evening reception what do I need??

nublue

Hi

We are getting married abroad and then having a seperate evening reception (or party!!) at home about a month later.

We have hired an empty function room, and know we need to organise food and music, but after that I am pretty much clueless!!!

What things do I need to arrange? ie decorations etc. also are there any traditional things like speeches or gifts I need to think about?

What are the "required/traditional" components ie first dance, cutting of cake etc. and what order? Would we need to do speeches?

I am really not a weddingy or very organised person, but want to feel like I have put on a relatively good show! Struggling to know where to start!

Thanks girls,

Leah x

Bluespirit

I think its really up to you and H2B what you want for your reception. There are a lot of variations now on whats standard now anyway, so just try and decide what matters to you - e.g. do you want to do speeches?, do you want to do a first dance? etc, and try not to feel pressurised by others' expectations.

RainbowDrops

What Bluespirit said really.
Having the traditional things like cake cutting & speaches might make it a bit more of a wedding reception rather than a party, but it depends how formal you want it really.

jennylovescake

we are doing similar to you only were getting married at gretna green and then coming back for a party the following day as were just getting married in gretna on our own! i will list what weve got sorted or will be doing by the big day incase that helps you?!

- cake
- cake stand
- buffet
- tablet decorations
- balloons
- guest book
- favours
- kids party boxes
- disco
- first dance song
- songs we dont want playing on a list lol
- box for cards to all be put in
- cake boxes for people to take home cake for relatives etc who werent able to come
- family to take photos - maybe a photographer if budget stretches that far!


and i think thats it! hope it helps!

nublue

thnx all, suddenly feeling poorly today so will reply properly 2moro
L x

jemmaali

Hi Leah
Im going abroad too
This is my plan
Welcome drinks from about 7.00pm
Hot buffet for all guests no table plan but will have some decoration possibly candles
Quick speech (nothing official just to thank people coming)
band (if budget allows)
Disco until early hours!!
Also going to have pictures of the wedding projected onto the wall or maybe a moviestream!!

Hope this helps

jem

SparkleWitch

Hi Leah

We got married in Italy last year and had a party when we got back to the UK. We had an Italian theme and had balloons in the colours of the Italian flag, Italian flag bunting everywhere, table decorations made from citrus fruits/flowers and an Italian buffet.

I also had a bowl of Italian baci chocolates and also a slideshow of photos from the wedding playing so people could see our big day. I also got to wear my dress again :j

We didnt have any speeches, cutting of cake (we had a cupcake tower) or first dance (our idea of hell!). The only what I would call 'traditional' things we had were a guest book for people to sign and a post box for cards.

The music we did ourselves and included lots of Italian tunes like 'Thats Amore' etc - made people chuckle

joanneinwonderland

Some photo's/proofs for people to look through might be a nice touch so they can see you both on your big day.

Really though it's up to you how much how little you do but I think to make it more of a reception I would cut a cake and do a first dance etc. to make it different to a party.

xx

minerva_windsong

What everyone else said, it's your reception, do what you like!

If you're hiring a hall though I'd guess a buffet or outside catering is going to be much easier than a sit-down meal. Although that could also include things like a pot luck supper, a hog roast, a fish and chip van, a barbecue etc.

Personally I would have a cake cutting (maybe make the cake yourself? Lorraine Pascal made a three-tier red velvet cake on Baking Made Easy this week which looked amazing and not too difficult) and short informal 'thank you all for coming' speech to make it feel a bit less like a 'normal' party, but would have an 'everyone included' first dance - I hate being centre of attention though so would rather have a first dance involving all my guests than just me and my OH!

If your venue has a bar, I would see if you can find a local brewery which lets you buy party kegs of beer from them - my dad gets these a lot for when we have family parties and they always go quick!

The photos on the wall idea is lovely - maybe you could do a gallery of your relationship finishing up with a wedding picture? My sisters did something similar for my parents when it was their silver anniversary, they scanned in a load of old photos of my parents throughout their relationship, blew them up and put them on the wall.

Decorations-wise, I would go for something quite simple - maybe paper tablecloths in a colour you like and then scattered over with those little glittery wedding themed charms you can get in places like Hobbycraft.

Birdie85

We're having a party when we get back from our wedding abroad but it's going to be pretty informal. OH might say a few words to thank people for coming but no speeches per se. We'll be doing the cake cutting since my friend has been so kind as to make us a cake otherwise we weren't going to bother! We'll be having a first dance as I doubt we'll be having one at the actual wedding. Otherwise it's just going to be an awesome party! We're having Caribbean themed decorations, lots of photos of the wedding on the tables and playing on a slideshow on the TV on the wall and a 'Holiday Snaps' photo booth instead of a guest book so people can write their messages on our big 'post card' ie a white board and take photos with silly props. Oh and I'm wearing my dress again, justifies the cost by getting 2 wears out of it!

amus

Were also gettig married abroad then having the reception when we get back. I want the reception to be quite formal and like a 'proper wedding' reception rather than a party so am going to do all the cake cutting, speeches, favours etc but its personal preference. Lots of DJ's have projector screens these days so we hoping to have our wedding photos running through.

It does all depend on how formal you want it as to whether you need to worry about table decorations, cake stand, entertainment, food etc.