Reception Advice
These are just some pointers that you may find useful when planning your wedding reception:
1 - More important than anything else at your wedding reception is for you to relax and enjoy every second of the day. At the end of the evening we often speak with couples and they usually agree that the day has gone by in a flash.
2 - Try to have your wedding breakfast start in the late afternoon – this leaves less time between the breakfast and the evening reception.
3 - Your wedding breakfast may in all likelyhood run over, this is the norm, if you are planning the day’s events make sure you allow for this.
4 - The bride and groom are the center of attention, therefore you set the tone of the reception. When you dance the dance floor will be full, when you sit and socialize your guests will do the same. Get comfortable shoes and DANCE DANCE DANCE!
5 - Have a member of the wedding party create an ‘outfit first aid kit’ this can include safety pins, needle & thread, buttons, tape, scissors, nail repair kits, shoe scuff remover etc.
6 - Wedding cakes do not like direct sunlight. Cutting of your wedding cake is one of the highlights of the reception, however, a wilting cake will likely ruin the moment.
7 - Don’t go off and leave your guests and family during the reception. Also make sure the others in your wedding party do the same thing.
8 - Make a pact with your spouse NOT to fight about ANYTHING on your wedding day – and stick to it! Most things are minor anyway and not worth the headaches.
9 - Your Chief Bridesmaid/Matron of Honor and Best Man are there to HELP you, so make sure you give them plenty to do. Also, don’t forget the other members of the wedding party too! The less YOU have to take on, the better!
10 - Make sure your anyone making a speach at your reception has it timed while being read out to other people before the event. There’s nothing worse than Bestman’s speach that rambles on and on eventually loosing it’s impact and boring the guests.
11 - Dancing at the reception most likely will not start until YOU start it off. As much as the thought of a first dance may make you turn pale with fear it will be expected of you. Have a look at our first dance page for more ideas.
12 - Kids and Weddings: It is probably a good idea to make some special arrangements if your going to have children at your reception. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Buggies take up a lot of room, if possible arrange for a seperate room in which they can be stored.
- Kids like to dance too! Make sure there are some songs they will know and have fun with.
- Kids don’t like grown-up food! Ask your caterer about kids meals, try to figure out how many under 12′s there will be – Hamburgers or chicken strips are favorites.
- Try to have kids seated towards one side of the reception hall – they can ‘mingle’ easier with each other and are less distracting if they get out of hand. It often pays to have special gift bags for any children present containing colouring crayons/pencils, colouring books, puzzles etc.
