Receptions
Weddings are great occasions for family reunions, for old friends to come together and for two families to mingle and get to know one another.
Receptions vary enormously in terms of size, venue and type, from an intimate ‘do’ at home to a lavish silver service reception at a luxury hotel or stately home. Perhaps the first determinant then is an established budget. Once you ascertain how much to spend you can discuss budgets, compromising where necessary without sacrificing the enjoyment of your event.
Following this assertion, your choice of venue will be the next factor affecting the arrangement of your reception. Home ‘do’s’ are cheaper and more intimate, but you’re left with the hassle of organising the event and cleaning up afterwards, also, you’re perhaps more limited in terms of numbers of guests.
With the advent of civil ceremonies, more and more hotels and stately homes are offering whole wedding packages, but regardless of where the ceremony is held, these make excellent venues for receptions, perfect for photographs and with the backup of the venue’s staff. For summer weddings, some different and imaginative venues are available, like local castles with outdoor courtyards to add a innovative feel to the day’s events and provide a really memorable reception.
For a start, catering varies enormously in terms of price, from a simple cold buffet to a hot carvery to warm up winter weddings. With an average reception including more people than one can reasonably be expected to talk to in one evening, there’s something to be said for thinning down the numbers and spending more per head on things like catering.
Similarly, the cost of alcohol at a wedding can be kept down with either a bar selling guests drink or by visiting a local wine merchant and buying bottles on a sale or return basis – another benefit of this is the added facility of glass hire, quite handy, especially at home gatherings. As a benchmark, budgeting for half a bottle of wine per head will ensure that friends and relatives are able to have a drink without becoming too unruly!
The Toastmaster
To enable you to sit and enjoy the reception without having the worry of wondering what comes where and when, it is recommended that you book a toastmaster who will liaise with the caterers and photographers at your reception on your behalf.
The toastmaster will also introduce guests, announce speeches and organise any presentations that may be required.
Marquee Weddings...
Could a marquee wedding be the ideal way of accommodating large numbers of guests efficiently?
Nowadays, marquees are far from the draughty plain tents of rainy village fete fame.
These days, silk effect linings, power, light, heating and level floors as well as clean modern convenience facilities make them practical and luxurious for your special day, and ideal for larger weddings, especially if you’ve land around your Lincolnshire village on which to enjoy a larger society wedding.
The beauty of a marquee includes being unrestricted by opening times, having your own venue to decorate, plan and lay out as you wish, and being able to create a venue which reflects your colour scheme, the number of guests and type of reception you’re planning.
Source as many quotes as possible when looking for a marquee and enquire about how much freedom and flexibility you have in terms of size and layout. Be sure to discuss requirements for sit-down meal space, your dance floor and an area for your guests to mingle.
In terms of extras, consider the possibility of coloured linings, and starlight linings (where fairy lights remain steady overhead, giving the appearance of a starry sky, with the practicality of remaining undercover!).
Amenities in marquees can include electricity, heating and lighting with chandeliers, but it’s essential to enquire about what’s included in your chosen price package and find out which extras could make your marquee stand out; if you’re planning on dancing your wedding night away, a level substantial feeling parquet floor is essential!
A compelling reason to consider a marquee as your reception venue is the increasing number of companies offering a one-stop service with catering and convenience hire packages as well as table and crockery hire, plants and partitions.
In particular, convenience hire is an essential consideration – and modern hire companies have luxurious, clean facilities for hire to shame some permanent facilities in restaurants and hotels.
Do ensure plenty of space for guests’ parking and make provisions for the organisation of where guests will park, perhaps arranging some ushers or signposting to ensure no bottlenecks at the end of the evening when it’s likely to be dark.
As with any aspect of your wedding, planning is the key, and finding suppliers with whom you can work well with is the secret of ensuring a stress-free and convenient way of creating the reception of your dreams, so source as many quotes as possible, shop around and take the advice of industry specialists to create a memorable venue in which to celebrate the beginning of your life together.
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