruit. It’s an excellent idea to choose the fruits that are in time for this objective.

I hope that this article was of some help. We desire you the perfect of luck within your wedding and wedding reception!

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Music For Your Wedding Reception

Being a wedding entertainer I see first hand on a weekly basis how much impact the music has on the success of a wedding reception. The following article will help you plan out the perfect mix of music for your Chicago wedding reception.

First and foremost, the music for your wedding is the soundtrack to one of the most important days of your life! You should put some thought into it. The music should be memorable and reflect your personal taste and style while at the same time creating an enjoyable atmosphere for you and all of your guests.

Even though your wedding day is probably still months away you should start making up your request list now.

Here are some do’s and don’ts for selecting music for your wedding reception:

DO

Have a frank discussion with your potential entertainer about the music. They should listen to your input; it is your wedding. You should listen to their input; they do this for a living.
Keep a pad of paper handy at your desk and in the car and jot down song ideas when they pop into your head. They will be gone by the time you get home if you don’t write them down right away.
Play songs that you would like to hear but that aren’t great dancing songs during cocktail hour or dinner.
Try to remember songs that were meaningful to you and your family and friends. List songs that you use to sing along to with everyone when going out for the night or hold special memories for you and your fiancee. Dedicate these songs to your friends and family at the reception!
Make sure the entertainer is aware of the significance of your dedications and the appropriate people are present when the song is played.
Keep the number of requests at a reasonable amount! For an average wedding reception you will be lucky to get 3 hours of full dancing time. This is about 45 songs in total or 15 per hour. If you have a talented DJ or band they will be able to mix the songs together so they flow seamlessly from one to the other and instead of playing the full version you will hear maybe half or three fourths of the song before it blends into the next one. This will allow more songs to be played throughout the evening. At MDM Entertainment we structure our music request system in a way that allows the bride and groom to have their favorites played while still allowing the entertainer some flexibility in programming and for guest requests, if that is okay with you. Contact us for more information on how we handle wedding music request lists.
Pick songs that you like from different genres of music that will appeal to the different age ranges of your guests. You should want everyone to dance and have a great time at your wedding.
Play to the older guests early. A good rule of music programming is to play more for the older guests at the beginning then progress into the newer styles later on in the evening. Everyone likes the older styles of music (Sinatra, Big Band, 50′s and 60′s, Motown, etc) to some extent. If you get the older guests dancing and having a good time they will be much more likely to stay the whole evening and by the end of the night they will be dancing to everything. If you break out the hottest current dance music too early in the night it will probably discourage them and they might even leave early.
Allow guest requests. You may not have a good handle on what the majority of your guests do or do not want to dance to. By allowing the DJ or band to take requests they are able to get direct input from the crowd. A good wedding entertainer will of course filter these requests and won’t play anything inappropriate, songs on your “Do Not Play” list or songs that won’t fit in with your own personal preferences.
Remember that everyone may not share your taste is music. If you hire a professional band or disk jockey they should be available to help you plan out the music for your reception and incorporate your style into the day while still playing a good mix to keep all of your guests happy and on the dance floor. That is one of the true benchmarks of a great wedding entertainer, understanding and being able to incorporate the bride and groom’s more eclectic musical tastes into the day while at the same time keeping all of the guests entertained.
Submit your music lists at least two weeks prior to the wedding if you are using a DJ, this will allow them plenty of time to compile the music and acquire any songs that they do not have in their library. If you are using a band you will have to get your requests in months ahead of time to allow them ample time to learn and practice new songs that they may not have in their repertoire.

DON’T

Hand the entertainer a list of 100 songs and demand that they all be played and in that order. Don’t laugh, it happens. Of course you should be involved in the selection of the music for your wedding day but if you do this you are severely limiting the entertainers ability to “read” the crowd and play the right song at the right time. A good entertainer will understand your musical tastes and incorporate that throughout the event in a way that will still keep your guests happy and on the dance floor. On those few occasions where a bride has held fast to her list and her order, they have always come up to me half way through the event and realized their mistake and end up giving me free reign. You are hiring professional entertainment for a reason; trust their experience and skill.
Say I want all this type of music and nothing else. Some brides and grooms tell me they love Hip Hop and that is what they want to hear all night. Take into consideration your guests enjoyment of the evening as well. Don’t you want them to have a wonderful time too? Grandma and Grandpa just might not like Hip Hop. Ultimately it is your night and the entertainer should do exactly what you ask of them but take into consideration the wide range of age ranges and musical tastes of your guests when making up your play list.
Run up to the entertainer and say I want this song next! Again, it is your wedding and they should do what you ask but the entertainer has put a lot of thought into the selection of songs to get to this point in the evening. If your song fits in with the current genres being played NEXT is probably a great idea. If you are requesting a techno track be played next and the dance floor is full of grandparents dancing to swing maybe you could ask that the song be played soon so the DJ has time to progress into that genre instead of scaring the living daylights out of the older folks on the dance floor.

If you follow these do’s and don’ts and hire professional wedding entertainment your reception will be an evening of dancing and socializing that all of your guests will thoroughly enjoy and talk about for years to come!

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How To Plan A Wedding Reception

The type of your reception should be compatible with the ceremony style. There are three general types of receptions; however there are many ways to go about planning a wedding reception:

– A tea or stand-up buffet, for an early – or late-afternoon wedding, usually consists of hors d oeuvres, wedding cake, and beverages, and allows approximately eight pieces of finger food in the per-person cost.

– A sit-down buffet, for a morning, noon, or evening wedding, allows guests to serve themselves and then be seated at tables.

– A sit-down dinner, for a wedding held after 6pm, offers a four or five course meal that is served to seated guests.

The basic requirements for a reception are the wedding cake and a beverage for toasting the bridal couple. Champagne is traditionally served at formal receptions, but the serving of alcoholic beverages of any kind is a matter of choice. The reception is likely to consume the largest portion of your wedding budget. Also, you should appoint someone reliable to oversee the reception, coordinate last-minute details, and direct cleanup. To help with these responsibilities, a reception organizer, reception seating chart, reception receiving line, reception room diagrams, and worksheet for the table layout may be filled out and given to the reception coordinator.

How to Choose a Reception Site

You will need to coordinate available dates and times with both the ceremony and reception sites before confirmation can be made. How to choose a reception site is largely determined by the size of your guest list. It is important to have a room that is neither too large nor too small. Your guests may feel lost in a room too large. To make the room appear smaller, you can partition off an area using potted plants, roping, or moveable room dividers. If a room is too small, it may become cramped and uncomfortable. When weather and location permit, the reception could spill over into a garden or patio to increase the size of the area.

Allow approximately three hours for your reception. The length will depend upon the style of the reception, the location you have chosen, and the number of guests to be served.

Most hotels and caterers, who may be involved with more than one reception on any given day, prefer that you select a time for your reception that stays within a single conventional time period (morning, noon, afternoon, or evening). If your reception extends into a second time period – such as from afternoon into evening – you may find difficulty in reserving a room, or an increase in cost for the use of the room and services.

When you have a choice of using all or some of the services offered with a possible reception site (perhaps in a “packaged deal”), consider every detail before deciding. Packages may include (a) room, food, and service; or (b) room, food, service, cake, and decorations.

Most banquet facilities and halls require that you use their food and beverage services. Hotels sometimes offer extras with their packages, suck as discounted room prices for out-of-town guests, and special wedding night rates for the bride and groom. When reserving a reception room months in advance of your wedding, ask for a guaranteed price and get it in writing.

Make certain that any contract you sign includes only those services you desire, including a cancellation policy whereby you get most of your money back should you cancel (particularly if the location is rebooked by another group). Some locations will allow you to reserve a room for a time before signing a contract; however, a deposit is required at signing – usually 10 percent of the total estimated cost.

How to Choose a Wedding Caterer

If you are trying to figure out how to choose a wedding caterer, the time and date of your wedding must be confirmed with them and also with the ceremony and reception sites before you order any invitations. When looking for a caterer, ask your family and friends for recommendations. Also, ask any unknown caterers for references, and samples of their food, if possible.

By informing an experienced caterer of the amount you have budgeted for the event, the facilities to be used, and the number of invited people, he can quickly tell you what can be served, in what amount, and in what style.

If the caterer is not familiar with the reception site you have selected, have him visit it to determine what is available and what is needed to make it functional for preparing and serving the food. Determine who is responsible for renting any needed extras – kitchen and serving equipment, tables, chairs, linens, table settings etc. Most caterers break down the cost into a per-person charge.

Ask if the quoted price also included the tax and gratuity. You may want to ask who gets the leftover food (since you will have already paid for it). Ask how many people the caterer will provide for serving the food.
– a buffet table requires a serve for every main dish.
– a sit-down dinner requires a server for every ten guests.
– beverages require a server for every fifty guests.

Sometimes, even if you provided the cake, the beverages, and their respective serves, there is a service charge added by the caterer or reception site, especially when they offer the same service. This charge can be extra or hidden in the total per-person charge. When you sign a contract, be certain it specifies exactly what is to be served, the number of people serving it, the per-person cost, the payment schedule, and a release clause should you have to cancel.

How to Order a Wedding Cake

While seeking estimates for the wedding cake from the banquet manager, caterer, or bakery, taste samples to determine the quality of the cake they offer. So you are probably wondering how to order a wedding cake. You will need an estimate of the number of guests you are expecting when you order your cake. Most prices are based on a per-serving cost. A down payment is usually required when ordering.

The number of needed servings determines both the size and shape of the cake – the number of servings per layer size. Do not hesitate to inquire if, with their guidance, you can design your own cake. It is better to have the bakery deliver the cake to the reception site. They can then make any necessary repairs to the icing.

Do not be afraid to ask friends to cut and serve the cake, even if they have never done it before. It is not difficult when given proper instructions. To preserve the top layer of your cake, wrap it first in plastic wrap, then in two layers of aluminum foil before sealing with freezer tape. If you order more cake than you actually need, you may donate any uncut portions to nursing homes, charitable dining rooms, and others.

How to Setup a Wedding Cake

The wedding cake may be used as a centerpiece on the brides table on the buffet table, or it may be placed on its own table. When deciding on the best location, consider serving accessibility as well as how to best highlight the cake. Knowing the design of your cake – round, square, banquet, or heart shaped, consider what table would best enhance its appearance.

Cover the table with long cloths. Skirting may be necessary to cover the table to the floor. Trim the table and base of the cake with flowers, greenery, garlands, or bows. The bridesmaid’s bouquets may also be places on the table as part of the decorations. I hope that helps give you an idea of how to setup a wedding cake.

Bridal Party Arrival at a Wedding Reception

Select someone other than a family member to serve as the unofficial reception host/hostess until the arrival of the bride’s parents or other official hosts of the reception. Sometimes the bridal party can be detained due to completion of the photographs at the ceremony site. For this reason, you may want to provide hors d oeuvres and beverages for your guests preceding a buffet or sit-down dinner.

Who will be the spokesperson for your bridal party arrival at a wedding reception? The emcee, DJ, or bandleader can announce the arrival of the bridal party. You will want to provide the emcee with a list of names of those to be introduced. The list should be in order of their appearance. Include the phonetic pronunciation of each persons name as well as his or her relationship to you or the groom. Following is a suggested order of appearance:

Bride’s parents
Groom’s parents
Bridesmaid and usher/groomsman
Bridesmaid and usher/groomsman
Bridesmaid and usher/groomsman
Bridesmaid and usher/groomsman
Bridesmaid and usher/groomsman
Maid/Marton of Honor and the best man
Guest of Honor the Bride and Groom

Receiving Line at a Wedding Reception

Form the receiving line at a wedding reception based on the best traffic flow for the groom. The receiving line is for the bridal couple and their parents to greet guests and receive their congratulations. It should not disband until each guest in the line has been greeted. If you choose not to have a receiving line, you may circulate among the guests for the same purpose, greeting each one.

Though sometimes held at the ceremony site, a receiving line is traditionally formed at the reception. You may greet any late arrivals as you mingle with your guests. To lessen the amount of time spent receiving guests, include only the bridal couple, parents, and honor attendants in the receiving line. Participants traditionally stand in this order: the bride’s mother, the groom’s mother, the bride, the groom, the maid of honor, and the bridesmaids (in order, with the bridesmaid who led the processional at the end of the line).

If the fathers are included in the line, the grooms father stands next to the brides mother and the brides father stands between the bride and the grooms mother, (if the brides father participates in the line, the best man assumes the role of reception host until the brides father is free).

Take into consideration your family situation when deciding who will participate in the receiving line and where they will stand, particularly if your parents are divorced.

Guest Book at a Wedding Reception

Locate the guest book at a wedding reception near the entrance or at the end of the receiving line. The book can be circulated among the guests to be sure everyone has signed it. The person (or persons) who tended the book at the ceremony site could also tend it at the reception (or others could be designated).

Seating Arrangements at a Wedding Reception

– Tea or stand-up buffet:
You may have a brides table and two or three other tables designated for the bridal party, parents, grandparents, and other family members. It is better to have only half as many chairs as guests, to allow room for people to move about. A few tables should be placed about the room to receive the empty plates, cups, and forks.

– Sit-down buffet or dinner:
The brides table generally includes the brides and grooms attendants, other than children, sitting in alternating positions on either side of the bridal couple:

Usher/Bridesmaid/Usher/Bridesmaid/Best man/BRIDE/GROOM/Maid of Honor/Usher/Bridesmaid/Usher/Bridesmaid

Bridesmaids and ushers may be seated at specially designated tables other than the brides table. The parents can have both sets of parents seated with the officiant and his or her spouse. You could also have separate tables for the brides and grooms parents. Other honored guests can be seated with the parents with this arrangement:

———————–Brides Mother
Grooms Father———————Wedding Officiant
Grandparent,Friend—————Grandparent,Friend
Officiants Wife———————-Grooms Mother
———————–Brides Father

When the bride’s parents are divorced, the groom’s parents sit with the parent who raised the bride. The other parent sits with his or her family and friends at a separate table. If there are children in the wedding party, they may either be seated with their parents or at a special children’s table under adult supervision.

If you are planning to have assigned seating arrangements at a wedding reception, use a reception seating chart to help you plan. If you are using unassigned seating, you may want to use the following method to help avoid confusion or traffic blocks among the guests: 1.) conspicuously but tastefully display a number card on each table 2.) write each guests name and assigned table number on a name/seating card: 3.) place the cards on a hostess table near the entrance to the reception area so that guests can find their seats easily.

Post Wedding Reception Parties

When all the planning of the past few months has come to fruition, the wedding and reception are over, and the bride and groom have left for their honeymoon – now what? If the festivities occurred early in the day, the bride’s parents might consider inviting family members, the grooms parents, and special friends to join them in an informal gathering at home. Continuing the celebration in an intimate home atmosphere, rather than having it come to an abrupt end at the close of the reception, will help the parents to better adjust to the change of pace after the furious activity of the past few months.

Post wedding reception parties and activities could extend over the next several days with swimming and boating trips, picnics, and trips to museums, plays, sporting events, etc.

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Wedding Reception – 5 Food Ideas to Please Wedding Guests

According to popular saying, the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and funnily enough, it’s the same thing as well for wedding guests. If you want to have satisfaction guaranteed for all your guests, here are several wedding reception food ideas to make them too full to complain.

1. Wedding Reception Food Ideas for Breakfast – If you’re on a tight budget then make sure that you schedule your wedding early in the morning to take advantage of a brunch wedding reception. To prevent your guests from feeling that they’ve got the shorter end of the stick however, consider taking the best slices from various breakfast cuisines: beans from the English, eclairs from general Europe, bacon from the States, and Trahina soup with katiki cheese from the Greeks.

2. Wedding Reception Food Ideas for Lunch – If you’re having a noon reception, it must be something heavier and lighter than what you’ll serve for breakfast and dinner respectively. Pasta and elaborate salads are favorite items for this type of event.

3. Wedding Reception Food Ideas for Dinner – This is the grandest of all receptions so you’ll definitely need a large budget to meet the expectations of your guests. Serving wine is de rigeur but if you can’t afford at least a 5 year old wine then consider serving cocktails instead.

4. Wedding Reception Food Ideas for Buffet – To prevent your guests from waiting in queues to reach the buffet table, allow them to have two points of access to the table. Consider setting up another buffet table as well to further minimize discomfort and delay. And if there’s no chance to prevent long lines, consider hiring jugglers and other performers to entertain guests while they’re waiting for their turn. Lastly, make sure that children, the elderly and handicapped are served at their table.

5. Wedding Reception Food Ideas for Various Courses – If you’re going to serve your guests with a multiple-course meal, make sure that you have all the guests RSVP before a specified time about their preferences. This will allow you to prepare the appropriate number of dishes and consider special diets of vegetarians, diabetics, and the likes.

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