When our oldest son got married it was a little different situation with the receptions. I think normally the wedding and reception are at the brides hometown with an open house or second reception at the grooms hometown. Christie had been raised not too far from here but her family had moved a couple states away when she was in high school. Since then she had been attending college and not been around home a great deal. I suppose those are some of the reasons why she chose to be married in Nicks hometown and have her reception here.

As the mother of the groom and with Christies mom far away it fell upon me to make this reception all she wanted it to be. I worked with her and her mom as much as possible to make the day special and memorable, however as with all things in this economy it had to be as economical as possible. So I’m going to tell you what we did for this out door reception and I hope you’ll be get some ideas for your own party.

Location was a big deal. I had a friend whose husband had taken a great interest in gardening just lately and had redone their whole yard. There was a childrens playhouse that looked just light a lighthouse, a small pond complete with waterfall, beautiful flowers, a misting system to help with the heat, plenty of room for tables and chairs and even a place for the quartet we wanted. With Nick and Christies approval it was full steam ahead! Location done! And with such a pretty place decorations could be kept to a minimum.

The quartet was a group of girls that my youngest daughter played with. They were quite good and practiced up to be great. They played all evening, a variety of music and got lots of compliments. Music done!

Now since there was to be 2 receptions and both families wanted to keep the costs down, we chose a unique idea for the cake. First we had no intention of serving cake so it was no more than a prop. Second the cake was going to have to travel several hundred miles in a box and a car. So my sister decided to have a friend make a cake according to the brides wishes out of styrofoam, yup, 3 delicious looking layers of styrofoam. Then make 2 tiny cakes the same size as the top of the cake for cutting, you know that picture taking moment, one cake for this reception, one cake for the 2nd reception. It worked perfectly and no one had the slightest idea that the big cake was a fake.      

It was an outdoor reception and it was summer, so we set up a nice looking tent apart from the tables where loved ones could sit and cool off or enjoy a video made for the happy couple. People moved in and out of it all night. Some watched, some rested, some visited, it was just a nice shady option for the guests.

As darkness came upon us we had simple lighting take over. White or clear Christmas lights were hung from every roofline and the gazebo over the tables. Tiki torches lined the walkway to the reception, and candles were on every table. It turned out to be just the right amount of lighting and created the perfect intimate atmosphere for visiting.

Food was totally at the brides discretion. She wanted a buffet of sorts, serving her favorite foods from childhood memories. I used some of her recipes and found others that were similar. We had filled cupcakes and her grandmothers french bread with bacon cheese spread, and a few other things. Then I rounded it out with some simple fruits and a cheese and cracker platter. Friends stepped up to do the serving and the kitchen was just steps away from the buffet so it couldn’t have been easier. The food took some planning, after I was making everything from scratch to feed at least 150 people. So I took the time to test recipes and test the results of freezing ahead of time to see what could and could not be done a few days or weeks ahead.

The home owner got all sentimental on us and placed a small train on a track near the tables and placed on top of one of the cars the little statue that had been their cake topper over 30 years before. It was seriously cute and fun to have the tie in.

We don’t always have just the perfect venue for a reception or party, but when you do take advantage of it! And don’t overdo the decorations, let the venue speak for itself. And remember as I always say, it’s about love and family and good friends and good food. Fancy parties will never cover the stink of bad feelings and selfishness.