A wedding is between two people who love each other and those that are always there with them and have helped in the wedding preparations. The couple always has a number of people that they want to invite for their function and these include family members, friends, work mates and other relatives.

Planning for your wedding in an appropriate way and earlier enough can guarantee a successful reception on your wedding day. The reception is considered more important by most people and that is why most of the invited guests at a function always concentrate on arriving early for the reception even if they miss out on church and that is why the couple has to make sure that the reception is well prepared for.

Make sure that your committee welcomes your guests even when you are not around so that they feel very comfortable before you arrive. Guests need to be entertained as they wait for the official starting of the function and this calls for proper planning on how they will stay entertained so that they do not complain about your function after years of it taking place and using it as a reference for future weddings.

Selecting a good master of ceremony

Many people choose masters of ceremonies because they are friends or because they can do the job at a lower fee and these end up spoiling someone’s function. A master of ceremonies is supposed to keep the guests entertained so that they do not feel bored while giving the necessary timeline of whatever activity is supposed to take place.

The MC should not in any way spend most of his time making crude jokes but must also limit the time he sends while talking so that the ceremony can end at an appropriate time. If the MC talks a lot then the guests might get irritated and this will lead to most of them leaving before the function ends.

With these few tips taken care of, you will definitely have a fun filled function that will be memorable

Welcoming the guests at the reception venue

Welcoming the guests as soon as they arrive at the venue will make them feel welcome to your party. We all know that the bride and groom will not be there personally to welcome the guests therefore you can get family members or friends to do the honors on your behalf and you can also hire ushers to welcome your designated visitors so that they do not feel un welcome at the party and you should make sure that the people carrying out the given task are warm, welcoming and can keep their tempers at a minimal level.

The food factor

As the saying goes a wedding is not complete without food, this calls for provision of enough food on your function. By the time your guest arrive at the function they are hungry and the first thing that they want to do is to eat, drink and relax. And since the guests are from different parts of the country, you will need to provide a full course meal which has different types of food so that your guests can get to make their own wanted choice of food.

Some people are allergic to some foods therefore if possible have placards showing the types of food at the service center so that every guest will feel they are being catered for by the bride and groom. Make sure that the food is in plenty so that even those that come in late can get food so that no one complains about your wedding food and it should be good and tasty food.

Provide enough refreshments for the guests

Refreshments are a very important aspect when it comes to keeping the guests happy. Guests start arriving at the venue immediately after church and making them sit there while waiting for the bride and groom without any refreshments will not be good. Make sure you supply the first round of refreshments when the guests have just arrived as they wait for the couple to arrive. The next round can be served with the food and then after food another round should be served and make sure that there is a constant flow of the refreshments from water, sodas, wines, beers and you can introduce coffee, tea or juice.

The location and size of the reception venue

Location of the reception has a lot of things that need to be considered especially when it comes to pleasing the guests that are invited to your wedding and some of these include:

• Distance from the church to the reception

This is the most important when it comes to keeping the guests happy. A shorter distance from church to the reception area will guarantee that all your guests will arrive on time and the party will also start as earlier communicated. But if the reception area is a bit far then there might be some delays at the reception.

Most people travel from their villages to town just to attend your function the best thing to do is to book a venue that is extremely nearby so that they do not travel another long distance to enjoy your reception party and so that they get there when they are not too tired.

• The weather

The weather also highly determines where your venue will be located. If your wedding is officiated during the rainy season, you will need a hall to put your reception or inform your guests to carry shawls or sweaters so as to keep warm during the cold.

• The number of people invited

The number of people invited to the wedding also determines the location of the reception. Reception areas are divided into two that is indoor and outdoor venues. Therefore if you have a large number of people attending you function an outdoor venue is of big advantage because the people will have space to themselves without a lot of congestion and if you have a smaller number of people attending you reception you can then go with the indoor reception area because the guests will sit comfortably without congestion.

The sitting factor

This might look like a small issue but it can ruin the moods of mist of the guests. When most guests arrive at the reception, they come in large numbers and most of them expect to sit at the same table that has been reserved for them especially parents, coworkers and other affiliations that you belong to. In order to have the guests happy and smiling it is better if each table reserved for the different groups of people that you have so that they do not get to sit with  strangers on your function.

 

Choose the perfect entertainment for your guests

Remember the party will have different people coming from different genres in life and all these have a type of music that they enjoy. Discuss with you deejay so that he has all types of music that will leave all the guests entertained and the couple as well. Popular love songs are a trend on weddings but you can also include the traditional songs that from the different tribes of the couple and the guests to keep the old people entertained as well.

Keep time with your entourage

Most couples take their time getting to their venue because they believe everyone will wait for them since it is their day. Yes they might wait till they have finished eating food and then they will start disappearing one at a time leaving the venue empty even before you have your first dance. Therefore you should at least arrive at the venue a few minutes before the time you communicated to your guests.

Learn to keep all the speeches brief/short

By the time your guests start arriving at the reception venue, they are all ready to eat, drink, dance and have all the fun that they can get from your reception. Having long speeches will leave the guests bored especially when all the people who come to give speeches take their time. Therefore to avoid boredom and other guests leaving before your function is over, make sure the speeches are timed and short.

This should be done especially to parents who normally give long speeches. Give the master of ceremonies instructions about the amount of time that one should spend when they are giving speeches so that it looks like the MC is in control of everything.

Surprise you guests at the wedding reception

Everyone loves a surprise and if you can afford it, you can surprise your guests on the wedding day. There are surprises that you can provide to your guests from bringing comedy to your wedding, a surprise artist who is well known in the country, or introduce a few games that will entice everyone into participating in the party. This will definitely keep them entertained throughout the wedding reception.