All Dressed in White THE RECEPTION Where to hold your reception will depend on several factors, with cost and budget the most important, coupled with how many guests you wish to invite. In addition, you need to consider how much time you can personally spend on organisation. We recommend that you work to an approximate budget per guest. This will give you a good basis for making comparisons. The main options are to hold the reception at home, in a hired venue, or in a hotel or restaurant. AT HOME 35856frj88scv9p Holding your wedding reception at home will certainly keep the costs down - providing you have the space. For small receptions it is ideal and gives you complete freedom to decorate in your own style. If you have the luxury of a spacious garden then you could hire a marquee to add more space and a certain sense of style. According to your choice of marquee, it could be the focus of the reception. On the other hand you may decide to opt for a smaller shelter for a buffet, which could double as a precautionery measure for bad weather. Holding the reception at home gives you the option of using an outside caterer or you and your family providing the catering. All marquees are different. However, as an approximate guide, you will need around 40' x 60' to place a marquee for 125 guests for a sitdown meal. Most brochures will state the size of the marquee according to the number of seated or standing guests, which makes selection very straightforward. In addition, marquee hire companies can generally offer flooring, lighting, tables, chairs, heating, dance floors and an entrance porch. A lot of companies will suggest a marquee which joins on to the side of the house, if you have French windows. You will need to arrange an appointment for a representative to visit the venus. As marquee hire is seasonal, and not just for weddings, once again you will need to book well in advance. HIRING A HALL If you have decided to hire a venue it is likely you will have heard about it, or used the hall or venue, before. If not then you will need to look for appropriate locations. Consider access for guests, catering (and catering restrictions) and parking. Security is also important, if the hall will be left unattended after setting up. rc856f5388sccv HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS For a quiet life hold your wedding reception in a local hotel or restaurant which offers a specialist reception service package or one of the New licensed venues where you can hold the ceremony and the reception. You may want to check accommodation details for you and your guests if they are travelling from a long way away. Using a hotel or restaurant will free up a great deal of your time to concentrate on enjoying the day, and getting the rest of the many organisational details right. CATERING If you are keen to do your own catering, plan well in advance and think about how much time you will have closer to (and indeed on) the wedding day for the final touches. You may need some help in the final stages of preparation. A brilliant book to get if you want to plan your own catering is The Goodhousekeeping Guide to Catering for crowds. Published by Edward Press, priced £17.99 and available from all good book shops. If you are planning to use professional catereres, or a restaurant, it is wise to try a few different dishes. While most caterers will be more than happy to devise a menu just for you, they will also have their own sample menus which you could choose from across different price ranges. Remember to consider the vegetarian options, and any other special requirements your guests may have. The caterers will also be able to quote you a cost for suppling crockery, service, table linen and glasses. THE CAKE If you or a friend decide to bake the cake yourself (though this is consideed to bring bad luck) then you need to plan to bake it at least a month before the wedding, and to ice it in three parts over the next four weeks. Professional caterers can either make a whole cake for you, or just ice your own if you wish. A lot of brides choose to have the whole cake made to their specification. Ivory and gold are currently very popular cake colours. Many caterers offer a surprising range of coloured icing and designs on demand, with different themes and styles. Redactat: Colban Ionut-Robert Clasa a VIII-a “H”, Scoala ”Mihail Sebastian”, Bucuresti.
