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Your Party, your way
 A wedding reception can be anything the lucky couple dreams it to be.
Wedding receptions range from an afternoon sipping champagne mimosas or eating berry pancakes at a brunch reception to an evening of indulging in rich desserts like chocolate mousse and chocolate-dipped strawberries. For the more formal and traditional, receptions can be an evening of ethnic food stations in different areas of the room or a cocktail hour of hors d'oeuvres followed by grilled shrimp and pasta. Couples have more wedding reception options now than ever. Along with the traditional wedding meal options - food stations, sit-down dinners and buffet - couples now choose from non-traditional and less expensive options, including brunch and dessert receptions. "A lot of the more formal weddings have the hour of the cocktail party served by butlers walking around with silver platters with a sit-down dinner, buffet or food stations afterward," says Sharon Naylor, wedding planning expert and author of "The New Honeymoon: More Action, More Fun, Less Money" (Prima Publishing, $16.95). "You can pretty much do anything you want," Naylor continues, adding that some of the more formal receptions feature a combination of all three. A sit-down dinner reception means guests will be served after about an hour of mingling and tasting hors d'oeuvres, according to Naylor, who encourages couples to choose unique dishes. "Couples should think of offering something other than chicken or beef. They should try offering a non-meat entrée like pasta and grilled shrimp or other seafood because so many people are eating healthier," says Naylor. While the sit-down option brings the meal to the guests, buffet and food station receptions require the guests to leave their seats and serve themselves. Buffet receptions typically feature one or two buffet tables with a variety of food. "We're finding a lot of couples are going with more ethnic foods, whether it is Chinese, Mexican or other ethnic cuisine," says Alan Fields, co-author of "Bridal Bargains" (Windsor Peak Press, $14.95). "People are mixing traditions and cultural backgrounds today because they want to personalize their wedding." Food station receptions usually feature four or more smaller buffet tables located in different areas of the room. As with the buffet, couples are choosing to go international with the foods featured at the various stations, according to Michelle Hodges, a certified wedding consultant and founder of "I Do" Weddings in San Jose, Calif. "You can create a theme for each station, [like] an international theme with a Mexican station where guests can create their own burritos or tacos," Hodges says. "Another station can have an Italian menu where guests can create their own pasta dish by choosing from a variety of sauces." Other menus include Mediterranean and Caribbean foods, Hodges adds. In addition to offering a variety of food, buffets and food stations have the built-in bonus of allowing guests to mingle as they head for food. "Brides and grooms like it because of the mix and mingle atmosphere they create for the guests versus a sit-down dinner where some of them won't get up for hours and they have to sit at the table with the same people," says Hodges. When couples crave a reception that is not quite as formal with a much smaller price tag, brunch and dessert receptions may be the way to go. For a brunch reception, think breakfast foods, lunch foods, champagne mimosas and endless choices. Guests can feast on just about any type of waffles, pancakes and omelets imaginable, not to mention bacon, sausage and just about any food the breakfast palette craves. Lunch foods include soups, beef, chicken, rice dishes and sushi. Guests can eat as much or as little of any of the foods that appeal to their tastes. "Brunch receptions are becoming very popular. It's fabulous because for a lower amount of money per person you get a wide range of food, including both breakfast and lunch foods, as well as hot dishes," says Naylor. "It really does turn out to be less per person and guests love it because it's so original. You can get the kinds of pancakes you want - berry or chocolate, for example. It really gives you a wide range of food options and a wide range of desserts." For couples who favor the budget-friendly brunch reception but would prefer an evening event, an evening of rich chocolate mousse, fondue and other goodies is the way to go. "Dessert receptions are evening receptions and rather than a sit-down dinner at 9 p.m., you have champagne and a wide range of desserts, with different kinds of mousse and pies, tarts, chocolate-dipped strawberries and fondue," says Naylor. "Couples are doing this as something different, so they don't have to pay for the full meal, the cocktail hour or the bar, and guests love it because it's very different." Although prices for any type of reception vary depending on geographic location and a couple's food choices, planning ahead is the best way to ensure the best deals. "It's always better to plan in advance. That way, you have a better chance of saving money and finding bargains," says Fields. © - Tribune Media Services |
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