Wedding Receptions: The First Party Of Your Married Life

Your first party together as husband and wife – the wedding reception – is a celebration of your love and commitment, a truly momentous event that should be glorified as such. Family and friends will come from near and far to help mark this important milestone in your new life together. And you will have the time of your life. Great wedding receptions are talked about and remembered fondly by guests and wedding party members alike for years and years.

Just think of all the great memories you will make together as husband and wife surrounded by the most important people in your life.  What a great way to start your journey together.

However, before you put on your dancing shoes and let your hair down, there is a lot of planning that goes into making your wedding reception perfect. While there are many aspects of the wedding reception to consider, if you take care of the core five ingredients (food, music, decorations, location and photographers/videographers), it will come together beautifully.

Food: Success Begins With Great Taste

Just imagine, as your guests enter the reception hall they are greeted by a stunningly beautiful ice sculpture that sparkles and glistens in the warm candlelight. Near the buffet table a chocolate fountain gurgles a cascading sheet of rich milk chocolate and nearby an elegant champagne fountain bubbles out the sweet lavish liquid. The aroma of a delicious meal fills the air, leaving your guests with a feeling of excitement for the festivities to come.

Feeding your guests a great meal may just be one of the most important aspects of your reception. A caterer can take the worry and hassle out of feeding a large crowd. A professional wedding caterer can help you plan the menu and tailor it to the desired atmosphere of your wedding reception.  He or she can help you add those special touches like a delicious chocolate fountain, an elegant ice sculpture, or maybe even that bubbling champagne fountain.

Music: To My Ear and Theirs

Think about how much fun you'll have twirling around the dance floor to your favorite song. Or maybe your entire wedding party will wow the crowd with your own choreographed version of  "Thriller" which could make your party one of the most unique receptions your guests have ever attended. Just think how much fun you and your wedding party will have, not only learning the dance but showing off your new smooth moves as well. A professional choreographer can help you create that special dance.

Music sets the mood for dancing and fun and is a vital part of a good reception. A professional DJ can help keep things lively and get everybody out on the dance floor. You'll be surprised to see your aunt kick off her shoes and get down to "She's a Brick House," but a good dj can make even the most prim and proper guests want to get out there and shake it. Plus think about all the good memories you'll have of dancing and being silly with your friends and family.

Decorations: A Feast For The Eyes

Imagine your guests entering the reception hall. On a table strewn with bright rose petals, photos of the bride and groom greet them at the door.  Bunches of sweet red roses surrounded by the soft glow of romantic candlelight grace round tables draped with rich cream colored linens. The shimmering candlelight along with soft music create a picturesque atmosphere for your wedding reception.

Or maybe picnic tables and buckets full of drinks for guests, lanterns strung through the trees above the tables and whimsical palm tree centerpieces with Jimmy Buffet playing in the background is more your style. Whatever your style may be, there are wedding decorations to make your reception the ideal one for you.

Decorations can make any reception location look amazing and are a must for a great reception. When selecting your reception decorations look for items that match the look and feel of your wedding. If you have a very formal wedding, a formal reception hall would be appropriate. If you have a laid back beach wedding, a more casual laid back reception would match the wedding and your attire.

Location: The Best Place To Celebrate

A church hall, a hotel banquet room, or a garden party all make great places to hold your dream wedding reception. When selecting your reception location consider:

• the number of guests
• whether an indoor or outdoor location
• proximity to the ceremony
• nearby accommodations for out-of-town guests
• availability on the date you have selected

When booking your reception location it is important to do so well in advance to secure the date you need. When it comes to places to hold your reception, the sky is the limit. If you can dream it you can probably do it. Just make up your mind and make it happen and you are sure to end up with the reception location of your dreams.

Photographers and Videographers: Capturing A Moment In Time

There will be so many moments you'll want to capture and preserve forever : like cutting the cake, your maid of honor's heartfelt and teary toast, your first dance, the daddy-daughter dance and all the other great moments at your reception. What better way than with photos and videos that will last a lifetime? A professional photographer can capture great candid shots of those special moments and the special people at your reception. Those creative toasts can be relived again and again on video. A professional videographer can help you preserve those precious words and wishes.

When your grandchildren ask about your wedding you will be able to show them the video of your first dance or the cake cutting. You will also have keepsake photos of you looking gorgeous in your beautiful wedding dress that you can pass on through the generations. That is why selecting a wedding photographer and or videographer is so important. You and your spouse will enjoy looking back at all the wedding reception photos and video and remember the beginning of your great journey together.

A special thanks goes to:

Mendon Massachusetts photographer, Blueberry Photo for the use of their bride and groom photo.

Bentonville Arkansas Caterer, Catering Concepts for the use of their fruit platter photo.

Uniontown Ohio Photographer, Curtis Photography-Videography for the use of their wedding reception dance photo.

Tulsa Oklahoma Wedding Florist, Perfect Presentations for the use of their wedding reception decorations photo.

Have Your Cake and Top Too!

Colors! Cake! Flowers! Music! So many decisions! Anyone who has witnessed or is planning a wedding can attest to the multitude of design decisions to be made when planning a ceremony and reception. It’s a list that goes on and on. The location sets the tone for the event; the flowers add whimsy; photos, pets, and music add personality. Today, the amount of the opportunities for conveying individuality is ever increasing as the wedding industry has begun to acknowledge and cater to the qualities of each couple rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all ceremony.

Almost every aspect of a wedding day is available for tweaking. This includes the flowers, vows, bridesmaids dress, and endless other details. The reception carries this trend with everything from centerpieces to entrées, and even napkins. However, few parts of this day can be preserved and taken home as a souvenir of the launch of a new life.

One item that has become a shining example of personalization-meets-tradition is the wedding cake and more specifically the wedding cake topper. It was once the epitome of mass-produced tackiness that was the demise of past wedding ceremonies, and it is now a traditional piece used to display the couple’s identity, whether it is goofy, geeky, or glamorous.

The official origin of wedding cake toppers is unknown, and there are as many stories as there are choices. However, most historians agree that cake toppers can be traced back to the 19th century when the tradition of the bride and groom in formal attire symbolize atop the cake began. The trend took hold in America in the 1940s and has become a staple in wedding cake design ever since.

Like many elements of today’s weddings, the demand for unique wedding cakes and wedding cake toppers has led to a tremendous amount of choices ranging in everything from the quirky and humorous to the elegant and traditional. Even once a couple decides on a direction for their cake topper, they’re still left with a dizzying array of choices to further enhance their wedding cake design.

A popular option for many cakes today is to top them with a monogram of the either the couple’s combined initials or the first letter of their last name. It is a sophisticated way to display individuality and the uniting of two people. Couples can choose the font, size, and material of the piece. Ideas monogram toppers include for etched glass, cut mirror, or metallic materials. Some choose to take it a step further and add rhinestones, flowers, or crystals to add extra glitz to their cake.

For a wedding on a beach, a tropical-themed cake topper would be a great way to tie-in the wedding cake with the nature of the ceremony. Ceramic figurines depicting a couple in their favorite beach attire is a light-hearted touch to a normally casual event. There are also sculptures of beach scenes and items like shells and palm trees in a variety of materials. Like most other toppers, the design of these can be incredibly detailed, showing facial expressions, sand on the beach, or patterns in clothing, or they can be monochromatic, lyrical pieces full of movement and grace.

Wedding cake toppers for an avid hobbyist are ideal for laid-back ceremonies or grooms’ cakes. Golfers, baseball fanatics, and car enthusiasts can all find a topper to suit their interests and are sure to make guests chuckle. Geeks can also find their niche by choosing geeky groom toppers such as sci-fi themed or techie options. The possibilities are endless when it comes to finding the perfect topper to match a matchless personality!

Other themed wedding cake toppers choices include those for the sportsman, fisherman, musician, and the farmer. The list never seems to end! A great idea for a musician is a microphone-shaped cake topper or a music note. And the fisherman is sure to get a kick out of a bride and groom donning waders and fishing poles! Brides who enjoy shopping can find a number of choices of shop-a-holic brides, and grooms who enjoy a friendly game of golf can find a golfing groom to complement his game.

Religious cake toppers are another choice for couples who are devoted in their beliefs and want a wedding cake that reflects their faith. For example, grooms wearing kippahs are available for Jewish ceremonies, and lovely items, such as crosses and doves, are offered for Christian weddings.

What’s more, members of the military can even find a cake topper to suit their needs. If the groom wears his dress blues in his wedding, he can find a cake topper to match. Usually, highly specialized cake toppers such these are sold alone. By opting for the interchangeable cake toppers, couples can find a perfectly suited arrangement the fit their personalities to a tee.

Every couple is unique and together they possess a dynamic unlike any other. Modern wedding planning seeks to display that special something that makes them work so wonderfully together. Each aspect of wedding can contribute to this goal, including the cake. Choosing a wedding cake topper is another step towards making a wedding one-of-a-kind.

Contributor: Ashley Slayton

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