How to Plan a Simple Wedding Reception

Once you've set the date and planned your wedding ceremony, you can begin planning the reception. The ceremony is a serious exchange of vows, but the reception is the opportunity for the couple to celebrate their marriage with family and friends. It seems every time you see a wedding in a movie or on the television, it is over-the-top and brimming with small details. It's possible to plan a simple wedding reception that is fun for you and your guests without spending a fortune.

Suggestions

1. Set a budget for your wedding reception. It's important to know how much you are able and willing to spend before you begin planning. Then decide how many people you want to have at your reception. Your budget and the number of people will help determine where your reception will be held.
2. Look for a place to hold your reception. Some ceremony sites can double as reception sites, so you may want to look into that option first. If not, research reception halls, restaurants and other venues--many have their own websites. Get a price quote online or over the phone and ask how many guests they can accommodate. Once you've narrowed your options, visit the places you're interested in to see which one you like best and fit within your budget.
3.  Decide on a catering option--this will vary, depending on whether you're having a morning, afternoon or evening wedding. Some reception sites will let you bring in your own food and drinks, which cuts down on costs--especially if family and friends help out. Others require you to choose a caterer from their list of vendors; restaurants will almost certainly require you to use their food and beverage service. Talk to a few restaurants and caterers about different options that fit your budget, and go with the one that works best for you.
4. Decide on entertainment. DJs and live bands are two popular options for weddings. However, you can make playlists ahead of time and hook your own MP3 player up to a sound system to simplify things and save money.
5. Find a bakery that can make your wedding cake, if the caterer or restaurant doesn't provide one and you don't have a friend who's capable of doing it. Have pictures of ideas you like for your cake so your baker has a visual of what you want.
6. Decide what kind of decorations you want at your reception. Some venues will already have tablecloths and candles for your use, but other will not. If you want floral centerpieces at each table, you need to talk with a florist about the cost. You can save money by making centerpieces on your own ahead of time and having someone set them up on the big day.

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How to Start Wedding Planning

A wedding is the most exciting and memorable day of your life. It symbolizes entering a lifelong partnership and a special bond that is beautiful. While the day itself is great, the process of planning can be frustrating and at times overwhelming. It is always best to have a plan to start from so you won't become swamped by the details and want to pull your hair out.

Things You'll Need

• Microsoft Excel
• Wedding planning book
• Save-the-date announcements

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Suggestions

1. Create a guest list. Turn on your computer and open Microsoft Excel. Enter all the names of your guests. Microsoft Excel makes things easy because you can arrange names alphabetically and later, when you assign them table numbers, by table numbers for printing out later. Make sure you list everyone you will invite so you can have a number or at least close estimate of the number of people you will be inviting. Subtract 15 percent from the total number of people. This is what you should use as your estimate, as typically about 10 percent 20 percent of people invited do not attend.
2. Put together a budget. Create a spreadsheet listing your total budget to spend on the wedding. List all the categories of items you will be spending money on for the wedding; attire, food, location, flowers, photos and so on. Figure out how much you expect to spend (of your total budget) on each section.
3. Purchase a wedding planning notebook. This will help you keep track of all your wedding items, business cards, and lists of vendors and numbers, as well as provide handy checklists, to-do lists and time lines.
4. Search for and choose a venue. Based on your desires, number of guests and budget, start looking for venues. You may have some places in mind. You can also search online, in bridal magazines and by asking around. Once you've found the location you love that fits your budget and can hold the number of guests you will require, book it.
5. Set a date. Book your location so you can secure a date. This will allow you to move on and work on the rest of the wedding planning process, because you can't do much until you have a confirmed date.
6. Select your wedding party. Think hard about the people you want to stand beside you as you say your vows. The bridesmaids will help with lots of the wedding planning, so it's important you choose people you love and will be willing to assist you. Ask everyone and let them know the wedding date so they can mark it on their calendar.
7. Interview and hire your caterer, musical selection, cake bakery, photographer/videographer and florist. You may choose to go to a bridal show to meet some of these people, look online, in bridal magazines or just around the location of your wedding or your home.
8. Shop for and make your wardrobe selections. Start looking for your wedding dresses, tuxedo and the attire for your wedding party.
9. Order your save-the-date invitations and send them out so your guests can put the date on their calendar. There are lots of other things to do, but this is the best way to start your wedding planning process because you will get the major items out of the way first and only have all the details to attend to.

Tips & Warnings

• Start early.
• Don't go over your budget; it isn't worth going into debt. Be careful to not let others push you around; do what you want for your day.

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