We all envision having a perfect wedding for such a special day, but the wedding reception to celebrate the happy couple afterward should be just as perfect. What is the meaning of a reception party? It is a party that is typically held after the completion of the marriage ceremony as a form of hospitality and celebration for those who attended the wedding. The couple receives society in front of their friends and family for the first time as a couple. In order to make your life easier, we wanted to give you some tips and tricks on how to host a reception party. 

Tips for Planning Your Wedding Reception

1. Hire an Event Planning Team

To make your life a whole lot easier and a lot less stressful, you will want to hire a team to assist in planning out event. When you have a dedicated team organizing your reception, you can focus on the big picture and what you want the event to entail, rather than getting caught up in the nitty-gritty of it all. They will coordinate all the moving parts for you and more often than not, they will contribute to reception party ideas because of their experience in the industry. This can add fun and creative ideas to your special day that you hadn’t necessarily thought of before.

2. Find a Venue

Once you have a team in place, you will want to start looking for venues for the reception. Are you looking for outdoor or indoor reception venues? Do you want a large and spacious banquet hall or something small and intimate? The event space is important because it’s the first impression your guests see, and you want to make sure it’s exactly as you envisioned it. Receptions tend to be beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, but there are so many different styles to choose from and you’ll want to make sure the venue matches what you’re looking for. Coordinating with your event planning team will make tours and price negotiation that much easier for you when it comes to choosing the final space for your reception.

3. Layout a General Flow

Next, you will want to lay out a general flow when it comes to your reception and how you want things to take place. You will map out details like dining, toasts, dancing, entertainment and so forth, so that you have a plan for how you want the event to carry on. This helps to keep people in the wedding party accountable as well so they know where they will be participating throughout the evening. The event planning team can help create this for you so they are kept in the loop as well.

4. Seating Arrangements

You will also want to spend time carefully crafting your seating arrangements so that the vibe of your reception is spot-on. Knowing the personalities and dynamic of your guests is important so that you can place people who will get along with one another at the same table. This may take a couple of tries to get it right, but once you do, it can set the whole tone of your reception. The last thing you want is two people who aren’t the biggest fan of one another sitting next to each other.

5. Music and Entertainment

Finally, you want to choose your music and entertainment. The whole point of a wedding reception is to celebrate the new happy couple, so providing music and fun things for your guests to do will keep them celebrating all night long. Your event planning team can help you coordinate the entertainment for the evening but make sure it’s something you and your spouse love, as well as your guests.

At Ovation Square, we consider ourselves one of the best wedding venues in Los Angeles. We would be more than happy to help you plan your wedding reception and have a team of event-planning experts to back us up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does an event planning team automatically come with a venue?
A: Not necessarily. There are venues that have event planning teams but sometimes you will need to hire a third party because the venue does not offer that.

Q: How detailed should the flow of the event be?
A: We look at the flow as a high-level tool to keep things on track. You also want to allow for spontaneity and don’t want the event to be too rigid either.

Q: Will an event planning team help me with venue negotiations?
A: Yes! They will help you with all components when it comes to planning your event.