What Is A Wedding Reception

Every year in the UK, over 250,000 couples tie the knot and, while some like to have a micro-wedding, others prefer a more grand affair. One of the most important – and most expensive – parts of a wedding is the “do” and so, in this article we’re sharing tips on understanding the elements of a wedding reception. 

What is a wedding reception?

Most weddings begin with a ceremony – the official bit where the couple will actually become legally married followed the exchange of vows. In a great many cases, the ceremony is followed by a celebration of the nuptials – commonly known as a wedding reception. Different cultures celebrate in different ways but the ultimate goal is the same – congratulating the newlyweds and wishing them luck in their new life together. 

Understanding the elements of a wedding reception

A traditional western wedding reception is usually made up of a number of different activities and we’re going to delve into these in this wedding reception ‘checklist’ section: 

Cocktail reception

Directly after the wedding ceremony, lots of newlyweds like to hold a cocktail reception either indoors at their venue or on a terrace or garden. In most cases, an hour is allocated for this event during which canapes and drinks are served, allowing the happy couple to mingle with their guests. Some couples choose to allocate this time to having their official photographs taken – in which case this reception is a great way of keeping guests occupied while they do this. 

Many wedding venue packages include cocktails and canapes within the price as well as staff on hand to serve your guests. 

The wedding breakfast

This is the term used to describe the formal meal at a wedding – so named because it is the first meal that the couple will enjoy as husband and wife. This will usually include three courses to be served with wine – and most couples will include menu choices for this when sending out their wedding invitations. 

In most instances, the wedding venue will advise the couple of their options from which they will usually be allowed to choose three or four (most couples tend to pick one meat, one fish and one vegetarian option for their guests to choose from). 

Speeches, toasts and gifts

After the wedding breakfast it’s time for the toasts which will usually take place either just before the dessert course or once the entire meal is finished. At this point, the venue’s staff will serve champagne to the wedding party and guests in readiness for the toasts. 

Traditionally, this section will begin with a speech by the best man who will often tell a story (sometimes amusing) about the couple followed by a toast to the newlyweds – at which point the guests will raise their glasses to the couple. Next will be the groom who will praise his new wife and will thank the bridesmaids and the bride and bridegroom’s mothers with gifts – this will normally be an item of jewellery for the bridesmaids and flowers for the mothers. 

The evening reception

Most couples choose to round off their wedding festivities with an evening reception – often held at the same venue as the wedding breakfast. This is usually a much more informal affair which will include drinking and dancing. 

In terms of entertainment, some couples opt for a traditional wedding DJ whereas others prefer a live band; however, if you’re going with the latter option, be sure to check with your venue as they may have strict rules about this. 

For the evening reception, the newlyweds will usually offer a buffet to keep those energy levels up for dancing and will sometimes provide free drinks. 

The timing of your evening reception is of course an individual decision however many venues will insist that you wrap things up by midnight so you need to factor this into your timing. 

Planning makes perfect

As we’ve demonstrated in this article, there are lots of different elements that come together to make the perfect wedding reception and, as such, there’s a great deal of planning involved. Because of this, some couples choose to hire a wedding planner to help make sure that everything runs smoothly – however, this can of course be expensive. If, instead, you intend to plan your reception yourself, it’s a good idea to start as early as possible so that you have time to shop around for the best vendors in your area and to pay as much attention as possible to the details such as seating plans and timings. 

If your wedding is taking place in a venue such as a hotel, a dedicated wedding coordinator will usually be allocated to you. This coordinator will be on hand in the months before your wedding for help and advice on a lot of different aspects and will be able to recommend trusted vendors such as DJs and florists for your big day.