Wedding Reception Supplies – Planning the Perfect Post Nuptial Affair
For everyone other than the bride, groom, wedding party and the immediate family, the best part of attending a wedding is the reception. It is usually a catered affair where the newly married couple celebrates their new union with a few hundreds of their closest friends, family and not so close distant relatives and to make it the best event possible, wedding reception supplies must be planned and budgeted for.
Some couples have a formal 5-course dinner followed by a sedate dance afterwards. Others choose a more cost efficient path, with a buffet style meal following by karaoke. Still other newlyweds choose to just have a fun filled dance without dinner, but serve a midnight finger buffet. The style and formality of your reception will strongly influence your budget and your need for wedding reception supplies.
A catered affair is often the most popular choice because the venue supplies linens, dishes, cutlery, flower vases and candles for the table centerpiece and staffs the bar (whether it is cash or open). Oftentimes, when the per plate price seems pricey – when you consider what is included – it can appear more affordable and a real timesaver for the bride and groom or whoever is in charge of planning and organizing the wedding reception. If you are having a small, intimate affair, you may choose to do the food yourself. Either way, there are always a few areas of wedding reception supplies that you will need to purchase.
Reception Hall Décor: If you want the hall or reception room to be custom decorated, then you will need to purchase the wedding reception supplies and install them in the event room. This may include arches, balloons, streamers, tulle and iridescent poms. Large standing vases with stunning floral sprays that match your wedding colours are also a really nice touch. Your reception décor can be less or more but it should always be to your taste, since it is your wedding day and no one should ultimately influence the theme and mood of the wedding reception except the bridge and groom.
Tabletop Accessories: The tables in your reception room will receive the most scrutiny and attention from your wedding guest. What you place on your tables and how you dress your wedding tables will set the mood for your entire reception. Aside from pretty linens and chair covers, think about your table centrepieces. Do you want flowers stemming from a tall slender glass vase, floating votive candles suspended in mystic crystals or lucky bamboo surrounded by coloured water pearls? To make the night more memorable, place disposable cameras on each table so your guests can take pictures – allowing you to later see the wedding reception through their eyes. Of course, no tabletop would be complete without wonderful place card holders that are subtle in silver plate or figurative to match your wedding theme.
Toasting and Wedding Cake Supplies: During your reception, two important events are the toasting of the lucky couple and cutting of the cake. These can be simple or lavish proceedings depending on your preference. You might choose to buy cut crystal wine glasses for everyone attending the reception, or you might simply use the wine glasses provided by the caterer. Regardless, there are certain wedding reception supplies that you must plan for including special toasting glasses for the bride and groom, and a keepsake cake cutting set, which includes cake knife and serving spatula. You will also need a stunning pedestal of some sort to display your wedding cake.
Other optional wedding reception supply niceties that you might want to budget for. Don’t forget about the little wedding favours for your guests to take home, such as the new ‘We Clicked’ mouse pads that conceal a wedding favor – very popular for the new digital generation! How about mini martini glasses, wine bottle covers or flared shot glasses so that everyone at the reception can sample the bride and groom’s favourite aperitif, shooter or wine.
