Raising a Glass to the Bride and Groom Weddings are toasting festivals. For spotlight-lovers, the bevy of hot microphones is a dream come true; for others, it’s a vigorous exercise in the fight-or-flight reflex. Whatever your place in the toasting lineup, the following suggestions can help you handle the attention and honor like an old [...]
DIY Reception to Die For If you can’t afford or simply don’t like the typical reception extravaganza, there’s no reason you can’t still have a great party in honor of your nuptials. The do-it-yourself reception has two distinct advantages over the more conventional hired-out affair: (1) It costs much less, and (2) it reflects your [...]
Gracious Me As the central figures in your wedding, you’re the ones all the guests have come to see and honor. One gracious means of acknowledging this is to find a way to talk with (at the very least greet) each of them in turn. At a small party of 40, this is fairly manageable; [...]
Do Me a Favor Even for brides and grooms with little time and less craft skill, wedding favors can be a great place for a do-it-yourself triumph. Satisfying and fun, DIY favors make guests feel personally attended to, and they can save you a bundle in the bargain. As with any DIY project, the trick [...]
Meeting All Needs Because weddings are a time for inclusive celebrating, the last thing you’d want is for a friend or relative with special needs to be inconvenienced, or for children you adore to be left at home. Keep the following tips in mind, and your guests should be able to participate fully. Setting. When [...]
Seating for All Seasons Why bother with a reception seating chart? you might ask. It’s a little controlling, isn’t it? Well, perhaps. And if your affair is ultracasual, very small, or champagne-and-dessert only, you probably don’t need one. But this is your party, after all, and it’s up to you to make sure everyone has [...]
Star Search Once you’ve decided whether to go live or recorded for your reception music, you’ll need to find entertainers to fit the bill. Get a jump on this as early as possible–the hottest bands and spinmeisters get snatched up quickly, sometimes as far as a year in advance. The Way of the Band For [...]
Running the Reception As with most parties, the successful reception is a perfect combination of planning and spontaneity. You want the afternoon or evening to flow smoothly in an order that is festive and makes sense to everyone. And you want this to happen without anyone feeling rushed or regimented. The best way to pull [...]
Let Them Eat Catering Of course, your guests’ attention will primarily be on the two of you at the reception. Your chief competition? The food. To make sure it shines as well as you do, you’ll need to hire a caterer who knows his or her stuff, creates delicious edibles, and works well in the [...]
Traditional Token or Modern Memento? Such a small detail, such a big reward. The wedding favor is your guests’ souvenir from a most enjoyable wedding, and a token of gratitude for sharing in your celebration. There’s a lot of tradition wrapped up in that little notion, and using the custom of your heritage adds a [...]
