We attended the wedding reception of one of B’s friends last night. It was amazing how the bridal couple managed to organise a reception for 400 guests in two months. I’m certain that they were exhausted by the end of it. The invitation card said 6pm, but we didn’t see any food until at least 8pm. From before we arrived until the first servings, the newlyweds had to stand and be photographed with each arrival. Being a Cambodian-style wedding, they also had frequent dances throughout the night. Quite funny to watch the oldies get up and do their synchronised traditional dances.
First piece of advice: live music is fine, but make certain they can sing. Let’s Get Loud doesn’t work when sung by someone who definitely isn’t.
More advice follows:
- The only auspicious days of the week (neglecting public holidays) are Fridays and Saturdays. Late wedding receptions on Sundays are unkind to guests who need to work the next day. (In this case I forgive the bride and groom – I bet Saturdays were all booked out).
- Hold your wedding reception in a safe place. Last night we returned to our car to find its number plates stolen. $66 for a new pair! Why are reception venues frequently located in popular car theft and mugging areas?
- If your wedding venues are difficult to find, provide a map.
- It wasn’t the case last night, but try to make certain that your guests can sit with others that they can relate to at the reception. We went to one wedding where we were about the only young people, apart from the bride and groom, and knew nobody else there. Everyone else was a family friend. We were stuck next to the world’s biggest Christian bore (an oxymoron).
- Unfortunately, many weddings seem to be celebrations of relatives rather than of the bridal couple. I like weddings where they bridal couple take centre stage, where you can share in their life and love (and preferably a fair dose of embarassment as well!). That’s one reason I prefer the wedding ceremony to the reception.