The Reception

Like picking the venue, picking a reception site is also one of the first things you need to do if you are planning to have the reception at a different location. Picking a reception location is similar to the venue, in the sense that you need to ask the same questions you would when you are visiting venue locations. You also need to make sure you are prepared to answer questions they may have regarding how many people, theme/colors/tone etc. Like I mentioned in 'Picking A Venue', your wedding date will play an effect on your location options. You wouldn't want to have an outdoor wedding in the middle of winter. If you are wanting your ceremony and reception at different locations, make sure that it is a reasonable traveling distance for your guests and you allow them sufficient time to get there. 

I lucked out and had my reception at a family friend's house. It helped out a lot being on a tight budget. If you are going to have a reception at someone's house make sure you tell them a million times over again, how thankful you are and get them a little something to show your appreciation. If it wasn't for these friends that allowed me to use their home, I have no idea where I would have had my reception, and I would have had to cut out a lot of other things so I could pay for a reception site. 

Things to consider if you use someone's house:

-Make sure there is enough parking for guests- At The Hermanski's house where I had my reception, they had a huge field where all the guests parked. 
-Make sure they are up-to-date on their landscaping- Kathi & Chris were very nice and asked me ahead of time what my colors were so they could get flower pots in my colors. 
-Make sure their kitchen is large enough for a caterer and people doing the food. 

Picking a reception location, is one of the fun aspects of the planning. Make sure you put picking a reception site on the top of your to-do-list after you choose your date and ceremony location. 

Also: If you fall in love with a reception site and they only offer in-house catering, be sure to set up a tasting appointment with your fiancé and parents. This maybe the determining factor between two places.

Outdoor Home 

Langdon Farms Golf Club, Oregon

Noah's Events Center, Utah