What Kind of Reception Should I Have?
One of the things that people start thinking about almost before they begin the actual planning of their wedding is the planning of their reception. Often the planning of the reception becomes just as stressful as the planning of the wedding ceremony. Luckily, it doesn't have to be. Here are a few hints to help you ease the stress of planning your reception:
Consider having your reception in the same place that you have your wedding. Many churches have a room that can easily be converted into a reception hall. If you want a small family wedding, consider having your wedding at someone's home and then simply covert the ceremony space into the party space! Having your reception and your wedding at the same location can save you loads of time, money and stress!
For couples whose social circle is large and wide-spread, you might consider having two receptions—a smaller, more formal reception for very close friends and family and then a second less formal reception at someone's home for everyone else. This not only ease's your stress, but it might prove to be a welcome idea among the friends who want to be at your wedding but worry about staying for your entire reception.
The more structured your reception, the more stress you will have. There are a lot of couples who love the idea of having all of the "traditional" reception activities (the father/daughter dance, the couple's first spot light dance, etc), but beyond the cutting of the cake and tossing of the bouquet, the more specific you are about your reception's activities, the more stress you will have as you try to keep everything on schedule.
The more formal reception, the more it will cost (and the more stress you will have to deal with). Many couples think that the idea of a sit down dinner with their family and friends after the reception is ideal, but the planning of the menus, the seating charts, etc—all of that adds to your "to do" list before the wedding, not to mention the stress that will come from trying to keep all of your reception guests happy.
Beyond all else, remember that your reception needs to be fun for you and your spouse. Keep your wants at the top of your priority list and you won't go wrong!