Apart from the usual things people fuss over like who will sit where, who gets invited and who does not, there are some things you should consider in planning your wedding reception.

Planning an unforgettable wedding, and an amazingly fun reception can be easy!

Choose your MC wisely.  For good continuity and flow of your early evening, choose a master of ceremonies to coordinate speeches and direct the ceremonies.  Your MC is ideally someone who knows both the bride and groom somewhat personally, either a friend or relative.  Hopefully they're comfortable speaking publicly, and can make a joke or two.  Stuck for an MC?  We'd be happy to act tastefully and appropriately on your behalf, and coordinate a smooth reception.

Planning: We'll team up with your MC, so he or she will know what time everything is to happen.  We'll coordinate kissing games, speeches, etc. with them to ensure everything goes smoothly.

More Planning: Give your MC a sheet outlining who is speaking, in which order, and when they are to speak (between particular meal courses, etc).  Have him/her introduce him/herself at the start of dinner, then he/she can start proceedings when desired.  There's no obligation to prepare a speech or a monologue - I've been at weddings where the MC peerformed a whole speech, and one time even a stand-up comic act, but it's not necessary.  Fundamentally, your MC helps ensure the flow of the evening.

Cocktail Music: Are you having a cocktail hour for your guests while you are out having pictures taken?  Be sure to plan appropriate cocktail music to set a formal and elegant ambiance for the start of your reception.

Venue Arrival, Introduction and Entrance: Sometimes left unplanned, this aspect of your evening sets the mood for your reception.  Your guests will love watching (or participating in) a fun and entertaining wedding party or Bride and Groom introdution.

Dinner, Games and Music:

Kissing Games: Since most banquet centres don't allow the "clanging of the glasses" these days, you'll likely consider some sort of fun kissing game your guests can participate it to get their Bride and Groom to kiss for them.  Anything from Bride & Groom Trivia, Music Trivia, or a multitude of other fun and interactive games are great for getting your guests involved in the party and interacting with each other (especially separate sides of the family).  We would be delighted to coordinate a fun activity for you.

Table Centerpiece Giveaway: Commonly, the table centerpieces are given away at weddings, and we would be pleased to coordinate a fun activity to get your guests out of their seats for a moment to compete to win their table centerpiece.

Dinner Specifics: If you're having a buffet-style dinner, we can help coordinate something fun to release the tables one at a time to the buffet.

The important first dances: Most important is your first dance as a couple, the Bride's dance with her father, the Groom's dance with his mother (sometimes done at the same time as the Bride & her father, if at all), a dance for the parents of both the Bride and Groom, and the Wedding Party dance.  You don't have to have all or even any of these dances.  Having three first dances is a common number, regardless of which ones you select.  We'll be happy to assist you in selecting something appropriate for each dance, as well as coordinate everyone on the dance floor, and perform an elegant and professional accouncement of each dance.

Bouquet and Garter Toss: Always a fun and welcome intermission to your reception, this is best done just before the midnight or sweet table is displayed, and just after the cake cutting.  At your option, you can choose music for each of the bouquet toss, garter removal, garter toss, and garter reversal (Where the guy who caught the garter puts it on the girl who caught the bouquet - not always done at every reception).  We would be delighted to provide a fun and exciting music selection and activiy to liven up this tradition and make it fun for your guests.

Cake Cutting: If you're serving cake to your guests, the hall will need time to cut it individually and serve it on your sweet table.  It is best to cut your cake either just after dinner, or better yet before the bouquet and garter toss.  This ensures the dancing is interrupted as few times as possible, and gives the hall time to serve the cake while we're conducting the toss.

Special Dances: Dollar dances (where guests pay a dollar or so to have a few seconds dance with the Bride), or other group dances (ethnic or otherwise) are easy to coordinate, and may require you to bring along a basket or something nice to collect the money.  We would be happy to conduct them for you, or simply tell us what you have planned and we'll work it into the evening for you.

Music Programming: Consider any specific music that you deinitely want played or not played and be sure to let us know, including any specific interactive dances or activities that you definitely want or do not want coordinated.  We'll be asking if you'll allow us to play something on your "do not play" list if a guest should specifically request it.

Guests and their ages: Ever important to your reception are the ages of your guests.  Providing this information ahead of time helps us plan the variety of music we'll be playing, and aids in selecting appropriate games and interactive activities.

Your last dance and exit: This aspect of a reception is commonly left unplanned.  You are welcome to select a last dance which we will happily play as we coordinate your chosen exit, or simply wish you all the best.  An exit can be your guests arranged in a circle around you as you dance, or making a tunnel through which you dance gracefully to the exit, where your limo is waiting to whisk you away.  Regardless of what you select, we're pleased to coordinate it for you so you can dance without worry.

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