How to Survive a Wedding Reception

Wedding receptions are glorious and stressful cultural traditions, especially in the United States. For many people, wedding receptions can be pretty harrowing. You may not have a date, you may hate dancing and the idea of cramming into a room with drunk friends and relatives may not be your idea of a good time. Learn how to survive any wedding reception, gracefully and positively.

Suggestions

1. Remember that the wedding reception is held to celebrate a new marriage. Unless you're the new bride or groom, get over yourself. We don't mean this in a negative way. By moving your attention elsewhere, you'll be able to get through a few hours of celebration.
2. Have a glass or two of champagne. Champagne isn't overly heavy and can improve your mood a little bit. You may even find yourself on the dance floor kicking up your heels!
3. Get to know the people at your table. Chances are, if you're single, there will be plenty of other singles at your table or nearby. Introduce yourself and ask them how they know the bride and groom. Being friendly opens a lot of doors at events like wedding receptions.
4. Make your rounds. Head to the buffet for some food and mill around checking out your options. Stand by the punchbowl and strike up a conversation with whoever is in your vicinity. Walk around the room and snap pictures of relatives and friends. Keep busy and before you know it, the reception will be over.
5. Get out on the dance floor. There are plenty of dances for "just guys" and "just girls." If you don't have a date, don't fret. Most people dance with whomever they can find on the dance floor. Throw in a couple of drinks, and alot of social stigmas go right out the window. You may even find yourself dancing with the bride's 75-year-old married grandfather. Go with it. Laugh. Have a good time.
6. Talk to the members of the bridal party. They're often good friends or close relatives of the lucky couple, so they expect alot of attention and give it in return. They're usually easy to point out and are often a load of fun!

Tips & Warnings

• Stay after the reception and offer to load up wedding presents into cars or other tasks that need to be done. This will make you feel and look useful.
• Never pout or get upset if you feel "left out" at a wedding reception. It's a joyous event for the newly married couple.

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How to Interview Wedding Planners

Let's face it: planning a wedding is a lot of work, and there is no shame in admitting that you just can't do it. If you have decided to hire a professional to do the planning for you, you need to interview wedding planners to make sure that you are going to have the wedding of your dreams. Read on to learn how to interview wedding planners.

Things You'll Need

• Notepad

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Suggestions

1. Contact several wedding planners and set up interviews. In some cases the wedding planners will come to you, other times you will have to stop by their office.
2. Conduct the interview exactly like a job interview. In essence, this is a job interview because you are hiring them.
3. Check their work history. Just like in a job interview, you want to know about previous work and clients.
4. Get a feel for their attitude. Attitude is crucial because you are going to be dealing with this person almost daily throughout the wedding planning.
5. Ask about their prices and services. Find out what is included at a given price.
6. Ask each wedding planner to walk you through a typical wedding plan. What you're looking for here is how the wedding planner approaches their job.
7. Get references. A good, experienced wedding planner will have several clients willing to give references.

Other Tips 

• You may be able to hire a new wedding planner for less money. Be careful, as new wedding planners will be making mistakes as part of their learning process.
• Always check references and always interview all of your potential wedding planners before making a final decision. Companies do it when they hire employees and so should you.
• Dress up when conducting an interview. Establish a professional tone with your clothes and mannerisms.
• Don't pay for an interview with a wedding planner. Think about it: Do prospective employers pay you to show up for an interview?

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