Top 10 Wedding Reception Planning Tips

White roses, a white gown, and words of love and promise―that's what a wedding day is all about. It's most treasured day in any person's life. But nobody talks about the things that go on behind the scenes. The days, weeks, and months before the big day are full of planning every detail of the big day. Planning a wedding can be very stressful, especially if you are a perfectionist who wants the perfect day. Here are some tips to help you make the process less complicated.

1. Venue: One of the first things to do is decide the venue for the reception. The venue is going to be the basis of all your plans. You can plan the theme around the venue.

2. Date and Time: Most people would say selecting the date and time for the reception is the first thing to do. But the date is easy to settle on after the venue is taken care of, and it can be easily changed before the invitation cards are printed. If you haven't picked a date, you can decide a season first and then take it from there.

3. Budget: Decide a budget before proceeding with any more plans. The budget will help you to decide what you want and what you can afford.

4. Setting: This is in relation to the venue, but slightly different. You need to decide whether you want an outdoor or an indoor wedding, a garden reception or a house reception.

5. Guests: Decide whether you want a big or small wedding, how many guests you want to invite, and what kind of seating arrangements you want.

6. Food and Drinks: This is the time to plan the food. The food will depend on a lot of things: season, venue, and preferences of the family. Also, you need to decide on whether it will be a sit-down dinner or a buffet.

The wedding cake is a big part of the menu; decide on white or dark chocolate, filling or full cake, and the number of tiers. Pick the alcohol you will serve; decide whether it will be a full bar or an open bar.

7. Decorations: The kinds of flowers to be carried by the bride and bridesmaids, the centerpieces, and other wedding decorations need to be considered and selected. A cost-effective way to decorate is by using greenery, which is cheap and also very pretty.

8. Music and Entertainment: Music is a big part of the wedding. Not only do you need to choose the music for the wedding ceremony but also for the reception. The guests need to be entertained; you can do this by hiring an experienced DJ, or you can hire a band that can keep things lively.

9. Photographs: You need to hire a photographer who will take good pictures of you and the reception. Make sure you get a professional who understands light and other technicalities, as these photographs are the only memories of your big day.

10. Wedding Favors: Make sure your guests have something to take back from the reception. It can be something for them to keep and remember your reception by; it could be a candle or something small depending on your budget.

Don't forget to have fun in the midst of all the planning and pre-wedding jitters.