Receptions 101
The first dance, cutting the cake, food, family, and friends can all be found at a wedding’s reception. Specially reserved for all those things you can’t do at church, like listen to a best man’s irreverent speech about ‘the good old days’ or watch the uncle, who got into the cognac, dance with a niece like she’s a coat rack. The reception is the yang to the ceremony’s yin and that formula is about as perfect as they come.
Reservations of space are usually a top priority. If you’re blessed by good weather outdoor receptions are unbeatably beautiful, but event coordinating while taking into account high and low pressure systems can rack the nerves. Choosing a venue isn’t necessarily hard, but ensuring that the space is suitable for all your needs can be tricky.
Make sure to consider the type of event you are planning when choosing a location. For instance, expect to receive dirty looks and possibly a few complaints if you book the fourth story ballroom for a hoe-down. Kidding aside, many spaces are very flexible and offer valuable help in planning a reception.
“We’ve had everything from formal plated dinners to very casual receptions,” said director of sales and marketing for the Best Western Cimarron Hotel and Suites Lindsay Hodson.
Hotels like the Cimarron will have lists of preferred caterers, those whom they have worked with before, but as long as the caterer is licensed there shouldn’t be many problems. For those who enjoy the spirits, or who plan on having them at guests’ disposal make sure you coordinate with the space you’re renting. For example, the Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement commission places certain restrictions on the how to’s and the wherefores of alcohol in spaces like hotels. Not to say that it will be inordinately difficult to serve alcohol, it might be required to be handled internally by the hotel.
Don’t forget to be creative though. Recently a trend of ditching the cake has swept through receptions with boisterous reviews.
“Instead of the cakes, brides have had buffet bars filled with their favorite candies,” said Hodson.