Choices to Make for Your Wedding Reception

For many women, the wedding day is one of the most important and memorable days of their lives. Some even begin planning for it when they are far too young to actually get married. This extra planning time might actually be helpful, because a modern ceremony or wedding reception is far more elaborate than in the past. There are so many details to consider that the days, months, and even years leading up to it can become overwhelming. And the bride is not the only person who will feel this stress. Some men prefer to be just as involved in the planning as their brides, and other family and friends also often lend a hand as well.

As you begin preparing for your marriage, you will need to make far more choices than you may realize. If your significant other wants to be involved, this can end up being a good thing or a bad thing. You may find that the two of you agree on very few aspects of your ceremony and reception. If you are lucky, you and your partner will discover that you do agree on most decisions, or at least are able to compromise without any arguments.

Planning the ceremony alone will include finding a venue and an officiator, selecting bridesmaids and groomsmen, choosing wedding bands and flower bouquets, and finding the oh-so-important perfect white dress.

You will also have to find dresses and tuxedos for your wedding party and choose a color scheme. Once you have made all of those decisions and more, you will also need to plan your wedding reception.

One of the most difficult tasks you will face is deciding which friends and family members will be invited. If you have thousands of friends from grade school, high school, college, and work, this task will be especially hard. You will probably find that inviting everyone to the reception will be far too expensive, which means there will be some friends who do not get an invite. Once you have a list of invitees, you will have to design your invitations. Many people pay to have the invitations professionally made, but they still get to decide how they look. Even after you have finalized a guest list, you will need to arrange a seating chart for the wedding reception. Making sure people are seated with others they know and like can be very time consuming.

Another important decision for your wedding reception is finding a caterer. You may end up meeting with several caterers and sampling some food to find the perfect choice for your day. If you plan to serve alcohol, you will also need to hire a bartender. Sometimes, the catering service may include a bartender, and sometimes your venue will provide serving and bartending staff. You will also need to find a DJ or musician to play your choice of music at the reception. DJs are the most popular choice because they allow you to pick the songs you want to hear throughout the evening.

Yet another aspect of your wedding reception planning is the wedding cake. You can also choose your own seating place cards and centerpieces for the tables. It is easy to see why many couples hire a wedding planner, and the right professional assistance can relieve most of your stress. With an experienced planner, you still get to make choices about your wedding reception without having to arrange everything yourself.