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Yolanda Nash

A wedding is possibly the most important event in a person’s life. It is always desired that a wedding ceremony should take place without hindrance, difficulty or any possible errors. Apart from an instance of establishment of marital alliance between two families, a wedding ceremony is also, on a greater scale, an extremely significant social gathering where obscure corners of the family come together, sometimes for the first time. This is the main significance of the wedding reception. It follows logically that such an occasion, especially the reception should be well organized so that everything takes place smoothly and the guests are kept entertained. The wedding reception checklist is the most helpful tool that one can employ in ensuring that everything is managed properly.

The lists all the elements that constitute the wedding reception, listing everything from the room capacity and the cutlery to the number of staff required and the budget. A tentative format of the wedding reception checklist lists the elements in order, followed by their respective necessities and the expenses to be incurred in each case.

Budget being an issue for any good wedding reception, it needs to be managed efficiently. Budget should neither be too less nor too high, as that serves no purpose of being checklist. This includes the expenses for rooms, seating arrangements and also for the location of the reception. The comfort of the guests is very important during the wedding reception. The wedding reception checklist also incorporates the expenses to be incurred in providing air-conditioning and other such amenities for the guests.

Even minute details like the cutlery should be included, so that the bridal party doesn’t feel embarrassed about the bill later. Other expenses that are listed there include the costs for the linen, the cake, the catering staff, the bartender and also the beverage. Parking expenses often become quite high at locations hosting wedding receptions. The wedding reception checklist efficiently keeps track of all these expenses.

The payment deadlines also fall under the checklist. Making payment in due time ensures that no headaches occur after the occasion is over, or even worse – during the crucial period of organizing the wedding reception.

The wedding reception checklist ensures that everything goes perfectly at a wedding reception. After all, a wedding is an occasion to rejoice, not to repent!

Yolanda Nash

It can take up to one year to coordinate a wedding, depending on when and where it is to be held.

One year before

First, a date must be set for the wedding. If it is to be held in the most popular months, May, June, July or August, a year ahead is not too early to start reserving the church, and lining up the members you wish in the wedding party. Establish the budget. If you are using a florist, start getting estimates of floral arrangements for tables and church. You will also need to decide styles of corsages, boutonnières and whether or not to have a flower girl with rose petals to strew in the bride’s path. Decide on a theme for your wedding.

Six to Nine Months before

Reserve a banquet hall and hire a band. You will need to enter into a legal contract with the band so you will not find yourself without music at the last minute. Make arrangements for your soloist for your wedding ceremony. Locate a photographer and establish numbers of pictures desired. It is time to shop for your wedding dress and bridesmaid’s dresses, and start getting estimates on tuxedo rentals.

Three to Six Months before

Decide on the number of guests to be invited. Contact various printers in your area to get prices and decide on the style of invitations. Order your invitations. Contact the tuxedo rental store to make a commitment to rent from them. Contact the florist you have chosen and make a commitment to purchase from them. Decide on the banquet menu and get estimates from caterers. Make a commitment to the chosen one. If you need to have a bakery provide the cake, it is time to get that ordered also.

Two to Three Months before

Register at your favorite stores. Shop for the accessories you will need, such as a guest book, wine glasses for the ceremonial toast, cake knife, gifts for wedding party and table centerpieces. Pick up your invitations from the printer and get them addressed. Check in with your florist, caterer, photographer, church, band, etc. to be sure all is on track. Solve any problems. Try on dresses to see if alternations are needed. Try on tuxedos.

One Month before

Make arrangements for rehearsal dinner. It is time to mail the wedding invitations. Arrange for wedding rehearsal with church and minister. Attend showers.

One Week before

It is time for the rehearsal. After the rehearsal, enjoy the company of the wedding party at dinner.

One Day before

Gather all dresses, tuxedos, reception decorations, etc. and deliver them to the church or banquet hall. Get hairdos. Tomorrow is the big day.

Yolanda Nash

A very popular idea to use at a wedding these days is having a slideshow for the guest’s entertainment. Of course the slideshow is focused on the couple to be married. It is a sentimental gesture that is sure to leave everyone who is attending your wedding in stitches and in tears.

More than likely you will have to rent a projector for the show. You can find these at any audio/video store. They shouldn’t be too expensive to rent and you can have the salesclerk give you a lesson on how to work it so the presentation goes smoothly.

Your best bet is to ask a younger guest in their teens if they would like to work the projector. Often the younger set knows how to manipulate audio/video equipment better than their adult counterparts.

What to Include in Your Slideshow Presentation at Your Wedding

The slideshow is going to be about the bride and groom, so including pictures of them when they were little, innocent children is vital. You can include funny pictures of food on faces, happy birthdays with toys and cakes as well as a host of other possibilities. You might want to decide beforehand if you are going for laughs from your guests or a more sentimental approach.

You can include pictures of the bride and groom spending time with family and friends before they met. You can also include pictures of the wedding party as well as both the bride and groom’s families. A nice idea is to gather recent pictures of the couple and include them as well.

The Music Means Everything

Another aspect to be considered is the music you will play to accompany the slideshow. Just as choosing the music for your wedding ceremony and reception was an important part of creating the mood, so will it be with the slideshow. Picking the ideal music to accompany the many different photos you will show is key to the success of the venture.

You might choose romantic love songs; you might decide that more contemporary songs with a happy beat are what you want as an accompaniment to the wedding slideshow. You might ask the parents and the attendants what their favorite songs are and include them. A really romantic gesture is to end the slideshow with the song the bride and groom chose to dance their first dance to along with beautiful pictures of the happy couple smiling into the camera.

Yolanda Nash

“Response cards” are usually included with invitations so the hosts and wedding event planners know how many wedding guests are coming, the quantity of food and beverages are needed, chairs, wedding favors, place card holders and other critical elements of planning your wedding are needed.

When guests do not follow the response card etiquette it can make for quite a stressful situation for everyone involved in planning the event.

So here are some quick tips to avoid a stressful RSVP situation.

1. Mail out RSVP’s atleast 2 months before the event any longer can result in your RSVP getting lost or misplaced

2. Include a self addressed stamped envelope with the RSVP

3. Include exact instructions such as how many guests they can bring, directions to the event, date and time of the event, if children are allowed, gifts, and a clear respond by date should all be included.

4. Have the event planner or hosts call all prospective guests and ask if they will be attending. This will give you a chance to let the guests know all of the what, when, where and how’s of the event.

If you use these tips you should have a clear number of how many guests are attending your event and a very stress free event planner.