Reception Site

Reception Site

The reception is a party, a celebration of your marriage – the tone and style should reflect and compliment your wedding theme. Again. Planning ahead will ensure that everything goes smoothly according to your plans. The hour of the ceremony will be a guide as to the appropriate reception time to choose. Ideally, invite all your guests to both the ceremony and the reception, if possible. The reception should follow the ceremony immediately.

Location

Once you have decided on the number of guests, the type of reception you want, and the amount of money you want to spend, you will need to choose a location. Some ideas of who to contact are listed below:

• Hotels - many also offer package deals including special room rates for guests.
• Historical mansions - check with historical societies, chamber of commerce or yellow pages. Elegant mansions can often offer unique reception sites.
• Specialty wedding sites - some locations cater specifically to weddings and can provide a full-service location, e.g. The Inn at Mystic in CT.
• Fraternal organizations – try your local Moose, Elks, Knights of Columbus, Fraternal Order of Police, Eagles, Veterans of Foreign Wars, or American Legion lodges. Many rent their halls to non-members. Each has its own rules and policies.
• Churches – Many have halls they will rent to members and non-members as well. Again, check on their policies.
• Country club.
• Restaurants with banquet rooms – Check your local Yellow Pages.
• Ballrooms – Check your local Yellow Pages.
• Parks – Check city, county and state parks with suitable facilities.
• Home – Be sure there is enough room for everyone to move about comfortably and sufficient parking space available.
• Outdoors – You may want to rent a tent so that you have a covering over your head in case of rainy weather.

Check you local Yellow Pages for names of places to contact, or ask friends, relatives, and recent newlyweds for suggestions.

Once you have narrowed down your search, here are some questions to ask before you book a reception site:

• Is there a rental fee and what does it include? How many hours does this include?
• Are there restrictions on decorations, flowers, candles, photography, etc.?
• Are any decorations included in your rental fees (e.g. table decorations)?
• Will you need to pay extra for services like bartenders, janitorial, parking attendants, coat-check, etc.
• What about parking and cost?
• Is there a limitation on the number of people the room will hold and for what type of reception - sit down meal, buffet, etc.?
• What time can your guests be admitted and is there adequate space outside the room if they have to wait?
• When can vendors deliver items - cake, decorations, etc?
• Is there a dance floor, how big, any extra charges, and any restrictions on music/musicians/equipment?
• Are there microphones and/or any other equipment provided? At what cost?
• Who will do the catering - must you use theirs?
• Is there adequate kitchen facilities?
• Is there a wedding coordinator or banquet manager who will be in charge and can you meet him/her before the reception?
• Are there restrictions on smoking and is there a separate location set aside for smokers?
• Is there liability insurance in case someone gets injured?
• What is their policy if something gets damaged or broken?
• What is the payment schedule and when do you have to guarantee number of guests?
• Is the deposit refundable and what is the cancellation policy?
• Are there any other activities going on at the same site or any other weddings booked for the same day? If so, do they also have music?

Decorations

The color scheme you choose for your wedding should follow through – from your attendants' dresses and flowers to the colors you choose to decorate the hall. Discuss with the manager as to what extra touches are necessary and/or allowable. They may also have recommendations for vendors who have previously decorated the site and what was done.

Many locations may provide some decorations included in your rental fee, such as table centerpieces, fresh flowers, etc. If you have an outside wedding, flowers may already be there and your challenge may be how to decorate tents and food tables.

Also, it is often more convenient to hire someone to decorate the reception hall or site, as well as to remove the decorations and clean up. Some sites require all decorations to be gone directly after the reception. Your family or friends may be very willing, but it may not be convenient for them. The hall usually has some personnel available for hire, or a referral list of acceptable persons. Cleanup may also be included in your rental fee, but should be discussed when choosing the site.

The Head Table at the Reception

Naturally, the seat of honor will be yours at the main table during the reception. You will want to make the very best impression, as will the entire wedding party. Here are some helpful hints for the time when all eyes are upon you!

• Keep your voice at a moderate level, and refrain from conversation during any "little" ceremonies – when the best man is giving the newlyweds a toast, or when the clergy-person is saying a prayer before the meal, etc.
• Concentrate when you are eating – be careful so that you don't accidentally spill some food or beverage on that beautiful dress. If you're too nervous to eat, don't force yourself. But do eat something if you plan to indulge in a few ceremonial toasts.
• Keep that wedding glow about yourself – Remember you're the focus of attention for the whole crowd, the cameras, and so forth. Groomsmen should leave their jackets on. Bridesmaids should wait to kick off their shoes!
• Appoint a special person to wait on the head table to keep it uncluttered. A low centerpiece should be used so that it won't block anyone's view.
• If guests jointly propose a toast, try to give everyone the pleasure of acknowledging their toast by giving each other a short kiss.
• Rise to greet guests who come to offer their best wishes, and let them know how glad you are that they could come.

If you have a head table, the wedding party should be seated facing the guests, so that everyone can see. Your groom should sit to your left, your maid of honor will sit next to the groom, and the best man will go next to you. The bridesmaids and groomsmen will be seated alternately around the rest of the table. You may also wish to include the clergy-person, your parents, the groom's parents, grandparents, and godparents.

Many couples are foregoing the head table in favor of regular smaller tables, like the guests sit at. One benefit of this is that you can also seat spouses or guests of the wedding party with their respective attendant. Some feel this is more comfortable for everyone involved in the wedding. It also takes up less room than a head table, if space is limited. Individual tables are also less formal, depending on the atmosphere you want at your reception.

Be a Wise Consumer

Pay with a credit card (deposits too). That way if you are unhappy with the service or have problems that aren't resolved, you may have some recourse with the credit card company. Don't forget to ask for references and check them out. You can also check with the Better Business Bureau in your local area prior to booking a vendor, to see if there have been any complaints and if so, how they were handled. Be sure to get any agreements in writing, so there won't be any misunderstandings later as to what was supposed to be done.