Wedding Blog

Traditionally, a wedding was composed of the actual ceremony at the church or registry office, followed by a reception at a hotel or other venue, after which the happy couple would depart on their honeymoon, being waved off by the eager guests.

There is now an increasing trend to follow the formal wedding reception with a more informal dance later in the evening of the wedding day, maybe with a band playing, and a good spread of food, and for the guests and couple to be in more casual party clothes. The newly married couple, then go away on their honeymoon the day after the wedding.

Needless to say, this is now increasing the cost of weddings, as there are now two social events to pay for, instead of one.

Marianne, whose only daughter got married recently, said, “It’a a once in a lifetime event, so we wanted to make a big day of it. It was really good fun to have the more relaxed dance in the evening after the formal events of the day, and it was a really good way to finish off the day – especially as people had travelled so far to be at the wedding, and they were going to be around for the evening anyway, as they were all staying over locally. I have to admit, that weddings can be a little stressful - throughout the formal part of the day, there is always a worry that you might have forgotten something, or that some detail will go wrong - so the party in the evening was a chance for everyone to unwind and relax. It also provided a chance for people to get to know one another.”

Part of the reason for extending wedding events to cover the whole day, may be due to the fact that it is no longer falling to the bride’s parents to foot the cost of the wedding, with contributions being made by both sets of parents, and some young professionals paying a substantial part of the cost of the wedding themselves, as they are already on good salaries.

So, if you really want to make a full day of it for yourselves and your guests, how about an evening event too?

Filed under: Receptions, Costs, Catering