You are getting married and ready to take the seven steps around the fire — but have you planned the reception? Vendors and artists to book, menus and hall ideas to choose, and a great deal of coordination in between. The reception is where the traditional rituals end and the real fun begins, so it deserves careful planning.
Dates, guests and the right venue
Fix the date with family and your partner, keeping the season, guest availability and your own convenience in mind. Build your guest list early and group-wise — family, in-laws, business associates, vendors — and remember you will add at least twenty names at the last minute. Then pick the venue: the best halls are booked a year or two ahead, so look early and weigh parking, restrooms and climate control.
Vendors, seating and back-up plans
Vendors make or break the night — caterers, DJ, emcees, make-up artists, decorators and photographers. The DJ and the caterers matter most: a dull DJ or subpar food, and no one leaves happy. Give real thought to seating too; the wrong pairing, or an important elder relegated to the back, is a small thing that guests remember. And never leave anything to chance — plan for unexpected weather at an open-air reception, and arrange transport for a destination one.
Atithi Devo Bhava — guests are gods. Plan the whole evening around their comfort, and the celebration takes care of itself.
There will always be a critic or two, because weddings are hard and expensive to pull off. Look after every guest regardless, and your reception becomes the night everyone talks about long after the lights come up.