A wedding reception is basically a party normally held following the conclusion of a wedding ceremony, as celebration to people who have only attended the wedding ceremony, as an act of hospitality towards those who have just been married. Here the invited guests get first hand chance to meet the newly married couple. This celebration is highly anticipated by both the bride and the groom, as a sort of “thank you” for having come to their own lives, just as strangers did at the beginning of their relationship. In addition to this, the reception also serves to honor the bride and the groom’s relatives and closest friends. Provided that the reception venue is decorated with traditional motifs like flowers and candles, music that are pleasing to the ears, guests and groomsmen gifts or souvenirs and meals that the guests are already dying to eat, the reception itself should be quite successful, concerning both its scale and the number of guests.
Before the actual wedding reception takes place, the guests are advised of the entire schedule of the event. This will include the theme (if any), the officiant which will perform the ceremony, and the sequence of events for your wedding reception. This information should be distributed well in advance, to all the relatives and friends of those invited guests.
The actual wedding reception itself occurs during the day or early evening. It’s organized in a huge hall, sometimes called a ballroom. Most places for weddings allow dancing, but some do not. Depending on how formal or casual the wedding reception is, it might not be a live audio show. For formal weddings, a DJ may be brought in to entertain the wedding reception guests.
The first thing the bride and groom need to decide on, when getting married is the wedding reception menu. This will depend mostly on the budget that’s available. Most places have pre-made menus available or can make up their own unique one for the guests. It’s usually quite basic, consisting mainly of breads, cakes, deli platters, salad dressings, and other main dishes. A lot of these kinds of meals can even be enjoyed by children who are attending for the first time.
The first dance is the highlight of the wedding reception and is usually performed by the best man and the maid of honour. It is also among the most formal areas of the entire reception, so it has to be planned out carefully.
After the bride and groom have given their wedding speeches, they need to be asked to sign their names on either a piece of paper or onto a table. The order of the receiving line will determine how long it takes for people to register, since the first person to sign is at the front of the line. Many brides and grooms also offer a brief message to each individual at the wedding receptions. If the wedding receptions have a band, they play the music during the wedding reception. Finally, most of the people in the wedding receptions drink from glasses that have been provided by the caterer.