Wedding reception can make or break your big day. If you choose the right entertainment, food, and guests, you’ll have memories to cherish for years to come. If not, you might end up with an event you wish you could do over again. To help give you the perfect wedding reception, here are the five top tips for creating the best wedding reception of your life!
Food and Beverage
One of your wedding reception biggest focal points will be your food and beverages. After all, that’s where you get your recovery dinner! So if it comes down to price point vs. taste, remember that spending more upfront might mean saving in other ways down the road.
Your choice of food and drink in your wedding reception is one of your first opportunities to impress your guests. Choose wisely, and they’ll be happy all night—the right eats also help you set a tone that can carry throughout your big day.
Table Arrangements
When you’re getting married, one of your big decisions will be what type of tables you’ll have at your wedding reception. You can choose from round or rectangular, small or large, and dozens of other choices—and there are pros and cons for each. Round tables tend to seat 8-10 people while rectangular ones seat 6-8.
Where do you start? Centerpieces, tablescapes, food stations. Where does one begin when it comes to setting up a reception that doesn’t look like everyone else’s? It can seem like such a daunting task. But here are some of our best tips and tricks for pulling off an unforgettable wedding reception.
Lighting Decorations
Lighting decorations often overlooked at wedding receptions, but they play a big role in creating ambiance. Choose lighting decorations that are designed to create up lighting on your walls or dance floor. This will instantly turn your reception space into a mood-setting environment that’s ideal for socializing and dancing. Investing in lighting decorations is also an easy way to save money on your reception décor since you don’t have to spend money on extra flowers or sparkly accents.
Entertainment & Music
When it comes to entertainment, less is more. Having multiple bands or DJs, dancers and acrobats, magicians and comedians may sound like a great idea—if you’re Kim Kardashian. Few people want a Vegas-style wedding, though. When it comes to entertainment, choose quality over quantity. Find a great DJ or band that your guests will enjoy instead of having three mediocre ones that will distract from each other rather than complement one another.
When picking entertainment for your wedding reception, you want it to be fun and enjoyable for everyone. First of all, try not to stress out about it too much because there are so many options out there. You can choose music based on your guests’ tastes, but if you are planning on getting married soon you will need someone who can play everything from Shout by Little Willie John to Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran.
Invitations Design
Regardless of what you call them (save-the-dates, wedding invitations, save-the-card), one aspect of your big day you can’t avoid is sending out announcements. Wedding invitations serve as formal RSVPs and are usually sent out 6–8 weeks before your ceremony, while save-the-dates go out even earlier (3–4 months ahead) and typically show a little more of your personality than wedding invitations do.
Start with wedding invitations. The way you plan your invitation list is one of your first big wedding-planning decisions—and one that can affect reception costs, too. You’ll want to decide whether or not to include parents, children, other relatives, and other invited guests on both sides.
Ceremony Seating Chart
If you’re planning a formal wedding reception and want your guests to feel like they know exactly where they’re sitting and who they’re sitting next to. Then by all means go ahead and create a seating chart. These days, we don’t really expect people to write out their invites (thankfully). But if you absolutely must do it, make sure you use a modern font—something like Bickham Script or Damion—and keep it light.
While it might seem trivial, your seating chart can have a huge impact on how successful your reception is. Make sure you think through who seats where in advance, especially if you are inviting family members who may not get along with each other. Here are some tips for creating an elegant wedding ceremony seating chart: 1. Make sure all of your most important guests seats at one table or in one section of chairs. Since they will be where most people will look when they arrive at your wedding reception.
