HOW TO MAKE FOOD FOR RECEPTION

Food is an inevitable part of any celebration and when the occasion is as grand as wedding, it becomes all the more important. The first thing that comes to everyone�s mind, when we talk about D-Day, is excellent food. If you want to guarantee the satisfaction of all the guests, you need to make sure that the feast is great. 


In case you are thinking of making food for wedding reception party on your own, then proper selection as well as execution becomes extremely important. In the following lines, we have provided some ideas on how to make food for a wedding reception party, without getting worn out.

Ideas For Making Wedding Reception Meal

Quantity of Food

The first step would be to anticipate the number of people, who would be turning up for the celebration. This would give you an idea of the quantity of food that would be required. Always make sure you the quantity of food is a bit extra than what is required. This would prevent shortage of any kind.

Type of Food

Estimating the number of guests would also give you an idea on the kind of food you can prepare. In case the guests are too many, it would be advisable not to go for too elaborate or complicated items. If it�s a larger gathering, the best deal would be to a buffet or an array of finger foods. 

Sit-down dinners would not only prove to be a costly affair, but also be too taxing. However, if it�s a small gathering, you can arrange a sit-down dinner. Make sure that you have a couple of helping hands, who would help you serve the guests.

Themed Food

Themed food is gaining popularity as far as wedding reception feasts are concerned. Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Polish, Greek and German are some of the widely chosen delights. Another popular theme is to have an international feast, which would feature a dish or two from every popular nationality.

Some Tips 

• After deciding on the quantity as well as the type of food, calculate how much people would be required to make everything on time. You can enlist the help of people you are sure would not mind helping out.
• If you are preparing the food on your own, it is important to select items that gel with each other. Adhering to a theme would help you come out of embarrassment of a table full of mismatched dishes.
• Once you have decided the kind of food you want, break them into lists. This would help you avoid fuss i.e. segregate the dishes into buy ahead, do ahead and last day preparations, so that everything gets done on time and as easily as possible.
• A week before the D- Day, make sure that you have everything required for the table as well i.e. the cutlery, table runners, etc.

DECORATING A WEDDING RECEPTION HALL

Decoration of a wedding reception hall can be simple or flamboyant, pricey or easy on the pocket. While a reception hall can be decorated in a variety of style, it should ultimately reflect the taste and preferences of the bride and the groom. 

If you are assigned with the task of arranging a reception party for the newly wed couple, you need to do it in a well planned manner. After formulating the budget and choosing the venue, you would want to consider how it would be decorated. We are here to help you with some bright ideas for decorating a wedding reception hall.

Wedding Reception Hall Decoration Ideas 

• You may carry the theme of the wedding to the reception hall. If you have used a particular color scheme for the wedding ceremony, consider using it for the reception too. However, be sure to bring in subtle variations in the decoration, so that both the venues do not look identical.
• If you are using the same theme as the wedding, it is suggested not to use leftover wedding decorations for the reception. Purchase new decorations, keeping in mind the overall theme.
• If you want to create a romantic ambiance at the venue, soften the illumination by dimming the lights. Decorate the hall with beautiful decorative candles. You may also hang miniature white lights in the room. Play soft and soothing music in the background.
• Set a scintillating atmosphere at the hall, by giving it a party feel. To serve the purpose, you may add a disco ball and play peppy dance numbers. In this case, make sure the decorations are also bright and lively.
• Decoration of tables is as important as other things in the wedding reception hall. Consider adding an attractive centerpiece, made of flower or fruits. Arrange the dishes, silverware and flatware neatly. Consider placing candles on the table. Make sure that you do not overcrowd thetables with decorations. Consider the number of guests expected for the occasion, while choosing the number of tables and chairs.

INDIAN WEDDING RECEPTION

Indian wedding is one of the most extravagant affairs, marked by great pomp and gaiety. There is a riot of rituals and customs that are practiced in a Hindu wedding ceremony, which are not only practiced on the wedding day, but extend before and after the wedding rites. One such post wedding ceremony is the wedding reception party. 


India, being a land of diversity, is rich in culture and heritage. So, ceremonies differ from religion to religion and place to place, as each are guided by their own customs and norms. Usually, the reception party is held after the wedding day and is attended by the friends and relatives from both the families, who essentially gather to celebrate with the newly wedded couple.

Hindu Wedding Reception Party
Wedding reception party is virtually the first public appearance of the couple together, after wedding where they receive the blessing and gifts from the society and relatives. It is just an extension of the wedding day and is characterized by opulence and magnificence. 

While the Decor of the place makes it looks mesmerizing and majestic, lavish cuisine and excellent dishes spice up the entire ambience of the reception party place. Much to the surprise and unlike all the other ceremonies, the wedding reception party in Hindu custom does not encompass of any customs and rituals. It is a way that the groom's community welcomes the bride with open arms. A jovial affair, the party is dominated with good music and non stop dancing by the guests.

Generally, wedding reception party is held in open spaces such as a garden, courtyard, farm houses, and so on. While the stage is at one end of the place, the eating zone is at the other end. The stage set at the wedding reception area, is adored with exquisite and magnificent decorations. 

Flowers are the most picked choice when it comes to decorating the party venue. Red roses, orchids and carnations steal the show. Bunches of flowers are arranged in strategic location to add the essence and feel to the party. Apart from flowers, bandhani cloth, balloons, gold tissues and diyas make great choices. As for the dinning area, it is very well arranged, so that every dish prepared is visible to the guests.

Present Scenario
Nowadays, the reception ceremony is seen as a grand affair with lots of majestic entertainment elements in it. The richer sect of the society add flamboyance and ostentations to the party, by hiring music and dance performers from all over the world, to entertain the guests at the reception party. 

However, there are some reception parties that are held on a traditional theme. In such a state, cultural programs and dances are the main elements of such parties and add the much needed zing to it. In short, the reception party celebration, Decor and entertainment are totally dependent on the taste and liking of the groom's family. Whatever be the case, the main essence of the party is to make the bride feel at ease and also provides an occasion for people, who could not make it to the wedding ceremony.

Vidaai Ceremony

Hindu wedding also poses as the ideal time for family union and merriment. Relatives and friends flock the to-be bride and groom's house, a week in advance of the wedding day. Singing traditional songs, dancing to the tunes of traditional music and Bollywood numbers, munching on delicious delicacies, preparing for the D-Day and performing all the pre wedding rituals encompass as the main activities that are practiced. 

A time of heightened excitement and enthusiasm, Hindu weddings signify the coming together of two souls for eternity. In a nutshell, Hindu weddings are all about tradition, culture, rituals and of course, enjoyment and cheerfulness!!

Vidaai In Indian Marriage

Amidst all fun and entertainment, marriage is one of the most emotional moments in Hindu marriage. Vidaai, a post wedding ritual, marks the end of the marriage ceremony. It is a very emotional episode for everyone, when the bride seeks leave from her parents, family members, friends and relatives and goes to her husband's home to start a new life with new dreams and hopes. 

It is a new beginning for her, as she bids farewell to her parents and goes to build a new life with her husband and his family. She leaves her parent's home with tears of joy and sorrow - joy, because she is starting a new life and sorrow, because she has to leave her parents for it. The bride's father gives her hand to her husband and tells him to take care and protect her loving daughter.

The ritual of vidaai is marked as one of the most emotional aspect of the wedding festivities. It is the formal departure of the bride from her parents' home. However, just as we know that every ritual in a Hindu wedding has an element of fun to it. During the Vidaai ceremony, the sisters of thebride ask for money from the groom, for the shoes they had stolen, prior to when the wedding rituals started in the mandap. 

After much argument (in a good sense), the sisters are presented with either gold/silver ring or cash money. Thereafter, the bride finally takes steps ahead, leaving her house and embracing her friends and family members. According to the Hindu tradition, as the bride steps out of the house, she throws back five handfuls of rice over her head, in a way that it falls on the person standing behind her, as a symbol of prosperity and wealth.

The custom of throwing rice signifies that the bride is paying back or returning, whatever her parents have given her in all these years of her stay with them and wishes for prosperity to always flourish in the house she is leaving behind. 

Just when the bride and the groom sit in the car and its starts, the bride's brothers and cousins pushes the car from behind, signifying that they have given her a push ahead to start a new life with her husband. After the last car starts, money is thrown on the road to discard the evil. Mostly younger sister accompanies the bride to her new home to give her moral support.