One of the most talked about aspects of any wedding reception is the menu. People love to eat and if they are invited to a wedding reception, one of the things they will usually be most excited about is the food.

If your wedding reception is large, hiring a wedding planner might be in your best interest. Wedding planners generally have an outstanding relationship with caterers. They know who is good, who serves what and which catering company will satisfy all of your dining needs.

A benefit to hiring a catering company is that they handle all aspects of beverages and food. All you need to do is sit down with the person planning your event and decide on a menu that will fit into both the appetites of your guests and your budget. The wedding planner will then contact several caterers, get a quote , then come back to you with a few finalists. You'll be able to not only meet with the caterers, but generally you can also get a taste test of what they have to offer.

If your reception is a smaller affair, then you might decide to handle the event planning details of it yourself, either preparing the food yourself, in the event of a smaller, more casual reception, or hiring a caterer for a more formal wedding reception. You'll have to consider whether a lunch, cocktail party, sit-down dinner or a buffet might be in order.

Choosing a theme for your wedding can sometimes come in handy when it comes to the food. For example, if you choose a western theme, then an outdoor barbecue would be a simple, and somewhat easy meal to prepare. If you choose to hire a caterer on your own, we have some tips for you at choosing a wedding catering service.

If you're strapped for cash, a buffet can be a great idea, especially if relatives and close friends bring some of the dishes. Again, a wedding theme here helps as well to tie everything in together. (You might want to check out our pages on wedding themes for some ideas.)

Typical Formal, Sit-Down Dinner

If you choose a more formal, sit-down dinner, here is how a typical wedding reception might progress:

**The evening will start with a cocktail hour where the guests can mingle and serve themselves buffet style. Popular items to serve at this time include fresh fruit, assorted cheeses, fried calamari, and various butler served appetizers. There may also be sous chefs manning pasta stations or meat-carving stations, and the bar will open for the guests.

**Once the cocktail hour ends, the guests will find their seats so the bride and groom can make their entrance. After the standard first dances, the best man (and sometimes the maid of honor) will make a champagne toast. Children are usually given some sparkling cider so they can participate too.

**After the toast soup or salad is served. Often this will be followed by Intermezzo, which a small serving of sorbet that is meant to cleanse the palate before the entree is served.

**Up next is the main course, in which it is customary to give guests a choice of entrees.

**Following dinner, coffee is served and the wedding cake is cut. Some couples also choose to have a Venetian Hour. This is an extended dessert that includes all sorts of cakes, pastries, and fresh fruit. You can even add specialty items such as a zeppole station or an ice-cream station. Alcoholic beverages may or may not be served during dessert.

Synonyms:   weddingreception and wedding reception are used synonymously.  

weeding, weddin, weddnig, weding and weddig are typos for "wedding." Eception, erception, rception, rceeption, reeption, reecption, recption, recpetion, recetion, recetpion, recepion, recepiton, recepton, receptoin, receptin, receptino, and receptio are typos for "reception."