Planning Your Wedding Reception & Entertainment
Congratulations – you’ve said yes!!!
Now it’s time to start planning your wedding reception and entertainment for the day you’ve always dreamed of!
If possible allow yourself 12-18 months for planning your wedding reception. You can organise a wedding in a much shorter time frame, but time will help lessen the stress and ensure the suppliers you want are more likely to be available.
Planning your wedding reception: Day 1
First on your wedding planning timeline consider the time of year and the theme of the day.
A new start in springtime? You’ll share your wedding with the daffodils and tulips.
A summer wedding means long bright evenings and hopefully warm weather.
An autumn celebration is golden with falling leaves and amazing light.
And, of course, a winter wedding is cosy fires, Carol Singers and a Singing Santa.
Top Tip 1: Start with your guest list.
Why? The number of guests you invite should determine everything when choosing your venue. Not too big nor too small every time!
Planning your wedding reception: 12 -18 months to go
Set a provisional date and set up appointments to visit wedding venues. Meet with the potential venue wedding coordinators. They will advise you of all your options. Ask their advice – after all, they do weddings every week!
Check list:
Book your Venue
Book your Celebrant
Book a professional Photographer
Book the wedding Band
Book the Singing Waiters (well we would say that)
Book your wedding flowers
Get quotes form everyone and confirm what the prices include.
Top Tip 2: Set the ceremony time depending on the time of year and distance between venues.
You’ll want plenty of time to enjoy your drinks reception and get the perfect photos. But remember, you’ll have time to relax once your guests get called for dinner and orders being taken before you enter the room…
Don’t forget to pick your wedding entrance music before the big day!
Planning your wedding reception: 8-12 months to go
Time to go shopping, although we suspect you may have done this already 🙂
Make appointments and visit bridal boutiques to find the PERFECT wedding dress. Wedding dress experts will advise you on latest styles and what suits your individuality.
And there’s also shoes, head pieces and other fabulous accessories to find to complement your look.
Make sure that the bridesmaids are getting their outfits too!
Check out wedding ceremony and drinks reception music options
It’s also time to choose the wedding rings. Order your rings in plenty of time as they will often be made and sized to order.
Send out ‘save the dates’ and look at wedding stationary ideas and invitation designs.
Start thinking about honeymoon destinations and make a booking.
Top Tip 3: Handmade invitations and other hand crafted elements will make your wedding a bespoke unique day.
It’s also is a great way to kill time waiting for the big day.
Planning your wedding reception 6-8 months to go
Make sure the groom is doing all he needs to. Suited and booted. He and the rest of the men in the wedding party.
Book your wedding car
Book drinks reception entertainment
Order your wedding cake
Book hair and makeup appointments
Top Tip 4: Now’s a good time to reconfirm the suppliers you booked last year?
A quick email should be enough to touch base.
Planning your wedding reception 3-6 months to go
Send your notification of intention to marry to the registrar (this is a legal requirement)
Book your pre-marriage course if required
Check with your celebrant about any other paperwork.
Book those last minute extras – but don’t blow the budget!
Top Tip 5: Ask your venue about any new trends or quirky extras that have started to appear at recent wedding celebrations.
Planning your wedding reception: 1-3 months
Finalise that wedding guest list and send out your (beautifully hand crafted?? Go on at least try! You can always ditch them if they don’t work out) invitations.
Confirm your final numbers with the reception venue and prepare a wedding table plan.
Confirm bookings with all suppliers & check balance payment details.
Confirm collection date for your wedding dress, bridesmaids dresses and suits for the men.
Confirm collection or delivery of your wedding rings, cake, flowers, favours, honeymoon tickets, visas and arrangements.
Top Tip 6– Once you have ticked all the boxes and everything is in place trust in the professional suppliers you have hired…. sit back and enjoy the day… it goes far too quickly!
Planning your Wedding reception Entertainment
Naturally you want your big day to be unique. Of course you want it to be a night to remember for all your guests.
Every detail is important; the right venue, the perfect theme and of course, the very best entertainment. That’s why you are planning wedding reception entertainment that’s a real crowd-pleaser.
The right Impression
When it comes to making a good impression, planning your wedding reception entertainment will play a huge part. Whether you book a musical act or another type of entertainment, you’ll be looking for professionals.
You want a company that is well suited to your guests. A provider that fits the style of your event and is of the highest artistic standard.
Surprise Singing Waiters or an Opera Singing Chef can be a very impressive way of entertaining your guests. It is Wedding entertainment that is both fun and stylish. Singing waiters are professional singers; often with international profiles who will have headlined in opera houses and music theatres around the world. Such talented and seasoned artists are guaranteed to be a highlight of your celebration. They will wow your guests when they drop their disguises and start to sing.
Not Just Opera Singing
Most acts have a fun presentation with a broad appeal. They will perform a wide range of musical styles. This means not just opera. Many have a fixed show others will build a repertoire that will work for just about any occasion. We sing for charity fundraisers, weddings, birthdays, Corporate functions to name just a few.
Top Tip 7: Please, please, please book wedding insurance it’s not expensive and it could save you thousands. The same goes for travel insurance for the honeymoon.
What do these Waiters and Chefs do?
The singers normally serve tables at the function together with regular waiting staff. At some point one of the singing waiters causes a distraction and bursts into song serenading guests. The performance is often staged during or after the main course of the meal. That said the format has diversified and expanded to encompass performance at whatever stage of an event is best suited to the client. The format typically includes performers dressed as any number of service staff or chefs. they also dress as firemen, security guards,medical personnel and often even guests! They remain incognito until breaking disguise on cue.
Top Tip 8: Book the best, most professional suppliers you can in each category. Wedding suppliers with great track records and brilliant testimonials will rarely let you down.
So when you are planning your wedding reception entertainment, please consider our singing waiters.
Our singers will be sure to turn your night into a celebration with a collection of enjoyable songs from the great operas, swing hits, serenades and much, much more.
Singers for Hire provide planning for wedding reception entertainment. We offer musical wedding reception entertainment and undercover singers for any event, presenting a broad repertoire of songs from Broadway, to pop and classical.
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