Planning an Indoor Wedding Reception:
Planning your wedding reception can be overwhelming and take
a lot of effort, but it can be very enjoyable if you approach it in a
methodical fashion and start planning ahead instead of doing different tasks at
random. A wedding reception has to be planned in the right order because many
decisions are interdependent. One of the most important things that you need to
do first is decide who is going to be your coordinator. Your coordinator does
not necessarily have to be a hired professional, but it does need to be someone
that understands what you want and is dependable to help you in the
planning/prepping stage of your event and able to completely take over during
the event so that you can enjoy your day… I would not recommend it be your
mother either because she needs to enjoy the day also!
Set the date for your wedding before you start looking for
Venues for the reception. Many reception sites are booked six months to a year
in advance. Wedding receptions are seasonal. For example, professionals in
wedding reception business know that June is the busiest month for wedding
receptions. So selecting a date for a reception will affect the cost of renting
a Venue as there is a lot higher demand for Venues in spring/summer time than
in winter. Which day of the week you chose is also very relevant. Most
receptions and parties are arranged on Saturday evenings. It will generally
cost you more to host an event on a Saturday evening due to supply and demand
situation.
Set down your budget. A big factor here is to decide on
number of guests you want to invite. Cost of many things like catering, venue
rental and decorations depend on head count and how much you plan to do
yourself.
Nowadays the two main types of reception are sit-down meal
or cocktail party. Sit-down meal is traditional and formal, and requires formal
tables and chairs and more space in the venue. A cocktail party is hip and less
expensive, since guests can stand and mingle. Meal can be formal cuisine,
snacks for a cocktail party, or an in between option is heavy hors d’oeuvres. There
are many choices, if you choose that route, which are attractive and satisfying
allowing your guests a variety of choices to nibble on throughout the event. These can vary from the traditional veggie
platter with humus or dip in the center and standard cheese and salami platter to
meatballs with a variety of sauces to stuffed grape leaves or stuffed mushrooms.
There are many resources at your fingertips on line as well as some caterers
that may be of assistance. Remember, there is no reason to limit your choices
when there are so many options out there that are not only delicious, but also
beautiful adding that little extra personal touch to your event.
Decide on things you want to do at the wedding reception
because the venue you choose should accommodate. For example, do you need a
stage for speeches, do you need sound system for music, do you need space for a
DJ, do you need a dance floor, do you need special space for cake cutting, and
are the bride and groom going to sit on a raised platform?
There are many legal and practical matters to consider when it
comes to serving alcohol to your guests at a wedding reception. The easiest and
most expensive option is to hire a professional bartender, who can bring the
alcohol and trained staff to serve. Check that the bartender is licensed to
operate such business in your state, ask for a copy of their permit and
liability insurance. Liability insurance is good for your peace of mind and
financial protection. If the bartender option is not affordable, then in most
states you, as a host of the party, can obtain a special occasion permit from
the appropriate department in your state. This permit allows you to serve
liquors. Third option is to serve beer and wine only since it does not require
any special permit in most states. You can buy one time liability insurance
online for a special occasion, if you want that peace of mind.
You can rent a venue that provides food as part of the
package. This option can be more expensive and, your cuisine options are
limited and dinnerware options maybe limited too. Of course it’s convenient to
have the venue provide everything rather than dealing with two separate
vendors. Second, a more versatile option is to rent a venue that allows you to
cater food from a caterer of your choice. Caterers can bring in food with all
the accessories, like dinnerware, linens, food warmers and tables, along with
trained staff to serve.
Photography is very important and fun. You can hire a
professional to capture all the right poses and events. Backgrounds are very
important to decide ahead of time. Digital photographs can be displayed on large
screens at the venue in real-time. Make sure pick a venue with large display
screens and bring your Chromecast to send pictures from cameras to the screens
through WiFi. Yes WiFi is a must have these days for any reception venue.
Another fun option is to have disposable cameras at each table and ask your
guests to snap moments of your event for you, all of the photos may not be
perfect but it will capture a perfect memory.
There are also several things that you can do to add your
own personal touch to your event like printing your own invitations using a
font and style to reflect a little of your personality, cocktail napkins with
you and your new spouse’s name and wedding date on them, an anniversary piñata to
be opened on your first anniversary with messages from all the guests, and then
for the wild and crazy receptions, there is always the hangover helper kits
that contain in a small bag a small bottle of water, an Alka-Seltzer, a Tylenol
individual pack, peppermint and breakfast coupon for McDonald’s!
The most important requirement about a dance floor is extra
space in the main venue. There are affordable options to have vinyl custom
decals made for the dance floor with design or bride and groom’s monograms.
Lighting from the ceiling also adds glamour. It’s important to check what type
of media can be used to play your songs, like the music system in the venue has
a CD player or do they have options to play from your mobile phone or a USB
flash drive. If you are using a DVD player for video songs, is there an option
to send DVD audio to the sound system as well.
Finally, your
best secret weapon is a reception cheat sheet. A cheat sheet will
help you plan, organize and stick to a schedule on the big day. The
trick to cramming all your events into a short time frame is to be judicious
with what you include. For example, a father-daughter and mother-son dance is fine, but you probably aren't going to have time to waltz with
your brother, grandfather and favorite uncle, too. You also need to be realistic
about how long each event will last. Once you determine the time allotment,
work a few more flexible minutes into the schedule. If you think the cake
cutting will take five minutes, allot 10 just to be sure. Giving yourself and
your guests a bit of extra time in your time line will help ensure your reception stays on track, and this wiggle room could even give you the ability to
extend a few of the more popular events like unplanned toasts from some of your
guests.
Even if you're planning an afternoon
reception, you don't have all day (or night). You might wish it could last a
lifetime, but no matter how grand the party is, after a few hours, your guests
will want to go home.
·
4:00 p.m. - guests
arrive at the reception site/cocktail hour begins
·
5:00 p.m. -
introduction of the bridal party and the bride and groom
·
5:15 p.m. - guests
are seated
·
6:00 p.m. - announcement
of dinner/buffet opening
·
6:10 p.m. - dinner
is served
·
7:00 p.m. - first
dance
·
7:05 p.m. - father/daughter
and mother/son dances
·
7:10 p.m. - bridal
party enters the dance floor
·
7:15 p.m. - dance
floor opens to everyone
·
8:10 p.m. -
cake-cutting ceremony
·
9:00 p.m. -
send-off for the newlyweds
Using a cheat sheet doesn't guarantee
that everything will go as planned during your reception. A cheat sheet will, however,
help keep your reception running smoothly, and despite months of planning and
preparation, that's all you can really ask for.
Margaret and Rafey Mahmud
(http://www.BanquetOne.com)
Indian makeup Artist in DC http://www.CharlotteWeddings.net
Indian makeup Artist in DC http://www.CharlotteWeddings.net
