Choosing a Venue For a Reception
The Reception
This is the fun part. The pre-wedding jitters are over and done with,
the solemn vows have been made, and you're ready to let your hair down.
It's up to you whether you have a formal dinner in a hotel or a picnic
in the park. The only advice we can offer is: the closer the reception
venue is to where the formal ceremony takes place, the better. It's also
a good idea to make sure that there is accommodation available either
in the venue or close by. You don't want your guests drinking and driving
do you?
The tradition behind the reception is that the bride's and groom's families
get to know each other. The celebration can be as lavish or as simple
as you wish, but to a certain extent it depends on the style of the marriage
ceremony. For instance, it would be perfectly acceptable to have a formal
reception after a civil or church wedding, but it would be unusual to
follow a large formal church wedding with a casual barbecue back at your
place.
As a general rule, a reception following a morning wedding or a noon
ceremony is following a rather elegant lunch. A ceremony in the early
afternoon is nearly always followed by canapes and champagne. If the ceremony
begins late in the afternoon the reception is usually followed by drinks
and a banquet or buffet.
Choosing the right reception venue is not always easy. You can hold your
reception at home, in a church hall, at a function room or on a boat,
at a hotel, restaurant or club. Usually the party lasts about four hours,
which is plenty of time for the bride and groom to greet the guests, enjoy
a three or four course wedding breakfast, listen to some after-dinner
speeches and have a few dances before they leave on their honeymoon.
Many catering firms will organise a wedding at home for you. They will
arrange the marquee, supply the food, serve it and clean up afterwards.
However, a wedding at home is not necessarily any less expensive than
a wedding in a hotel or function centre.
Hotels
Most brides opt for a hotel if they can afford it because big hotels
offer everything from ice sculptures to wedding cakes, orchestras to discos.
They are sometimes criticised for being impersonal, but in most cases
it's a fallacy as hotels will organise spectacular themes and go to endless
trouble for brides. The banqueting manager will help you choose a menu
and at some hotels you will be offered a complimentary suite for the wedding
night.
Function Centres
Some function centres specialise in weddings and will organise as many
extra services as the bride wants, from wedding invitations to limousines.
Many have attractive gardens where the wedding ceremony can be held; some
even have chapels on the premises. If you decide on a function centre,
it's a good idea to find out if they handle more than one function at
a time and whether there is an extra charge for waiters and waitresses.
Restaurants
Restaurants have atmosphere and that feeling of offering a night out
for the guests. However, not many restaurants have private rooms large
enough to accommodate large weddings of sixty and over.
One advantage of holding your reception at a restaurant is that it's
easy to check up on the quality of the food; you and your fiance can have
dinner there one night before you make your decision. However, you may
not be able to obtain the extras, such as music, dance floor and changing
room.
Halls
If you are watching your budget, a church or council hall can be a good
alternative to a function centre. However, most look rather bare and functional,
and facilities for catering are usually sparse. You can decorate with
big arrangements of flowers, prettily decorated tables and extra soft
lighting, balloons etc. If you are having Caterers make sure they see
the hall so that they know exactly what they will need in terms of urns
and other equipment.
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