Choosing A Wedding Reception And Banquet Facility
|
It's time to look for a banquet facility. Most clients end up deciding on a particular banquet facility for two specific reasons ? they like how they were treated by the banquet sales staff and they fall in love with the facility when they walk through the doors. Those are both great reasons for going with specific venues. Here are some other things to consider when shopping for a banquet facility that may have drastic impacts on the success or failure of your wedding.
The bar should be in the same room as dancing. Having a separate bar area will only lead to splitting your guests into separate areas and that is never good. If the banquet facility has more than one event running at the same time ? how is the sound proofing between rooms? What type of event is in the next room to your wedding? A 50th anniversary or another wedding is ok, but if it's a high school prom, you may want to rethink your choice. If you are having a DJ and the next room has a band, that also should be taken into consideration.
Your wedding cake should be located in an appropriate area in the room ? it should not be set in front of mirrors (photographers have a hard time with that) and it should be accessible, but not in a place that can easily be bumped by one of the children as they run around your reception. Of course, when it comes time for cake cutting if the banquet facility can roll the cake to the center of the dance floor ? that's even better. Everyone can see, and the cake can be quickly removed afterwards.
A well trained banquet staff will take care of certain details for you ? they will be there to guide your wedding party during introductions. Someone will be assigned to take your flowers from you and the wedding party after you are introduced. For introductions, there should be a clear (and straight) path wide enough for two people to walk arm in arm to the dance floor and to the head table. If you visit a banquet facility ? you should look at the layout and see if you and your partner can walk together through the tables and onto the dance floor. You should imagine the room filled with guests and people standing around each table and chairs pulled back from the tables as they will be during your entrance.
Typically, a well run facility will assign server(s) to the head table and possibly the family tables and they will be your contact person throughout your reception. Ask if that head server will be in the room the entire night or if they will be leaving after dinner.
Another thing to look at is where your entertainment will be setting up. Is it near the dance floor? Where will their speakers go? Many banquet facilities do not leave enough room for a typical DJ to setup in. Many even expect the DJ to setup their speakers so that they have to project music across a couple tables worth of guests (your grandparents won't like that as that is typically the grandparents table). If you have a large number of people in your wedding party, you might want to tier the head table to allow for more access to the dance floor for your DJ and their sound gear. Stand where the DJ will be setup. Can they see the cake? Can they see where you will be introduced from and the head table for introductions? It is best if your entertainment is setup along one edge or at the corner of the dance floor (not 20 feet back from the dance floor).
How fast is the meal service? There are too many facilities that are slow at serving the meal. Your 7-12 wedding will get less than 2 hours worth of dancing. Ask your DJ about the speed of service. Yes, you do not want to rush your guests eating, but you also do not want to make them wait 30 minutes between each course either. If your guests are just getting desert at 10:30 pm, the chances of having a great time dancing becomes very difficult. With only an hour and a half of dancing, you might get 30 songs to dance to.
Other things to consider when checking out a banquet facility ? if your reception is over at midnight, can the music play until midnight or do they force the entertainment to end at 10-15 minutes prior? This is becoming more and more common for area banquet facilities. A banquet facility should not run on "bar time" as we typically refer to the practice of bars making last call and ending early to push patrons out prior to the top of the hour. We've even seen high end banquet facilities turn on the lights 10 minutes prior to scare away guests. Strip clearing tables is also a common technique that facilities use to push guests away early. The staff would come around and clear everything off of the tables ? all glasses, centerpieces, etc. This is a subtle way to force guests to leave. This is unacceptable. A good facility will wait even 10-15 minutes AFTER the contracted end time before they start clearing. This is proper etiquette.
In closing, yes it is important to fall in love with your facility. The feel has to be what you are looking for (romantic, beautiful view, old world charm, etc.) and you should be treated as if they are really interested in your business and your ideas. There are other logistic things to pay attention to and question before your sign on the dotted line. If you're just not sure, call a local wedding vendor (photographer, videographer, disc jockey) and ask them what their experience has been with a particular venue. Ask what to look out for (slow service, lack of staff, etc.) and make sure you get everything in writing from your facility. If they promise to do something for you ? it should be part of the contract.
Rob Alberti, After Hours Disc Jockey Service, MA/CT/RIhttp://www.afterhoursdj.net
|
|
|
Dressing Your Bridesmaids
For a bride, shopping for bridesmaid dresses can be one of the most difficult aspects of wedding planning. How can the bride find a gown for her maids that will display her own taste, look great on every girl and ...(related: Marriage Wedding)
3 Emerging Trends In Custom Invitations
There is an overwhelming demand for high quality, custom stationery that really reflects the bridal couple's style, personality, and wedding. It doesn't stop at the wedding invitation set anymore! It seems every modern bridal couple is opting to have their entire stationery ensemble done by a custom invitation house. As weddings become more sophisticated, the need for chic stationery quickly evolves into a necessity.Here's what I mean: We'll often start at the engagement party invitations stage and later carry the style variations onto the Save-The-Date cards stage. Next, we do the bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, wedding invitations, ceremony programs, place cards and finally the 'thank you cards'. Couples carry the consistency in design by inserting &...(related: Marriage Wedding)
A Wedding Theme Can Rescue Your Wedding From Being Another Ho-hum-boring Disaster
Are you a Bride-to-Be? Wonderful! Congratulations! But what's that enormous cloud hanging over you? Of course! It's that insurmountable task you're thinking about all the time: "How am I going to create a beautiful and memorable Wedding Day out of thin air?"You have to create a unique day that everyone will admire and enjoy, and you've not got a clue, not a smidgen of...(related: Marriage Wedding)
Unique Wedding Reception Entertainment
The typical wedding reception entertainment scheme of pretty flowers and background music is fine for some people, but all kinds of options exist to spice it up a bit and provide a celebration that everyone is sure to remember for years to...(related: Marriage Wedding)
Chocolate Wedding Favors
Providing chocolate as a wedding favor has been a time honored tradition for many centuries. The practice of distributing wedding favors began with the European upper classes, who had the wealth to provide elaborate gifts to their guests. Wedding favors began as small fancy boxes known as a bonboniere. A bonboniere was fashioned of crystal, porcelain or gold and were often encrusted with precious stones. The boxes were meant to hold bonbons or other confectionery delicacies, at a time when sugar was quite ...(related: Marriage Wedding)
Searching For A Discount Mother Of The Bride Dress
You can look fabulous at your daughter's wedding in a discount mother of the bride dress. There's no need to spend a lot of money on an expensive dress if you don't have to. With a little time, consideration and effort spent on the shopping process, you can find a discount mother of the bride dress that will make you feel just as wonderful and accomplished as it will make you look.The quest for a discount mother of the bride dress that looks elegant and classy, not cheap, begins with the consideration of the type or style of dress you want to wear ...(related: Marriage Wedding)
Wedding Insurance ? Peace Of Mind For Your Perfect Day?
With the average cost of a wedding around £17,000 you would think that more couples would take out wedding insurance just in case something happens to spoil the special day. However, an estimated 85% of couples planning to get married do not bother with insurance. Many people are so wrapped up in the romance and anticipation of their dream wedding that t...(related: Marriage Wedding)
Todays Wedding Is Brought To You In Association With ...
With the cost of today's weddings spiraling to astronomical levels, some couples are now looking for sponsorship to help them have the big day that they have always dreamed of. This new trend of "selling out" on your big day has recently hit America by storm. Enterprising couples promise publicity to companies by mixing busines...(related: Marriage Wedding)
Guide To A Growing Trend: The Green Or Ecological Wedding
Does it seem like the phrases "ecology" and "wedding" could hardly have less in common?With the average wedding costing well over 15 thousand today, one would think so. And yet, the "green" or ecologically-friendly wedding is gaining momentum across the nation.Lower impact and a smaller environmental footprint doesn't mean austere. The green wedding can be hauntingly romantic, with its outdoor setting, its focus on living plants, and its more casual gown (often made of hemp) that brings to mind fairies from ages past.Even the ecology bride herself forms a contrast with more conventional weddings. Even on her big day, her fresh face couldn't be farther from the heavily made-up cover girls of bridal magazines.When it comes to more functional aspects, the green wedding has three main goals:
- Do ...(related: Marriage Wedding)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 | Contact Webmaster | Weddings & Honeymoons | All Rights Reserved. | Marriage Wedding