Wedding Receptions

Your wedding reception should be the most wonderful party you and your husband will ever give, so be prepared to spend some time on planning. If you are having a professional toastmaster, or are using a wedding co-ordinator, he or she will be able to take over most of this task.

There are several choices for your reception. You can hire a hall or a private room, either employing a caterer or doing the catering yourself. You can hire a marquee if you have a suitable site. Or you can have the reception in a hotel, banqueting siute or other wedding venue. Many now have civil marriage licences and you can be married in the same place.

If you decide on a formal banquet size, quality and price are the basics. When you have drawn up a shortlist these are some of the questions you will need to ask:

What is included in the package?

What size rooms are available?

Can I see the room set up for a wedding?

Where can my guests gather on arrival and afterwards?

Is there a dancefloor and how big is it?

Are there suitale locations for wedding photographs? (for both fine and wet weather)

The cost of the reception can be the biggest item in your budget. Make sure that you get a written quotation for the total cost, showing exactly what is included.

If you have guests coming froma distance you will need to find out about overnight accommodation in the locality. Most hotels offer wedding parties a number of rooms at discounted prices.