A wedding reception is the culmination of months, and sometimes years, of planning.

Don’t let anxiety ruin the day. Follow these tips for a stress-free wedding reception.

A wedding reception is like a kick-off party for a couple’s relationship. Who wants to start things off full of anxiety and disappointment?

By following a few simple guidelines, the couple can have a wonderful and stress-free reception.

Let Go

The most important way to remove stress from a wedding reception is to learn to let go of the details. Do the planning, legwork, and obsessing in advance.

Use your bridesmaids – you chose them to help you out so let them help! Make sure you express your thanks after the big day with a beautiful bridesmaid gift box.

Delegate

Make sure the bridal party knows what is expected of them. At the very least, they should make sure that the bride and groom receive a steady supply of drinks and snacks.

The bride may also need some help with her dress in the ladies’ room. Lastly, they should keep an eye out for guests who are getting out of control.

Don’t Pay the Piper

Assign a trusted family member or friend the role of paying the vendors. Place the cash or cheque for each vendor in an envelope and seal it.

Write the name of the vendor on the front, as well as any directions for when and how the payment should be given.

Find a Babysitter

If children attend the reception, have a sitter on hand. This doesn’t need to be a formal arrangement, however. Simply ask some responsible teens or young adults to keep an eye on the little ones.

They can keep them away from the cake and engage them in learning new moves on the dance floor. It’s also a good way to keep teen guests from getting bored if they don’t know anyone.

Hire a Clean Up Crew

No, not really. The reception venue should have that under control (although it couldn’t hurt to make sure). But it is important to ask someone to ensure that keepsakes such as the guest book and cake topper make it back safely.

Get a Doggie Bag

When people say that the bride and groom rarely eat at the wedding, they aren’t exaggerating.

Between special dances, toasts, greeting guests, cutting the cake, and working the room, there isn’t always time to sit down and enjoy dinner. Factor in the excitement and nervous energy of the day, and it’s a wonder anyone can eat anything at all.

Arrange for the reception venue to box up leftovers, or a complete meal, to enjoy later. Do the same thing for the cake.

As the bride and groom are coming down from the high of the day, there’s nothing like a bit of a delicious wedding cake to help prolong the magic.

Hire a Car

Hire a car or enlist a non-drinking wedding guest to bring the bride and groom home from the reception. It’s nice to not have to worry about being too tired (or drunk) to drive home. It’s even nicer to have some quiet alone time!