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.

Ask The Celebration Advisor: We're getting married this fall and would love to consider an alternative location before entering into a contract with our first choice. Does anyone have suggestions for outdoor or unique venues? Our main concern is the cost of catering in a typical hall, hotel ballroom, etc. and want to be able to reduce or eliminate the catering bill and buy and provide our own food. Lola

The Celebration Advisor: Lola, you really have two separate issues at hand. One – wedding location venue. Two – Budget friendly catering.

Let's discuss wedding location venues. With outdoor weddings, venues can run the gamut from a backyard to a state park to a national landmark to an open outdoor area. The key to finding these unique locations is to think about outdoor venues you enjoy.

Outdoor Venues
State Parks
This past summer my cousin's son wedding took place in our local state park. The park's amphitheater was the perfect setting for a wedding. Many state parks allow weddings and often have buildings that can be rented for the wedding reception. Since the state parks only furnish the building and grounds, they leave the catering up to you. Some cities have fantastic city parks ideal for weddings.

Backyards
Another great outdoor venue is someone's backyard. In the fall of 2007, I attended a wedding held in a backyard. The backyard did not belong to the bride or her family nor the groom or his family. Instead a family friend of the bride offered her yard as the wedding venue. Using the backyard of a family member or a family friend can add a sentimental touch to the celebration and give you many options for the reception.

Botanical Gardens
I have seen weddings taking place at botanical gardens. Botanical garden and arboretums have large grassy areas that can accommodate weddings. Like state parks, gardens are ideal places for outdoor weddings.

Unique Wedding Venues
Historical Buildings
In my town we have a historical courthouse that can be rented for weddings. Many historical building foundations supplement their expense by renting there facilities out for events like weddings. The Frank Lloyd house Taliesin West in Scotsdale Arizona rents its grounds for small events. So if you have any historical buildings in your town check them out.  They might be just what you are looking for.

Bed & Breaksfast
Bed & breakfasts are another unique place to host your wedding and reception. Sometimes you can get a wedding package that includes catering and a honeymoon night stay.

Those are just a few of the many wedding location options available. Your best bet would be to look around your town and see if there is a place you think would make a good wedding location. It doesn't hurt to ask.

Affordable catering
Although you think cooking the food for your wedding will save you money, in the long run it probably won't be worth the time and hassle. You can have your cake (and a lot of other foods) and eat it too. Catering doesn't have to blow your budget. Many caterers have different levels of service with different prices ranges. The food at your reception doesn't have to be the traditional fish or chicken served dish. In fact, you don't have to have a sit down dinner with waiters at your reception. Buffet style food is an affordable catering alternative.

Another budget saving idea is timing your wedding so a "meal" is needed. Instead have your wedding in the afternoon and serve light finger foods or hors d'oeuvres. The wedding I attended in the backyard was held in the afternoon and the food consisted of chocolate covered strawberries, cheese straws, cucumber sandwiches, a wonderful vegetable platter, a delightful punch and champagne. Oh and of course a wedding cake and a grooms cake. By having the wedding in the afternoon, the need for a heavy dinner was eliminated.

Of course the wedding reception will need to match the formality of the wedding ceremony. Keep in mind a less formal wedding can have a less formal wedding reception. The affordable alternatives for wedding reception foods increases with the informality of the reception. The way to get the best bang for your wedding reception food buck is to discuss all the catering options available with the caterers you interview. I'm sure they will have an options that will suit your needs and budget.

Congratulations and I hope this information will help you achieve the wedding of your dreams.

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