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Jammin'
Jamaican Wedding Reception
Q:
My daughter is
getting married in Jamaica this June. She wants to have an outdoor
wedding reception 3 weeks after she returns, with a Jamaican theme. I
would like to word the invitations as follows: "Mr. and Mrs. So
and So invite you to attend a Jammin' Jamaican Wedding Reception to
celebrate the marriage of Stephanie and Peter". My daughter
thinks it sounds stupid. My husband and I think it sounds okay. What
do you think. Any advice at this point would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Paula T.
A:
The wording you
have chosen will do a great job at setting the tone for the event,
and will communicate to your guests the festive mood of celebration
which they can anticipate. While it may not be the
"traditional" wedding invitation wording, there is nothing
the matter with that given the less formal, fun style of reception
you have chosen to have. The wording is very consistent with the type
of celebration you are planning and does a wonderful job at helping
to carry through a complete theme. Well done! Sounds like it will be
an event not to be missed!
Who Pays For
the Reception?
Q:
Who
is responsible financially for the wedding reception?
Coreen
A:
Traditionally,
the wedding reception was hosted by the parents of the bride, and was
therefore paid for by the parents of the bride. Today however, there
are no longer such clearly defined rules. It is no longer always
realistic or possible for the bride's parents to carry such financial
responsibility. Wedding and reception costs today are paid by
whomever is willing and capable. This may be the parents of the
bride, the parents of the groom, the couple themselves, or any
combination of the above.
Tinging
Glasses at Cocktail & Finger Food Reception
Q:
I
am trying to come up with a different idea instead of tinging the
glasses. We are having an evening wedding and we only have a limited
amount of time for speeches, as there is no formal sit down dinner.
We have thought about poems, songs etc., but we are afraid that we
don't have enough time. Do you have any ideas that might be able to
help us out? Thanks, Liz
A:
Typically,
at the style of reception you describe, certain rituals which are
normally part of the sit down reception may be dispensed with all
together. Indeed, rituals such as the clinking of the glasses, a
garter toss, etc. often don't fit well into a stand up reception or
finger food reception, and therefore must be foregone. As you
implied, these types of receptions usually take place over a much
shorter time line, unlike sit down receptions which unfold at a more
leisurely pace, thereby allowing time for such activities. You may
simply be trying to squeeze in an activity which is really not
compatible with the style of reception you will be having; you may be
trying to squeeze too
much
into the particular type of reception you have chosen.
Your
best bet may be to completely do away with the idea in order to keep
the right 'flow' to your reception. While there are certainly a
variety of creative alternatives today to the 'clinking of the
glasses', the very nature of these activities renders them more
suitable to a more leisurely sit down dinner reception, as they
require a slightly longer time span than what your reception will afford.
Don't
feel that you must include such a ritual simply because you've seen
it done at every other reception you've attended - it's important to
distinguish the differences between the various forms of receptions
and keep the activities compatible
with,
and suitable to, the style of reception you will be having.
Ultimately,
however, today there are no hard and fast rules. Although this form
of ritual is not normally included in the type of reception you'll
have, you have a right to have your wedding your way; if this is of
some particular importance to you, and therefore you just WANT to
include it, you may chose to go ahead with it nonetheless, thereby
creating your own unique 'hybrid', if you will.
In
that case, you might simply have the activity be limited to a
slightly briefer time span - a compromise which will allow you to
combine the best of both worlds. And one final thought, when time is
a factor, the good old fashioned 'clinking of the glasses' might be
the least time consuming option as opposed to reciting poems, songs,
stories about the bride and groom, etc. Perhaps not quite as
creative, but definitely short, and still very sweet!
Linda
Kevich is the creator and editor of SuperWeddings.com. She has been a
professional wedding consultant for the past ten years, and now
teaches the business of wedding consulting through a home
study program she has developed. Have a
wedding question? Click here to ask the expert!
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