Wedding Reception Planning FAQs

Planning the food and drinks for your wedding reception can be a lot of fun — you just need to keep a few things in mind before you start.

1. What is your budget? Often the wedding reception is the most expensive part of your wedding, so decide early how much you would like to spend. There are ways to have a wonderful and fun reception at any budget — you just have to decide what is important to you and then be creative!


2. Would you prefer a formal sit-down dinner or a cocktail reception? It's important that you celebrate with your friends and family the way you want to. If you are planning a sit-down meal, create a seating chart to organize your friends and family into well-planned table groupings.


3. What time of day is your reception? If your reception occurs at dinner time, it's reasonable for your guests to expect to be fed. If you don't want to provide a full meal, you might consider shifting the start time of your reception to an earlier or later time.


4. Have you always dreamed of an outdoor reception? If so, just make sure you have a backup plan ready in case of unexpected weather changes.


5. Do you want to serve alcohol? From wine on every table to an open bar - you can determine what choices are available to your guests. Think about the experience you want your friends and family to have and then start planning the drink menu from there.

Once you have an idea of what you want for your wedding reception, it's time to start looking for a venue. To give you some ideas, we've created a Pinterest page with lots of different (and amazing) location pictures!

If you have been to an event that you really enjoyed, find out who helped cater it. Remember to keep track of your notes and ideas as you go.

As you plan your reception, please share your experiences or advice in the comments area below. It's a great way to help other brides!