Planning a wedding reception is known to be a tedious process and one that can take a lot of energy and effort. But it doesn’t have to be like that always. You can still have lots of fun in planning your wedding reception as long as you know what to do and how to do it. Wedding reception planning has been termed, by many wedding planning experts, as more of a methodical process and one that can be stress-free if done the right way.
Any wedding reception ought to be well thought-out, organized and the plan well executed! The moving details of planning a wedding reception is basically what gets many people stressed. Here are some essential tips on how you can plan and have a stress-free wedding reception that will leave you adorable memories for years.
Set your preferred wedding date before settling for the location of your reception
Marking out the date that you want to walk down the aisle should always come before you actually start thinking of the location where you will host your wedding reception. It is never the other way round. Also, remember that most wedding sites are actually fully booked especially now that the Covid-19 restrictions on gatherings are being relaxed around the world and allowing people to meet up or gather for events once again. Therefore, set the date and shop around for a venue or even wedding supply rentals, in the unlikely event that your favorite one is booked on your wedding date is simply not available. But there are so many venues and you’ll realize that once you start shopping around.
Set a budget for your wedding reception
Setting the budget specifically for your wedding reception is the next big stage in planning the kind of reception that you want. Many people spend a huge chunk of their entire wedding budget on the reception and that is one of the many reasons as to why you really need to get your priorities right. In most cases, the amount that you will spend in a reception is directly tied to the number of guests that you are expecting. For instance, you are expecting 500 guests, you will, certainly, need a bigger reception venue than someone hosting 300 guests. This will have an implication on the budget and the best approach would be approaching the budget from a ‘per head’ costing. In order to be on the safe side as far as wedding reception budget is concerned, you will have to run through your reception list and see what you will need and what you may not necessarily need.
Consider the weather and make up your mind on the essential elements of the reception
In the likely event that you want to stage an outdoor reception, then you will have to consider the weather pattern of your chosen season. That’s, consider the possibility of it raining and think of any indoor alternative should it rain.
Considering the season is absolutely essential especially if you are running on a tight budget. Avoid rainy seasons and pick a date when it’ll most likely shine. Additionally, you might need to pick between a Saturday or Sunday. According to various studies, Sundays are commonly regarded to be less expensive for having a wedding compared to Saturdays.
What type of reception would you like?
This seems to be sort of a million-dollar question to many couples. However, it is more of picking between the two main forms of wedding receptions – a sit-down meal or buffet kind of reception. But it is important to mention that there are other types other than these two like beach receptions, cocktail reception, picnics, and simple cake-cutting to mention a few.
Make up your mind on whether there will be toasts in your reception
Having toasts in wedding receptions is among the traditional ways of celebrating the newly-weds but if not well planned and done, it can really go out of hand and ruin your special day. Toasts should not be too long, dull or rude. They should, instead, be kept short and interesting. It is a good idea to have toasts during dinner or in-between.
You can make it clear that people should be really short in order to accommodate as many people as possible. For the bride and the groom, they can make their speech before or after cutting the cake. It all depends on what works for you.
Make enough room for dancing
Breaking a bone, as many put it, is the highlight of any wedding reception and therefore, don’t deny your guests that fun. In most wedding receptions nowadays, dancing is reserved for the end when at least everybody has had their meal and finished. Make enough space that will accommodate as many people as possible and create your playlist to be played rather than giving the DJ or band an open field to play whatever they feel like.
Have the photography session well organized and managed
Remember, once the party is done, it is the photos that will tell you how things were at your reception. Have your main photographer capture all highlights without being interfered with by people taking photos on their mobile phones. You can have announced. Have photos with your families and friends in organized groups or tables. Don’t forget that your photos can be even much better with wedding decorations for rental if you cannot afford to buy them.
The last thing to consider, but definitely not the least is the sitting arrangement. Don’t let the sitting chaos ruin your great wedding reception, have it sorted out by someone that you’ve delegated that role to or a wedding planner if you decided to hire one. This way, your reception will be definitely be stress-free.
