The reception is traditionally the part of the ceremony that guests enjoy the most. Not just for the eating and drinking, but because they will have the opportunity to mingle with others as well. Also, the reception is technically the first party that you and your fiance will host as husband and wife. Your desire is to have the perfect location for your perfect marriage ceremony.

To determine the right place for your wedding reception, you have to consider the following:

Would you like your reception to be inside or out? If you want to have a garden reception, you have to think of the weather. It is best to have a garden wedding during the spring or summer, when rain is scarce. Another option would be renting a roof deck area that is large enough to hold your guests. Just think of the lovely view everyone will have. If you plan to have an indoor reception instead, there are lots of options to choose from. Many fine hotels and country clubs have a space for wedding receptions, but you have to book it well in advance.

If budget is an issue, you can simply hold your wedding reception at your home, or your fiance’s, if it is spacious and presentable enough. You can go through the list of relatives too, as one of them could be pleased to let you use their place for your reception. Imagine the savings that you will have by not having to pay for the venue. Something else you can do to ease the burden on your finances is to balance things according to importance for you. For instance, it may be the best choice to go for spending more on the venue for your wedding by spending less on someting else. In this spirit, there are many gorgeous yet cheap wedding dresses, cheap tuxedos, and cheap wedding shoes that you can choose from.

Will your wedding be a formal affair? Most formal weddings have receptions in swanky banquet halls inside hotels and country clubs. Black tie will probably work best indoors. For more casual ceremonies, a popular alternative would be venues near the beach. A less formal reception will work best with the tropical island feeling a beach can instill.

Where will your guests come from? If many of them will be coming in from out of town, it will make it more convenient for them if you book a location that is in a hotel where they can stay before and after the event. And as tempting as it is to hold your wedding in some dreamy castle in Italy, it won’t work if most of your guests will come from the US and will have to spend a fortune in air travel just to get to your ceremony.

What is your budget? Some couples go so overboard with planning for the dresses and the wedding proper, and neglect to opt for a quality cheap plus size wedding gown or inexpensive bouquet instead, that they forget to provide enough of a budget for the reception. Certain venues feature package deals that include the food and drink, entertainment and decor; and others have you take care of that on your own. To find somewhere that makes you happy, scout the area for places, look through magazines, or do research on the net. There are many avenues of research open to you via the internet that will present you with the different choices available to you for your reception to be held in.

Pick a unique place. Instead of booking the usual banquet halls, you can hold your reception in a local aquarium, inside a museum or planetarium. With a little digging, you’d be surprised at the places that will agree to host your reception, maybe with just a little extra fee.