Wedding Day 8: Reception

I wanted a very unique and different feeling for our reception. I knew that with a destination wedding we would have fewer guests than if we had an in town wedding. Due to this I didn't want the traditional round table set up with everyone spread out but instead had in mind to do a long banquet table. Going into wedding weekend the plan was to have a T table with Drew and I and our attendants at the top of the T and our guests seated along the trunk. Once we got into the room and set up the table it felt to cramped so we moved the top of the T to the side which I ended up enjoying much better. We were able to overlook all of our guests and be more accessible for mingling.

My decor for the wedding was romantic vintage. I wanted soft colors with flowers being the key to every centerpiece. Thank the good Lord for Hobby Lobby which is where we found the centerpiece decorations. I surprised myself with the amount of "light pink" that was used throughout the wedding. I also wanted candles galore throughout the reception. I choose to go with a little bit of a bird theme as well in using vintage bird cages to decorate with and bird's nests for seat place card holders. We used candy eggs to designate whether the guest had chosen chicken or beef for their entree.

 

The meal at the reception was something I dreamt of for months before the wedding. We had gone down before for a tasting and loved everything they had! I choose to do a 4 course plated dinner for the guest since there would be no dancing to take time during the evening this was a great way to slow the night down and keep everyone occupied.  We started the meal with a Lobster Bisque soup... to DIE FOR! Followed by a shrimp prosciutto relish salad. For the main course guest choose between Grilled Angus Tenderloin, Wild Mushroom Pancetta compote, Asiago Mashed Potatoes and Port Jus or  Grilled Range Chicken, Oven Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes with Wild Mushroom Ragout. Drew and I each choose a different entree so we could nibble off each other's.

Throughout the evening we had guitarist Roberto Capocci play some traditional Native music to entertain guests.

 

Upon the changing of each course we had friends and family stand to give toast in recognition of Drew and I. Some were planned, some were spontaneous but all were precious and meant something to the two of us. These moments truly made the night that much sweeter.

When toasts were not being given and we had finished our food Drew and I were able to make our way around the ballroom speaking with each guest and Thanking them for making the trip to attend our wedding. This was one thing that I really wanted to make sure we were able to do. We had people come from all over to attend our wedding and the least we could to was thank them for their support. I was able to catch up with friends I hadn't seen in years and meet some of Drew's family during these moments. I didn't want to look back at the reception and wished we had talked to someone or spent more time with this person so we made that priority.