The location of your wedding reception has a big impact on the success of your night. One bride was almost tearful when only 30 of the 150 people who attended her wedding showed up for her reception dinner and wedding dance. For that reason, we have compiled a list of Tips and Ideas to keep in mind when selecting your wedding reception location.
Distance – If people have to drive a long way to get from the ceremony to the reception, many will get distracted or decide to do something else. Try to keep the reception within a 15 minute drive of your ceremony.
Time – This is just like the distance issue. If your reception is several hours after the ceremony, people will get busy doing other things and not show up for the reception. Try to start the reception within an hour or two of the ceremony.
Size – People like their personal space, and they have most likely spent an hour packed into a church for your ceremony. If you let them spread out, they will enjoy themselves more. Make sure your reception hall has plenty of room for your guests. The people renting the location might tell you it holds 200 people, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will hold 200 people comfortably!
Climate Control – Having a summer wedding? Is your reception hall air conditioned? If people sweat while just sitting, they won’t dance. On the flip side, if they are cold they won’t dance either (who wants to dance in a parka?). Also make sure you know who has control of the thermostat so the temprature can be adjusted if needed.
Smoking – This is a hot button issue right now, but if your reception hall is non-smoking, you can fully expect smoker’s to leave your reception for 15-30 minutes every hour. If enough of them leave the reception area, you may find a large percentage of your guest just hanging out in the somking area. This can be a big problem if you have any smoker’s in your wedding party.
