Your Wedding Shopping List - The Reception

                                                                                         

After you have decided on the venue and the style or theme of your wedding it is time to turn your attention to your reception room by bringing together everything you will need to create the ‘look’.

This is an exhaustive list, and by no means a complete one, as creative brides will often think up other little extras to add in. But I have tried to cover the basics and it is up to you to then add in anything else you feel is necessary.

Furniture - The venue may provide all this for you, including tables, chairs, extra side tables etc. If you are perhaps hiring an empty hall or erecting a marquee in the garden then you will need to bring in your own. A marquee company may have furniture packages for you to choose from, although you might want to look elsewhere to get better prices.

You will need to hire in:

• Tables - top table and smaller tables for your guests to sit at. If you are having a buffet then you will need long tables on which to layout the food.

• Side tables - to display your wedding cake on and one for the wedding gifts and guestbook. You might also want some small tables to display your flower arrangements on.

• Chairs

• Other items to consider are sofas, couches or benches so your guests can sit in comfort and relax in small groups, perhaps during the cocktail hour before moving to the dinner tables.

Table Linens - This includes table cloths, which can be large covers to cover the full table with smaller cloths over the top. These are often presented in two colors according to the wedding scheme, for instance, a white cloth underneath with a pink one over the top. Napkins in your chosen main wedding color, perhaps to match the top table cloth and chair covers. Many brides choose to add these to bring some extra color or to hide ugly chairs. Usually they are white but you may be able to get them in a range of other colors. It is more common to use white ones with a colored sash tied around the top.

Don’t forget to hire in extra cloths for any additional tables and make sure you take into account the shape of your tables, round, square, rectangular, long. Square cloths on round tables doesn’t work very well! Be aware that is you hire in linens you will likely have to pay a cleaning charge as well.

China and Crockery - Again your venue may provide this but if it doesn’t or you do not like it then you will need to look to hire it in. There a re many hire companies out there who can give you a range of styles and options to choose from, from classic white to vintage patterns, you can find crockery to match just about any wedding scheme. Make sure you hire enough pieces and don’t forget that you will need plates for each course, bowls for dessert, side plates, serving plates and a few spares. You should also think about coffee and tea cups along with milk jugs, coffee/tea pots and sugar bowls and extra plates on which to serve your wedding cake. Take note of any charges for breakage and collection/delivery costs.

You might also want to look at adding in charger plates, which are large decorative plates which take the place of traditional place mats and sit underneath the main crockery. They do make a nice decorative addition to your tables and are well worth considering.

Cutlery - From kings pattern to simple contemporary styles your choice of cutlery should also tie in with your wedding style. A traditional wedding with lots of flowers and opulent touches would be complete with some luxurious gold plated kings style cutlery, whilst an Asian theme would be set off with some contemporary cutlery with bamboo style handles.

You will need to order the following items according to your menu:

• Knives and forks for the first course
• Soup spoons
• Fish knives and servers
• Knives and forks for each additional course
• Steak knives
• Dessert forks
• Dessert spoons
• Tea spoons
• Side knives - for bread and butter
• Servers - knives, spoons, tongs etc.

Don’t worry though as the hire company will be able to guide you, just furnish them with your menu and number of guests and they will do all the calculations for you.

Glassware - From cut crystal to smooth contemporary lines, your glassware can add the perfect finishing touches to your tables. Some brides don’t like to use those often provided by venues as they can appear scratched or worn from years of being washed in a glass washer. If you are a having a particular style or theme you may want a particular type of glassware to coordinate.

Glasses you will need to consider ordering include:

• Red wine glasses
• White wine glasses
• Champagne glasses
• Water glasses

These are the main types of glass usually found at a formal place setting. Other types of glass such as beer or tumblers, will be provided by the venue or if you need to hire them in as well, you can choose a cheaper type as they won’t be part of your table settings.

Other items - You may also want to think about items such as hot food servers, chillers, serving platters, wine coolers or champagne buckets. A wedding cake stand if not provided by your cake maker. There is also your entertainment to consider, things such as a dance floor, seating for your entertainment and tables.

About the author:
Georgina Clatworthy is a dedicated full time writer who composes informative articles related to wedding favors and wedding. She is connected with 1WeddingSource, today’s leading wedding social networking planning site.

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com