THE RECEPTION


The wedding reception allows family and friends of the couple to offer their congratulations and celebrate the couple's new status. The style of reception will depend on the budget available and the number of guests as well as personal preferences. The wedding reception is one of the most expensive elements of any wedding. The main decisions to be made are:

• the type of location, e.g. hotel, church hall, home

• who will do the catering? e.g. in-house, outside caterer, family and friends

• style of catering, e.g. sit-down meal, buffet

Plans for the wedding reception should be initiated as soon as the wedding date is set. Advanced notice of 3 months is usual for many venues although longer may be necessary for popular venues or at busy times of the year.

The reception should be held near to the location of wedding ceremony as is possible as this simplifies the transport arrangements.

Ask friends and acquaintances for recommendations when choosing a wedding reception venue. It is essential to visit the venue before making a booking. Relying on telephone enquiries and pictures in brochures is not adequate preparation when making such an important decision. Remember that garden may have looked lovely 20 years ago when the brochure was printed but a lot can happen!



TYPES OF VENUES

Hotels, Restaurants, Banqueting Suites

The main advantage of holding the reception in a hotel, restaurant or banqueting suite is that they can organise all the catering and other arrangements leaving the couple and their family to enjoy the wedding celebrations.

When you have drawn up a short-list it is a good idea to visit the hotels or restaurants for a meal before making enquiries. This will give some idea as to their standards of food, service and the general atmosphere of the venue.

Many function venues provide a wedding service. They may offer an inclusive price for a fixed number of guests which includes changing room for the couple, food, drink table decorations etc. or they offer these services for an extra charge.

If there is to be an evening reception, it usual to hold this in the same location.

Ask for a brochure, if available, and then arrange an appointment.

The following is a list of topics to be discussed before making a booking:

• The number of guests and the size of the function room. The larger venues may have several function rooms of different sizes.

• The menu. Most venues will offer a choice of menus and wines at various prices. Ask what provisions they make for special diets such as vegetarian or for diabetics.

• Seating plans. Ask what seating plans are possible in the space available. The final choice will depend on which groupings of people you think get on well with each other.

• Discuss the times when the reception venues will be open to your guest and the timings of meals, music etc. Make sure that there are no time gaps between the wedding and reception or reception and evening celebration and if this is unavoidable inform guests in advance.

• Room and table decorations. Ask to see the table linen and place settings to ensure they do not clash with the overall colour scheme of the wedding. Floral room and table decorations and balloons may be supplied by the venue or you may wish to use another supplier from outside.

• Parking. Does the venue have enough parking spaces for all guests and, if not, is it easily available in the surrounding area?

• On arrival guests are usually greeted and offered a drink. The venue will probably offer Champagne, sparkling wine, Bucks Fizz or Sherry. Ask for prices and which soft drinks they can offer.

• Will the head waiter or some other member of staff act as master of ceremonies?

• Changing room for bride and groom. Most venues offer a room for the bride and groom to change in.

• Ask which other weddings are taking place on the same day and if you will you be sharing any facilities such as bars or reception areas.

• Check the toilet facilities. The bride and bridesmaids will need more room than usual if they are they are wearing elaborate skirts.

• Does the venue have an adjoining room or perhaps a table in a corner of the main room where wedding gifts can be displayed?

• If the reception is being held in a hotel they will often offer special rates for the bridal suite or for guests to stay overnight. The bridal suite can also be used for those romantic wedding photographs so check it out!


THE RECEPTION

Where to hold your reception will depend on several factors, with cost and budget the most important, coupled with how many guests you wish to invite. In addition, you need to consider how much time you can personally spend on organisation.

We recommend that you work to an approximate budget per guest. This will give you a good basis for making comparisons. The main options are to hold the reception at home, in a hired venue, or in a hotel or restaurant.



AT HOME

Holding your wedding reception at home will certainly keep the costs down - providing you have the space. For small receptions it is ideal and gives you complete freedom to decorate in your own style. If you have the luxury of a spacious garden then you could hire a marquee to add more space and a certain sense of style. According to your choice of marquee, it could be the focus of the reception. On the other hand you may decide to opt for a smaller shelter for a buffet, which could double as a precautionary measure for bad weather. Holding the reception at home gives you the option of using an outside caterer or for you and your family to provide the catering.

All marquees are different. However, as an approximate guide, you will need around 40' x 60' to place a marquee for 125 guests for a sit down meal. Most brochures will state the size of the marquee according to the number of seated or standing guests, which makes selection very straightforward. In addition, marquee hire companies can generally offer flooring, lighting, tables, chairs, heating, dance floors and an entrance porch. A lot of companies will suggest a marquee which joins on to the side of the house, if you have French windows. You will need to arrange an appointment for a representative to visit the venues. As marquee hire is seasonal, and not just for weddings, once again you will need to book well in advance.



HIRING A HALL

If you have decided to hire a venue it is likely you will have heard about it, or used the hall or venue, before. If not then you will need to look for appropriate locations. Consider access for guests, catering (and catering restrictions) and parking. Security is also important, if the hall will be left unattended after setting up.



HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS

For a quiet life hold your wedding reception in a local hotel or restaurant which offers a specialist reception service package or one of the New licensed venues where you can hold the ceremony and the reception. You may want to check accommodation details for you and your guests if they are travelling a long distance. Using a hotel or restaurant will free up a great deal of your time to concentrate on enjoying the day, and getting the rest of the many organisational details right.



CATERING

If you are keen to do your own catering, plan well in advance and think about how much time you will have closer to (and indeed on) the wedding day for the final touches. You may need some help in the final stages of preparation. A brilliant book to get if you want to plan your own catering is The Goodhousekeeping Guide to Catering for crowds. Published by Edward Press, priced £17.99 and available from all good book shops. If you are planning to use professional caterers or a restaurant, it is wise to try a few different dishes. While most caterers will be more than happy to devise a menu just for you, they will also have their own sample menus which you could choose from across different price ranges. Remember to consider the vegetarian options, and any other special requirements your guests may have. The caterers will also be able to quote you a cost for supplying crockery, service, table linen and glasses.