Your wedding ceremony is over, but the celebration is just beginning! While receptions can range in scale and style, most receptions usually follow a simple formula to ensure a successful ceremony for bride and groom.
Here are a few tips for planning that perfectly merry matrimonial gala!
Venue
According to an editor's choice list curated by the Wedding Rule, several of our exclusive locations appear in the Top 20 Wedding Venues in Corpus Christi, including Crystal Reception Hall, the Art Center of Corpus Christi, and -- of course -- The Courtyard at Gaslight Square.
Many of these venues can accommodate large and small receptions, and offer a variety of packages to fit your every need.
As stated by the Wedding Rule, The Courtyard at Gaslight Square "features a gorgeous courtyard that boasts twinkling lights, brick floors, and a large dance floor under cover of a stunning live oak tree," along with two indoor spaces - the Gaslight Room and the Plaza Room. While the list of further amenities is expansive, two big pluses with choosing The Courtyard for your celebration are our in-house catering and bartending services.
Of course, it's become quite popular as of late, especially since COVID-19, to plan Microweddings or Minimonies, allowing for a more intimate and affordable gathering to witness the beginnings of your marital bliss. Many venues in our area offer packages for these occasions as well, including The Courtyard at Gaslight Square.
Dinner
Along with finding the perfect venue, it is imperative to match the location with the perfect caterer. Along with finding your caterer, too, it is important to choose the food and/or catering style that best fits your reception's needs.
Since COVID-19, many couples have chosen open-air dinners and receptions, to allow for safety precautions, and they have become commonplace ever since. This has led to food truck parties and family-style dinners, and everything in between.
As 2022 comes to a close, some of the most popular wedding food trends include locally sourced foods, vegan options, and grazing tables. As previously mentioned, we offer in-house and field event catering courtesy of Diamond Point Catering, and our services can accommodate many of these new and/or traditional reception styles, large or small, here at The Courtyard or wherever you choose for your perfect celebration venue.
Beverage
As far as the bar is concerned, much like the food menu, the cocktail menu should be full customizable to fit your every need -- whether your planning for mocktail or low ABV libations, or merely canned beers and wine. Many trends of 2022 allowed the bride and groom to celebrate their originality -- with mobile bars becoming quite popular.
Of course, nothing will ever replace tried and true traditions, with vintage drink menus, including Old Fashioneds, Martinis, and Manhattans, forever remaining a permanent fixture at wedding receptions.
The main takeaway is for your food and beverage menus to be as personalized as possible, to leave an even more indelible mark on your most rememberable day.
Cake and Desserts
Much like your choice of food and beverages, finding the perfect wedding cake, to say everything you want it to say, is one of the most time-tested traditions of years past. Of course, as with any traditions, they are meant to be broken.
Many brides and grooms are foregoing traditional two or three-tiered wedding cakes in lieu of more trendy and/or personalized options. According to the Wedding Wire, many of these trends include pressed florals, separated tiers, individual mini cakes, and more.
Whatever approach you choose, finding the right wedding cake bakery is just as important. As aggregated by Top10WeddingVendors.com, the best ranked wedding cake bakeries in Corpus Christi include Sugarbakers, Janet's Bakery, and Anna's Custom Cakes.
The important thing is to not rush the process. Spend time exploring options, in order to find the perfect bakery fit for your celebration.
Favors
As previously mentioned, leaving that personal mark on your reception is everything these days, and nothing is as personalized or custom than wedding favors.
Some of the more interesting wedding favor trends of 2022 have been personalized bottles of hot sauce or hand sanitizer, personalized mints or individual-sized bags of gourmet popcorn. Of course, the party doesn't stop with trinkets and gifts. Many couples are also opting for fun and engaging experiences for their guests -- including photo booths.
Frame Entertainment is our in-house, state-of-the-art photo booth technology that allows couples to "capture moments of today that will wow your heart tomorrow."
Speeches
Of course, no wedding or reception is complete without the longstanding tradition of speeches and toasts. For as long as time, the Best Man and Maid of Honor have been expected to deliver either eye-rolling, gossip-inducing, or sometimes tear-jerking monologues, followed by a succession of toasts delivered by other wedding party members or invited guests. Many times, these speeches stray from the norm, opting for weird or cringe-worthy approaches in the name of good fun.
According to a list released by The Knot, however, the best approach is always the simplest; open with a joke, give honest advice, and take a humble approach. The list also suggests Flash Mobs, or writing an original song for the occasion. In the end, of course, the best suggestion is to merely speak from the heart.
Traditions
Other longstanding wedding traditions have also played a huge role in making up what defines the reception. Some, such as the first dance, father and daughter dances, walking down the aisle, or wearing a veil, will never fall out of favor, for obvious and nostalgic reasons.
But there are a few long-held and practiced wedding traditions that have fallen out of style and out of grace for bride, groom, and guests alike, including the garter toss (for obvious intimate reasons), and cake smashing (as many couples do not want to accidentally upset each other on their wedding day).
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Your wedding day will always be one of the most important and remembered for the rest of your life. So, as suggested before -- don't rush the process. Take your time. Weigh your options. Leave no stone unturned.
The most important tip, above all else, is don't lose yourself or your personality within that process. Make sure your wedding -- and reception -- are undeniably yours. And everything else will fall into place.
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