This Wedding Reception Planning Guide Will Get you in the Right Frame of Mind!

Reading through this free wedding reception planning guide, is a good way to start you thinking about your special day.

One of the first things you have to do is to start making decisions on the date, budget and style of wedding you both would like.

Since most couples have limitations, mainly over budget, but also over where and when the wedding will be held, you must be flexible and prepared to make compromises to achieve the wedding of your dreams. Use this wedding reception planning guide to start with the actual date of the wedding.

Pick a Date, Any Date

When you choose the date of your wedding, you have to take into effect the availability of both sets of parents and of your chosen professionals and venues.

It's important to have alternative dates in mind, not only for the place of the ceremony, but also the venue for the reception, photographer, honeymoon destination, etc..

This wedding reception planning guide will also help you in choosing the time of year you get married, which will also make a difference to your options.

And if you choose to marry at a traditional time of year or away from home, this could possibly limit the number of guests who were able to attend.

Happy Holidays?

This wedding guide can advise you, without a doubt, that the big three months for marriages are June, August, and September, with May, July, October and December close behind.

Just check out the results of the Survey at the bottom of the page.

You must realize that the more popular your wedding month, the less choice you'll have in proposed sites, vendors, and exact timing. (hence, the earlier you must start in your wedding planning)

This wedding reception planning guide is also advising you that competition for services will drive up your wedding expenses too. If you opt for an off-season month such as November, January, February, March, or April, you're bound to get more personalized service from your florist, baker, and officiant.

Saturdays are definitely the most popular day with the obvious attraction of allowing out-of-town guests ample time to get to your wedding without missing work.

I've been to Friday weddings before, and although you can save costs on the reception site and other vendors, don't expect that a lot of guests will be able to take off work to make it to the ceremony.

As far as the wedding reception planning guide goes, the reception after the ceremony is usually well attended. So, if this is acceptable to you, you might have found a way to save!

Sunday weddings, although offering savings as well, will not allow guests to have a day to recover from your festivities. A midweek affair is not advisable if you're inviting a lot of out-of-town guests or were planning an all-night bash, but it is a great way to cut costs with a better selection of vendors.

Holiday weekend weddings have both their pros and cons. You do get an extra day for festivities. Plus, hosting an affair on Sunday is often less expensive than Saturday events. However, costs of travel and hotels may be higher due to the holiday weekend.

Also, please note that some of your guests may have long-standing home vacation plans on holiday weekends, which could end up in a reduced guest list for your wedding. I know this to be true myself as my birthday falls on a Canadian long weekend, and attendance has always been a reduced affair.

The wedding reception planning guide also says you should be mindful of religious holidays when planning your wedding.

There may be restrictions at your house of worship as to whether you will be allowed to marry at these times.

These include Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday, Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa.

Also of note, are holidays which can really increase the cost of your wedding. Your floral bill will be significantly higher around Valentine's Day and your reception site will be more expensive for a New Year's Eve wedding.

Other notable holidays include April Fools' Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Halloween, days of my remembrance, the Super Bowl [and any other huge sports day], final 4/March madness, and quirky dates such as August 8, 2008 or September 9, 2009.

Season Reasons

Many people think of only marrying in the spring and summer months, but let this wedding guide tell you that autumn and winter weddings could be fabulous. You already know that the weather may not be wonderful, so you can just stop worrying about it.

You'll probably be able to have first choice on the time of day for your service and chosen venue and most of your guests will be able to attend. Hotels for the honeymoon are also cheaper out of the high season and it is so much nicer going to a tropical place in the colder, winter months than instead of the hot, humid summer.

When planning the time and place you wish to marry, you may want to consider the guests who will have to travel a long way; these guests may not arrive bright eyed for an early-morning weddings.

What's Your Style?

As you are reading through this wedding guide, it's important at this time to start discussing the style of wedding you both would like and to start working out your budget.

Everything you decide upon will affect the outcome of the next decision to be made, so you must understand fully the implications of all your choices before they are set into motion.

For example, there is no point in having your wedding at five or six o'clock in the evening when your budget will not allow you to have a large reception and dinner.

If your budget is restricted and you would like a large number of guests, you might just want to plan an early or mid afternoon wedding followed by a reception serving canapés or afternoon tea. Keep reading through this website; this wedding reception planning guide will show you how.

It's important to decide on your priorities. This is the purpose of this wedding planning guide. If flowers and music are what really matter to you, then you can allocate a larger proportion of your budget to these items.

However, if sitting down to an amazing lunch or dinner with fine wines is your dream, then cutback in other areas in order to achieve it.

If you are using this wedding reception planning guide to plan a large reception, remember, it will be hard for you to spend time with your guests; a short hello, may be the only few words you are able to exchange.

Don't expect to do more than that, as it's simply not achievable. Perhaps something a little bit more intimate with a smaller number of guests is more your style.

Another point to consider is not to plan a wedding that is out your normal entertaining style. Weddings are a great way for you to express your personalities.

Certainly a wedding involves many social and financial backgrounds, as well as ages, but you are not there to shock, and your guests should be made to feel comfortable.

It's important to investigate all these items mentioned in the wedding reception planning guide before confirming the date.

Planning a wedding can be a very complex affair, but the information in this wedding reception planning guide will prove to be invaluable.

Now Is The Time

All things considered, one thing is for certain; it is important to get started as soon as possible.

Planning well in advance gives you many more options. You will have first choice at any great yet inexpensive locations, and you will be able to choose the date and time you want.

Now is as good a time as any to advance from the Wedding Reception Planning Guide to the Wedding Reception Checklist

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