5 tips for choosing the best wedding reception location

Being disc Jockey, we get the opportunity to evaluate various reception facilities while having little or no bias to "sell" one location over another. Most brides and grooms know where they will hold a ceremony before they decide where to have the reception, so we have compiled five observations that can help you when choosing your place.

Distance - if the person also has a long way to get from the ceremony to the reception, some will be distracted or decide to do something else. Try to keep the receipt in a 15 to 30 minute drive of your ceremony. If it is not possible to get a reception hall close to your ceremony, make a caravan. Having a groom led the parade, and people will follow you to your party.

Time - time is like the distance issue. If your reception a few hours after the ceremony, people will get busy doing other things and not show up for the reception. Trying to start the reception within an hour or two ceremonies. If you do not want to start a wedding dance at 4 pm, have a Meet and Greet mixer before your party. Serve some punch and get people to mingle. It will be one of the few times that both families will be together. Encouraging family members to share stories about your childhood.

Size - people like their personal space, and they may have spent an hour packed into a church for your ceremony. If you let them spread out, they will enjoy themselves more. Make sure your reception hall has plenty of room for your guests. People who rented the location might tell you it holds 200 people, but that does not mean it will hold 200 people comfortably! Be sure to visit the venue before booking.

Climate control - have a summer wedding? Your air-conditioned reception hall? If people sweat while just sitting, they will not dance. On the other hand, if they are cold they do not dance either (who wants to dance in a parka?). Also make sure you know who has control thermostat so the temperature can be adjusted if necessary. Chances are your reception will be warm and stuffy while all guests were there, but as they trickle out during the night the room will begin to cool.

Smoking - This is a hot button issue, but if your reception hall Non-smoking, you can fully expect smoker's to leave your reception for 15-30 minutes every hour. If they simply leave the reception room, you may find a large percentage of your guest just hanging out in the room. This could be a big problem if you have many smokers in your wedding party. You do not have to allow smoking, but it is something you should consider, especially if a person has health problems like asthma or allergies that could be triggered by the smoke. If you decide to not allow smoking in the reception area, how close is the nearest place for smokers to go? It was close enough that you will be able to get needed wedding party members during events like the bouquet toss or garter auction?

Facilities Coordinator will no doubt bring some other factors to consider when you interview them for your booking, but these are often missed items, especially if they do not support a potential site. If you keep the overall picture in mind and working with a wedding planner or event coordinator on the decorating ideas, no doubt you will have a wedding reception enjoyable and memorable.