The Wedding Pros

This article coincides with the podcast that we released today. With so much attention given to every detail of your wedding, it’s surprising to learn that many of the things which can have the most impact on the overall success of your wedding day go overlooked.

It’s a safe bet that you will plan a beautiful wedding. It will start with the perfect invitation. Your guests will marvel at how much work went into the decorations and the flowers. The limousine will be exquisite, the bridesmaids will look gorgeous and the reception hall will be breathtaking. Finally, you will be a vision of beauty and perfection. No detail will go overlooked to make sure that yours is the most beautiful wedding reception that your guests have ever seen… but will they have fun? Fun is a little harder to guarantee than beauty, and it’s tougher to plan, but the most fun receptions don’t just happen. They are instead the result of giving proper consideration to elements of your wedding that often nobody is telling you to think about. With that in mind, here are some things to consider when you plan your reception:

• How long will it take your guests to get from the ceremony to the reception? If you can, have them at the same location. By eliminating a big wait or big drive between the two, you’re also cutting down on the possibility of guests getting bored or worse, irritable.

• How long will it take to do pictures after the ceremony? Consider getting some of your formal pictures out of the way ahead of time. If you prefer to remain traditional and not see each other beforehand, you may still be able to take care of some of the pictures that don’t require both of you. This is all related to the flow; a smooth-flowing reception will be much more conducive to having fun than one that seems to drag.

• How will you keep your guests engaged? To prevent your guests from feeling detached, give them a role to play early on. Here’s a simple idea: Instead of, or in addition to a simple guest book, consider a wish bowl where your guests can write down their best wishes for you as you start your new life together. You can take this idea one step further and provide the tools to make a collage right there – a glue stick and poster board will allow you to leave your reception with a cherished keepsake that everyone helped create.

• Where will your guests congregate? A room layout that spreads your guest apart too much could make the party seem… well, dead. Try to keep the bar in the same room where dancing will take place. Even if the cocktail hour is in a different room or hallway outside the reception room, after the cocktail hour is over the bar should be moved inside the main room. Having the bar and dance floor close together keeps more of your guests together.

• How, or more importantly where will you spend the evening? You and your new spouse are the cohesive force that keeps your party together. Your guests are there to celebrate your marriage… with you. If you’re absent, your guests will not see any reason to stick around. There are many reasons why you might need to duck out, some of which are unavoidable, but it’s best to keep this in mind if you do need to disappear for a little while.

• Are you planning to have a dollar dance? Opinions differ but in our area this is a pretty common wedding tradition and you should feel free to include it. That said, the dollar dance can often take up more time than you wish it to if not properly planned. Talk to your maid of honor and best man about their role. Have them release the next person to cut in at a steady pace instead of watching you and trying to estimate when you’re ready for the next person. If you both dance with 30 people for 30 seconds each, that’s going to take a minimum of 15 minutes. Much more than that and the rest of your guests may get the idea that it’s time to leave.

• What time will the party end? Ten o’clock is a good rule of thumb for the latest your reception should be scheduled to end. If you’re planning a 6:00 ceremony that means your guests probably won’t get to eat until 8:00. What happens after you eat? You get tired. There’s a big difference between getting tired at 7 and getting tired at 9. Know the policies of both the reception hall and your entertainment for going extra hours and you can always extend the party if you need more time.

I hope you find these suggestions helpful. The most important thing to remember is that this is your big day! Along with your fiancé, you should be the one to decide what will make your reception a success. Whatever decisions you make will always be right because they will reflect your wishes and your personal style.