Making Better Dinners With Less

Have you just gotten the word that your daughter is getting married? Perhaps the news was expected, or maybe it was a big surprise to you. Either way, your mind is probably full of how to give your daughter the best wedding reception that you can imagine. From table decorations to wedding catering, here are some suggestions that might help you to plan a wedding reception  that will be remembered forever.

The Table Decorations - Of course, you and your daughter will want to put your heads together so you can know just what she would love. 

• Is the wedding reception a formal and elegant one? Will it be a casual one? Where will it be held? Will you be in your own backyard or will you hold the reception at a banquet hall?
• Once you have answered all of those questions, start making a plan.
• For an elegant and formal reception, think of going with all white with just touches of another color.
• For example, if your daughter has chosen peach for her bridesmaid's dresses, go with touches of peach in things like candles and flowers, but keep to white for the table linens. Choose accents like white doves or white angels to add a bit of drama.
• If your daughter has chosen a casual and fun theme, go with lots of color. Think of the colors of the rainbow and use them in a way that they add pizzaz to the table decor. 
• For example, think of buying decorative bird cages and filling them with lots of colored paper flowers.

The Food - Unless the reception is very simple and you're going with just punch and cake, for sure, go with wedding catering. You'll have enough on your mind without having to cook and bake for all your guests.

• Again, choose food that will match the mood of the wedding reception.
• For an elegant theme, think of asking the caterers to serve a sit down dinner.
• Consider giving a choice to your guests. For example, they could choose between prime rib and salmon.
• For a casual theme, think of having the caterers set up a buffet. A Mexican buffet would be a lot of fun. Think of having the guests build their own fajitas, for example.
• The caterers can even provide the wedding cake. Think of adding a groom's cake of a different flavor. For example, if the groom loves chocolate, order a decadent German chocolate cake.
• The great part about working with caterers is that they will be able to give you suggestions you haven't even thought of.

Whether you go with an elegant theme or a casual one, consider placing photographs of the bride and groom on the tables.