Wedding Reception Focus

Someone asked why such a focus on wedding receptions instead of talking about the ceremony as well. The reason is simple. Every tradition tends to have very specific requirements for the formal portion of a wedding. Unless you are one that has cast off most traditions (no one manages to shed them all) and are planning to get married dressed as Princess Leah or a pair of Elves for the most part the ceremony itself is pretty well prescribed either by traditions or religious significance.

It is not our place to be suggesting anyone cast off their traditions as that would indicate casting off the things that define their lives.

The reception, however, has many less prescriptions. Indeed, most traditions in North America allow great flexibility in the celebration. It's your opportunity on your wedding day to make your celebration personal.

The problem is, that the prescribed nature of the ceremony makes it easy to fall into the trap of trying to gather the items you need for your wedding reception without taking a moment to plan it - and that is the recipe for either a ho hum wedding reception or a lot of wasted money.

If, on the other hand, you take a few minutes to plan your beach wedding, winter wedding, or any wedding decor in between you can often plan your purchases so that your celebration will reflect your personality and stretch your budget.

That is why we focus primarily (not totally, see my article on adding Grand Entrances for one example of a focus on the ceremony) on wedding receptions when we talk about wedding planning.