Do’s and Don’ts for Planning your Wedding Reception

DO: Book your reception venue as soon as possible, ideally within several weeks after getting engaged and selecting your wedding date.

DO: Go together as bride and groom to various possible reception sites. Arrange meetings with a representative from each location. Ask about pricing, special features and amenities. Inquire about sample menus if the reception site requires that you use their own catering service.

DO: Brainstorm together what you both consider to be your “ideal wedding reception.”

DO: Consider different creative places to hold your wedding reception: hall, restaurant, art gallery, museum, church, park, country club, own home or family’s home.

DO: Remember the following expenses that need to be planned and budgeted for:

• rental of reception site
• flowers/centerpieces
• equipment rentals - linens, tables, chairs
  
• entertainment – band or DJ
• lighting and sound system

DO: Think about the following catering fees:

• cost of catering services
• cost of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks; decide whether or not to serve alcohol; cash bar versus open bar
• cost of desserts and appetizers

DO: Decide as a couple whether you would like to have buffet-style or traditional plate-dinners served by the wait staff.

DO: Remember that a lunch reception is less expensive than a dinner reception.

DO: Regarding menu options, make sure that both the bride and the groom get the opportunity to sample all of the different menu options, including the appetizers, salads, soups, entrees, and desserts.

DO: Look in wedding magazines and search on-line wedding websites for photographs of various wedding reception. Figure out what flowers, decorations, colors and themes appeal to both the bride and the groom.

DO: Cut out photos from magazines or print out photos from websites of wedding reception decor that you enjoy.

DO: Talk to family and friends in order to find out what DJ or band or musicians they hired for their weddings. Get recommendations from family, friends, co-workers and neighbors.

DO: Meet with at least two or three different DJs or bands. Find out what genres of music they specialize in and what types of music they feel comfortable playing. Listen to the band or musicians play one or two sample songs for you

DON’T: Invite friends, family, coworkers, neighbors simply because you feel obligated to invite them.

DO: Invite the people who genuinely support you two as a couple. Keep it smaller and more intimate.

DO: Plan your seating arrangement carefully.

DO: Seat family members and couples together.

DON’T: Seat strangers together.

DON’T: Seat people who don’t get along together.

DON'T: Wait too long to hire a wedding planner. They can save you time, headaches and money by being your guide and liaison during the wedding planning process.

It's Your Day, Your Way!

Make your day about the two of you, not about the third party guest lists, not about the most convenient location, and not about a something-for-everyone buffet. It may sound romantic to proclaim your love in front of hundreds of people but how meaningful is it when these people are made up of your mother in law's friends, your partner's boss, your cousin's date, or the neighbors?

Your wedding can be personalized, original, out of the box. Or at the very least, not catered to everyone else besides you. Imagine your own backyard or dream destination as the setting; neither of those are too likely with a full set of RSVP's. Speaking of guests, imagine just the two of you committing your lives to each other in the sanctity of each others company or in front of the few people who mean the most to you. An elopement doesn't have to be totally exclusive; it's just that you actually own the guest list.

There are as many ways to personalize your wedding day as there are ways to get married. Ponder getting married on the top of a beautiful hill, in a cave, in a beautiful southern mansion, on a gorgeous mountain, or at a surprise party in your own home.

So stop the thought of hiring the meat carver when you're both vegetarians. Getting married is surely one of the best days in your life. Make it the day you want and not the day that your mother in law, parents, bridesmaids, buffet zombie guests, and last but not least, the wedding industry insist upon.

How Sweet It Is! Building the Candy Buffet of Your Dreams!

So — you've caught the candy buffet bug. You're not alone. More and more brides want to see a tower of sweets at their reception. Motives differ: some like how buffets allow guests to hunt and pick according to their personal sweet tooth, others like the fairytale flavor.
Candyland, Babes in Toyland, Willy Wonka: some of our earliest dreams involve forests where gumdrops hang from trees, chocolate runs in rivers and pillars are peppermint sticks. But just as with Hansel and Gretel, there's a catch to the candy buffet. Namely? Pulling off a successful one involves a touch of magic.
And if that makes you nervous, rest assured you have company. A candy buffet isn't free. Like any other "wow" aspect of a wedding, it's part of your overall investment. And while the wait staff might pass the hors d'oeuvres and the venue lay out the linens, you could be on your own when it's time to design the candy buffet.
Tips:
* You choose the flowers because they're beautiful, the candy buffet should be too.

* You have to budget the candy buffet into your wedding expenses. It doesn't work well as an afterthought.

* When it comes to candy, the more the merrier. If you have a large table overflowing with candy, you have presence. The biggest disappointment I hear is that the candy buffet didn't look substantial.

* Have a focus. Focus can be anything. Candies you personally like, or a theme, or a texture. If you're having an all-white wedding, you'll want an all-white candy buffet. If you're having a destination wedding in an exotic location, you could choose dramatic, Caribbean types: Island Punch Jelly Belly beans.

When you think about it, it’s just a trend people are enjoying right now. But when you really dig down, it's not about the candy at all. It's about the nostalgia. In a lot of weddings, two people are taking a major step toward adulthood. The candy buffet lets them connect back to any fond memories they have of childhood. Candy is powerfully reminiscent, and oh how sweet our memories can be.