Your Atlanta wedding reception is the celebration of the vows you just made. All of your friends and family come together during this time to celebrate you and your husband, in your new lives together. Knowing this, your Atlanta wedding reception should be a reflection of you and your husband – your tastes, your personalities – and should also reflect the formality or informality of your wedding ceremony.
Typically, more of your budget is spent on the reception than on any other aspect of your wedding. So, it will take you more time to plan this portion of your day than any other. You must decide on an Atlanta reception site – this should be relatively close to your wedding ceremony site for ease of travel between the two sites. In some cases, you will need to choose a caterer. You will also need to choose a decorator, preferably someone that works well with your florist, a DJ or band and a wedding cake baker. A wedding planner can help this process go smoothly, but if you choose to do it on your own, you must be very careful in your negotiations.
You should start with the theme of your Atlanta wedding reception and the format. The theme you choose should help you decide where to have your event. There are thousands of themes to choose from and, again, should reflect your taste and personality or hobbies that you share as a couple. Some recent Atlanta wedding trends are Vintage, the ever-popular Beach theme, and themes based around a favorite color – i.e. yellow – where table centerpieces are yellow lilies and lemons, white linens with yellow runners and napkins, etc.
The format of your Atlanta wedding reception will also factor into cost. If you choose to have a sit down dinner in an Atlanta reception site that does not provide tables and chairs, you will spend more to seat your guests than if you had chosen a reception style event. The trend in formats is to have food stations with some seating and some standing cocktail rounds so that guests are free to mingle with one another.
Atlanta reception site options are many and varied. Again, the venue should reflect your theme and your personalities. Venue may include museums, parks, the Georgia Aquarium, Turner Field, a back yard or anywhere under a tent. The list is endless and there are locations as unique as you and your fiancé. There are several things to remember and consider. You must consider every variable – is your Atlanta reception site wired for sound and power, what décor is already available, will the venue provide tables and chairs, must I hire a caterer? The answers to all of these questions will affect your wedding budget and your timeline.
Another factor to consider is the bar. Depending on the day of the week and the time of day that you hold your wedding reception in Atlanta, the bar costs will vary. If you hold your event on a weekday, your b
