Tag: wedding reception

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Wine for Wedding Receptions

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Planning a reception can seem overwhelming at times. There are so many decisions to make. One of the decisions involves deciding if you will serve wine. If you do plan on serving wine, how much do you need? What kind of wine is best for wedding receptions? Here are some tips regarding wine for wedding receptions.

When deciding whether or not to have wine, you may consider your own preferences, the rules for the venue, and what your guests may want. If a reception is held on church property, serving wine may be prohibited. Certain venues don’t allow alcoholic beverages. Some religious families may be offended by serving wine.

If you decide to serve wine, knowing how much wine is needed can impact the couple’s decision on the wine budget and the types of wine to be served. If less wine is needed, couples may be able to serve more expensive wines without breaking the wedding budget. A cheaper wine may be needed if more bottles of wine are necessary. Once you know how many bottles of wine you need, you can figure out what types of wine fit within your budget.

How much wine is needed for wedding receptions? A convenient formula is to take the number of guests and divide that number by 2.15. The answer is the number of bottles of wine that will be needed. In addition to weddings, this general formula works for all kinds of events. A standard wine bottle is 750 ml or 25 ounces. This means that each bottle holds five servings of wine that are five ounces each.

The types of wine that people typically drink is influenced by the season and whether the wedding is indoors or outdoors. Autumn through spring, people tend to drink about 50% red wine with sparkling and white making up the other half. For summer outdoor weddings, people tend to drink much more white wine if the weather is warm. White, red, and sparkling wines are more equally divided for outdoor wedding receptions.

Other things will affect the type of wine that people will want to drink such as the menu choices. If you serve only beef, more people will gravitate towards red wine. If chicken, fish, and seafood are being served, more people may choose white or blush wine. A champagne toast may add drastically to the amount of sparkling wine needed.

The length of the reception will impact the amount of wine consumed. The standard formula is often what caterers use for a wedding reception that is approximately two hours long. If the reception will last significantly longer, you may need to add more wedding reception wine. If you know that many people on your guest list do not drink wine, you can tailor your total accordingly. However, it’s always better to have a bit too much wine rather than coming up short.

More helpful tips to plan a great wedding reception can be found on the Best for Bride blog.

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Fun Games for Wedding Receptions

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Couples are embracing the fun by including games at their wedding receptions. Games can break the ice and help guests relax. Wedding reception games are designed to get the group involved. Some fun games for wedding receptions can get the group laughing. If you’re looking for ways to make your wedding more fun, you may want to include a wedding reception game.

When should you play a game at a reception? One DJ recommends that there is a game early in the reception. Getting people to laugh towards the beginning of the reception helps to set the mood for the whole reception. It’s important to get guests to feel engaged and have a good time.

The shoe game is becoming a fast favorite among wedding reception activities. For the shoe game, two chairs are placed back to back on the dance floor or other area where they are visible to all the guests. The newlyweds sit on the chair and take off their shoes. They trade one shoe with their spouse so that they each have one shoe belonging to themselves and one of their spouse’s shoes.

A designated speaker or audience ask questions to the couple. It’s fun to see if the answers match of if there is some discrepancy. If you are having a designated speaker, you might want to ask the audience to write suggestions for questions first. The speaker also can have a set of questions ready.

Sample questions include:

Who is the better cook?

Who is smarter?

Who is the better kisser?

Who will be in control of the TV remote?

Another wedding game uses a large wheel that the guests spin. On the wheel, there are activities that the guest needs to do if the wheel stops on that space. The activities are usually silly actions. Musical chairs can be a fun wedding reception game.

Carnival games can be great activities for outdoor receptions. The couple can set up a squirt gun spraying game or ball toss.  Balloon darts can be easily set up by stapling the ends of partially blown up balloons to a white board. Croquet, bean bag tosses, and hola hoops are common outdoor wedding reception activities.

Wedding mad libs can be used at the reception or even before the reception starts. Some couples create RSVP cards that contain mad libs for their wedding invitations. One couple used mad libs for their guest book entries. As for the reception, the mad libs can be a fun activity, but often mad libs are done individually. These can be great for helping people fill in any lag in activities like waiting to be served.

For more ways to include more fun in your wedding reception, please browse the Best for Bride blog. There you will find many great tips including funny ideas for weddings.

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Wedding Reception Lighting Ideas

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Standard lighting or uniform candle light throughout the room are common lighting practices. However, there are many options for highlighting certain objects or using colored lighting. Couples can get creative with lighting for the reception. The lighting should enhance the celebration. These wedding reception lighting ideas may provide inspiration for how to use lighting to improve the reception atmosphere.

Light can be used to draw attention to particular objects at the reception such as the wedding cake. Consider what areas of the reception venue that should be brighter than other areas. Lighting above the guest tables might be focused on the centerpiece. The wedding party table might be lit to be brighter than some other areas of the room.

Colored lighting is popular for wedding receptions. A color wash is the use of colored light throughout the room. For example, a blue color wash with candlelight on tables can create a cool, romantic environment. Keep in mind how color affects people. While many may find blue light to be relaxing, a red or orange color wash may be too intense for some guests. Green light tends to be less than flattering. A soft rose color wash may be ideal for dinner.

Unusual types of lights can add personality and flair to the room. Some couples have used a collection of mismatched lighting to add flair to the wedding reception decor. Various lights hung as an intentional collection of lights can make a unique chandelier. Paper lanterns in the wedding colors can be used to add color accents to the room.

Lighting can be incorporated into the centerpieces. Candlelight is romantic and traditional for centerpieces. Other options are available if the couple wishes to have a less traditional approach to wedding reception decor. A fun centerpiece is a glass vase filled with clear marbles and battery powered LED lights. The lights can be clear or colored to match the wedding reception decor.

Hanging candles over the tables can be used as creative centerpieces. Alone or with flowers, the hanging candles can be a great way to have elaborate centerpieces without taking up table space. For long tables, the candles can be hung along the length of the center of the tables.

Many people use string lights for receptions. Some couples may shy away from using string lights since they have been used so often. It is true that they may not be viewed as purely innovative due to their common use. However, string lights can still be used to create romantic lighting. One couple made a canopy of string lights for an outdoor wedding. The small lights resembled a starry sky. String lights can be wrapped around forms or chandeliers for a new look. String with colored bulbs can create a unique effect.

Gobos are stencils that are put over lights to cast an design. Wedding motifs are popular gobos for wedding reception lighting. For more ideas on how to create the perfect wedding reception, browse the Best for Bride blog.

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Unique DIY Wedding Reception Decorations

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When you are planning your wedding, you will find that one of the most expensive pieces is the wedding reception. During the reception, you will need food, drinks and decorations for everyone and this can quickly add up. However, there are many things that you can do to help keep your wedding reception budget low and still have an awesome time.

One of these ways is to create some or all of your own wedding reception decorations. You will find many options online through a number of websites and will find that there are many that are easy to recreate on your own. Below are some simple and inexpensive ideas that you can use to decorate for your wedding reception.

Tissue Paper Pom-poms

These are extremely easy to make and you will not need to worry about spending a lot of money on them. They are also great because you can easily make them in any color that you choose, as long as you can find the right color of tissue paper. For instructions on how to make these cute and romantic additions to your wedding, you can easily find videos online that will help you with the simple process.

Paper Lanterns

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This is another DIY item that is typically used at weddings where a tent has been incorporated into the design. They can be purchased at your local craft store for about $3 – $5 each, but you can make them yourself for around $1 – $2 each. These fun additions to your wedding reception create a fairy tale look for you and your guests.

Wheat grass

This is a popular decoration that can be used for spring weddings. The best thing about it is its cheap and easy to grow. You can add this to your décor so that you give your reception a modern and clean look. Just plant a few wheatgrass seeds in your containers a few weeks before the wedding and you will be ready to go with this decoration.

Candles

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Candles are always a popular addition to weddings and easy to use because they are so readily available. They are also something that comes in a variety of sizes and colors, so you won’t need to worry that you won’t be able to find the right style for your wedding. You can also light them to create a romantic feel for your wedding reception.

There are many ways that you can create a wedding reception that is budget friendly and still beautiful. By adding a few of these elements to your wedding, you will have memories to enjoy for many years to come. Plus, your guests will love the way you put your own unique touch onto the wedding design.

Best for Bride

Best for Bride is a bridal shop that will help you to create the wedding of your dreams. With wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses and wedding décor, you will find everything that you need to create the wedding look that you had in mind.