5 Tips To Help With Wedding Reception Ideas In A Hall

When my daughter got married, at Cooks Beach they had to decide where to have the wedding reception and ceremony.   They had their ceremony on the beach and their reception was either a marquee, or there was a local hall which was straight across the road from where the accommodation was for the majority of the guests.  After we had looked at all the costs of marquee versus hall we decided the hall was the best option.

Decorating a hall needs some planning, you can't leave it until the last minute and you need to think about what you and you fiance want and how you are going to achieve it.

Some of the things I would advise you to look for when making your decision on your reception hall are;

1.  How far is the reception hall from the Ceremony?

If you are planning to have your wedding ceremony in a different location from the reception hall, you need check how easy it is logistically to get guests to the ceremony and then to the reception hall. Is it close enough that they can walk, or do they need to drive.   Wedding signs can be helpful to direct your guests to the ceremony and reception.   If it is summer, you may want to think about providing bottles of water for those who may need it and if there isn't a lot of shade, maybe some umbrellas or parasols.

2.  How long is your wedding reception hall hire for?

When you book the hall, make sure you have access early enough to be able to get everything set up. Make sure you have delegated enough helpers to get everything done in time. You don't want to be stressing on the day, when you should be pampering yourself.  The day of the wedding, any last minute jobs, need to be done by someone else.

Remember that using a hall, also means it must be cleaned up afterwards.   Make sure you have helpers for the next day and if there are cleaners available in the area, you can always arrange to get the in to do the bathrooms and kitchen and final sweep up, once you have removed everything.  Find out what is expected from the hall owners.

3.  What is included in the hire of the hall?

Check to see what comes with the hall in regards to tables and chairs.   Measure the lengths of the tables and whether they are round or long tables.  This is important in planning your seating for everyone and how it will fit.  You may still need to hire more tables and chairs.  Think about how you want to do your table decorations and this is also depending on whether you are using long or round tables.


4. Is there a kitchen?

If you are planning to use caterers, find out what they will require in the kitchen.  Some have their own setups and don't need much, Whereas others may need the use of the full kitchen.   Have a look through the cupboards and see what the kitchen has.   This will help you when it comes to looking at what cutlery, plates, cups etc you will need to hire.    Again, your caterers may include in their price plates and cutlery,  

Some kitchens, you may decide to use the counter as your bar, so you will want to use an area of the kitchen for your alcohol to be stored.



5.  Can you hang decorations?

Some halls don't like you to put anything in the walls for hanging decorations for a wedding.   If you are lucky enough you may find there are already hooks put in place to be able hang decorations off. It is important to think about your wedding reception hall lighting as this will really give the atmosphere you want for your reception.  Collect pictures for wedding reception hall decoration ideas and think about your colour theme.

Take lots of wedding reception hall photos and measurements where necessary, so that when you are starting to plan, it is easier to remember what space is available for different setups for your wedding reception.

10 Of The Best Wedding Receptions Signs Ideas

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A very popular trend today is to guide and advise our guests using wedding signs and wedding sayings on chalkboards    The number of wedding receptions signs ideas are huge and it sometimes can get quite overwhelming trying to get it down to a simple few that you need.   There are also funny wedding sayings for signs which are used widely in photographs for props.

You can start with just the simple wedding signs on wood which the wording is already printed on for you and are easy and less time consuming for those who don't have a lot of time left to DIY.   These are easy to either hang on to a shepherds hook into the ground, over a chair or nail to a fence or gate.

There are also chalkboards which come in lots of various sizes.   You can add your wedding sayings on chalkboards by using larger boards for bigger and bolder or smaller boards for props in your wedding photos or to advise your guests to help themselves to wedding favours or to sign the wedding guestbook.
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Here are 10 of the best wedding receptions signs ideas to help you get started that you might like to use at your wedding:

* "Happily Ever After Begins Here"

* "Today, Two Families Become One, So Pick A Seat Not A Side"

* "This Way To The "I Do's""

* " The Party Starts Here"

* "Welcome To Our Happily Ever After"

* "Mr Right, Mrs Always Right"

* "Today Is The First Day Of Our Forever"

* "It Was Always You"

* "This Way To Love, Laughter & Happily Ever After"

* "Love Is Sweet, Take a Treat"

Wedding Dress Shopping with Tracey

Choosing The Gown

One of the biggest items to tick off the list when planning your wedding is choosing your wedding dress.

For Tracey we were lucky enough to come across Felicitys Bridal.

 

When booking your FREE 1 Hour consultation we were greeted by Felicity herself along with her very able team of assistants.   Tracey was made to feel really special right from the start and in such a welcoming friendly environment, she successfully found the dress of her dreams.

  

 

Here are a few of Felicity’s tips to help you get over the wedding dress hurdle with less sweat.

 

The Dress comes First.   Although it may go both ways, the theme of your dress should follow your desired theme - or vice versa.   Some couples choose a theme before choosing a gown, and in effect, they make the gown fit the theme they have chosen.   But for some people, the choice of gown comes first, and the theme of the wedding follows on from there.   So if the gown that catches the bride's fancy is intricately beaded and elegant, then the the wedding may tend to be more formal.   If the bride chooses a floaty, simple gown, then the wedding may follow a less formal route. 

Don't Overwhelm Yourself with Choices.   Yes, it may be tempting to try every hown that comes your way.   But what if you find yourself buried under a pile of 20 or so gowns you think you really like and can't make a decision?   That sort of scenario will prove to be a terrible headache - not to mention a great source of stress.  

To avoid this, try making decisions in stages.   At Felicity's you are given coloured pegs when you first arrive that you can peg onto the dresses you want to try on.    You could vote off the least liked one and then re-evaluate the remaining gowns.

Another method is trying 5 gowns and then choosing two of the best.   These "champions" will be put against another gown.   Continue the tournament until you get to the perfect gown.

It may become tempting so say, "Aw, but I do like that other gown as well!"  Try to make sure you make the final decision among a maximum of 5 gowns.    If you end up choosing something just to make a decision or end up with the perfect gown but forever asking yourself whether you made the right decision or not.

• Be sure to have your wedding gown looking good in all angles.   Although the back is an important feature, the front is even more important!  Most of your photos will be taken from the front and of course throughout the day everyone will be talking to you and interacting with you while looking at you front on.   Look at your side view as well.   It is important to know that you will look fabulous no matter what angle you are captured. 
  
  Choose Wisely and choose a wise companion; take along one or two of your closest friends or confidants who know a thing or two about wedding dresses and style.  Their advice will come in handy when choosing a gown. Too many opinons can be confusing. Trust your instincts. Afterall you are the one who wil lbe wearing the gown all day and looking back on it for years to come.

So, with this part now done, another visit then took place with her bridesmaids.   Once again a lovely selection of bridesmaids dresses and such great service, the girls quickly managed to choose their dresses.  

 

Next appointment is the fittings!!

 

Written for Felicity’s Bridal by www.weddingforyou.co.nz

Save Money On Your Wedding Dress

If you don’t want to shell out a lot of money on your wedding dress, you are not alone. I know many who have saved a lot of money on their dress by buying something that was deeply discounted because it was a year off-season. If you're not able to find a wedding dress this way, it might be better to consider purchasing a second-hand wedding dress. Don't dismiss this idea, remember there are many brides to be who use their mother's or grandmother's wedding dress on the day. I know wearing a second-hand dress is not the same, but remember the principle is the same.

Most wedding dresses have only been used once, depending on where you purchase them.

Anyway, wedding dresses are usually worn once then cleaned and stored away, or even sold. Some used wedding dresses are sometimes brand new. There are occasions weddings are cancelled and the bride wants to urgently get rid of her dress. Usually the bride wants to get her money back and also the memory of the day that never happened.  Yes very sad but a reality.

You should be able to find second-hand wedding dresses everywhere.   There are many online sites you can purchase these from. Don’t forget to check auction sites like eBay, TradeMe (if in New Zealand) and classifieds for your area. You have to consider what size you want, and perhaps what style, and this will make your search for used wedding dresses a little easier by helping you weed out what won’t fit or what you don’t like early. If you're really only wanting a second-hand wedding dress for fancy dress or Halloween, just go down to your local fancy dress store, second-hand shop or thrift shop. 

There is the added expense of cleaning a second-hand wedding dress, so make sure you keep that in mind when purchasing.

It is probably important you get your dress cleaned if second-hand, even if the previous owner claims they had already cleaned it.  You will also still have to pay for alterations, but these shouldn’t be too bad. All these added expenses beats paying thousands for a new wedding dress when you could possibly get it as cheap as $200. If you are really lucky, you will find a dress that fits perfectly, but this is a rarity. Most bridal stores will do alterations for you if you make an appointment, even if you didn’t get your dress through them. Make sure you call ahead to find out though. If they can't do it themselves, they may be able to pass you on to someone else.

So good luck in your search for that perfect wedding dress!

13 Great Wedding Tips to Save Money on Your Wedding

·         Cut your guest list down. You'll save in many areas, e.g. catering costs, wedding invitations,  place settings, etc. Yes I know some people will be disappointed they're not invited, but people are quite understanding nowadays.  I'm sure, as long as you explain they'll be fine. 

·         Why have your wedding on a Saturday.  Why not change to a Friday instead.  The added bonus is you have all day Saturday and/or Sunday to catch up with family and friends before going off  on your honeymoon. 

·         Honeymoon - keep an eye out for holiday specials before your wedding. 

·         Plan your wedding for off-peak season.  You'll be amazed at how much you will save in many areas, i.e. wedding venues.    

·         Shop in off -peak season for extra decor.  You can pick up pretty red or pink vases after Valentines Day or modern black after Halloween.

·         Hold the ceremony and reception at the same place.  Some suppliers charge by the hour so you'll make savings on travel time.

·         Flowers - use more greenery than flowers or look around your neighborhood,  or family and friends' gardens, see what you can find in their gardens.  Maybe stick to just one or two kinds of flowers. Buy flowers that are in season.  You can also include non-floral decorations, like lanterns.

·         Collect wines on special during the year before your wedding.  If you pick up two bottles of wine a week for a whole year, that's 52 bottles of wine.  Red wine is better as it matures, but white wine, make sure it's not too old.

·         Cakes - order a small one or two-tiered cake and then supplement cake with a larger sheet cake (hidden out the back).  Remember fruit cake can be more expensive than a banana or chocolate cake.

·         Reuse the wedding flowers to put on the cake table if you've got a small and simple cake.

·         Do your own wedding invites on the computer, or there are a lot of printing websites with specials all the time. Take advantage of these.

·         Make your cake part of the wedding favours.

·         Photographs - ask a few of your best friends to take photos for you, the more organized photos, and ask friends for copies of theirs after the wedding.  You may find them on Facebook later on anyway.

Your Wedding Reception Food

One thing people often remember when going to wedding receptions is the food, whether it's good or bad. Yes, I know the cost is important, but something you should consider when you are choosing your wedding menu is your guests.

I know it's your wedding, but you are spending a lot of money so you want people to like what is being served. Let me give you some tips so your guests can enjoy your reception food.

 

How about giving them a choice

 

It's always a great idea to offer them a choice on what they'd like to eat.  There's other things to remember like people with food allergies, vegetarians, people on diets.  By providing them different choices they can choose what they would like to eat.  If you have a tight budget, it's okay to have two options.

 

Keep it simple

Just because dishes may not look fancy, it doesn't mean that it won't taste good. If guests are faced with something that they aren't sure what it is, they may be reluctant to eat it so don't go for things that people can't identify or too fancy.  So simple is good.  

 

A extremely popular choice at the moment are the cupcakes.  They can be more cost effective and easy to eat.  Lots of colour can brighten up your reception.  So why not try them yourself.

 

Keep it clean

 

Everyone at your wedding reception will probably be wearing their best clothes. So it's a good idea to stay away from food that is very messy or could cause stains that's difficult to remove later.

 

Remember, you will probably be wearing a white dress. The last thing you will want is to have something spilt on that beautiful wedding dress and ruining it.  Be careful.

 

Think about what you have had at other wedding receptions you've been too, what you liked or didn't like about them. It's a good way to plan your own wedding reception menu.  Put excitement into planning your wedding reception menu. 

 

Wedding Reception

The wedding reception is something that most people really look forward to after the wedding ceremony has finished. Finding the perfect wedding reception locality is part of making your whole day successful.  Affordability is also something you have to take into consideration. Don't just rent any venue or hall without first checking it out and evaluating it properly. Make sure it's going to accommodate everybody well for the night /day. You wouldn't want people to feel crowded and making it uncomfortable to enjoy the event.

You will probably want to decorate for the wedding reception in advance. The decorating is usually  completed the night before the wedding ceremony by the wedding party. It could be after the wedding rehearsal dinner and ceremony have taken place. You'd want to use similar colours to your wedding as the main part of decorating. This can include ribbons, bows, flowers and various other types of decorations. Click here wedding decorations ideas.

Decorating the tables needs to be carefully looked at as well. Floral arrangements are often used as centrepieces.  Be careful they are not too tall though so as to block your view to the dance floor and of the wedding party. Putting nice decorations on the table as well as a nice gift or wedding favour for each guest is very popular. These mementos are a great way to thank them for coming.

Of course you serve food at a wedding reception so you will need to decide what you want to offer your guests. You can have something small like sandwiches or side dishes but the most popular wedding breakfast is a 2 course meal, main meal and dessert.  If you don't want a dessert, the wedding cake at the end of the night is suffice.  You can choose just about anything you like. But it all depends on cost, so cost per person is something you need to take into consideration when you are planning your wedding.
Drinks - may want to offer alcohol but it is fine if you do not want to. You should offer plenty of non- alcoholic beverages too for people who choose not to drink alcohol.
Wedding cake - yes of course you have to focus on the famous wedding cake because people will be waiting all night long to get a slice of it!

The wedding reception is a time to celebrate a new union between two people. While there is plenty of planning involved in it, try to have some fun with it. If you get too worried about the wedding reception you won't be able to relax and enjoy any of what is going on.