The reception, or wedding breakfast as it was once called, is almost as old as the ceremony itself. It was originally introduced as a way of celebrating the marriage and the joining of the two families. Historically, only close family members or members of the church attended, unlike today where everyone invited to the ceremony normally attends the reception.
Today, the normal format for the reception would be drinks on arrival followed by a meal, speeches, cutting of the cake and then less formal celebrations such as a disco or dancing. Financial constraints may dictate which style of reception the bride, groom and their families choose. Some may opt for a buffet style affair while others prefer a sit-down meal with unlimited drinks.
■The Guest List
You won’t actually know how large the guest list could be until you have booked the reception and ceremony venues. It’s always a good idea to establish numbers of family members and close friends that will make up the essential invites. Before compiling the guest list, a budget for the reception must be decided and agreed between those who will be paying the bill. Once the budget is established, you could accordingly decide how many people you can invite. Next is the time to agree ground rules. You may decide on a separate list of those that you would rather not attend (perhaps ex-girl-friends/ex-boyfriends, etc.). If parents are paying, you should ask them how many people they wish to invite. Be prepared for some negotiation if they want to invite far more people than you had anticipated.
Just keep it in mind: it is your wedding day, and ultimately you decide the names and numbers that will appear on the final guest list.
■Receiving Guests
Having left the ceremony before everyone else, the bride and groom will hopefully be first to arrive at the reception, closely followed by the parents. They all stand in a receiving line to greet the guests individually as they arrive. The hosts (usually the bride’s parents) stand at the front of the line, and ushers would introduce each guest by name to bride’s mother (it’s a good idea to have a usher for each family). The groom’s parents would be the next in line, followed by the bride and groom and any other attendants. The guests then make their way to their respective tables. When all the guests have been received, the bride and groom lead the bridal party to the top table and take their seats. Guests should remain standing until the bride and groom are seated. For smaller functions, it is not unusual for the bride and groom to welcome guests themselves.