Choosing Your Banquet Hall - The 3 Most Important Factors
Before you drop your huge deposit down on what may well be your wedding banquet hall, pay close attention to the following issues that could have a negative effect on the outcome of your reception.
The number one factor to discuss with your banquet hall is that they are willing and able to put your bar in the reception room. If the bar is in the lobby (or in some cases, in an entirely different room) half of your guests will be where ever the bar is. Even if only 30% of your guests are out of the main room, it will still look like half the people left. Consider this: the people who drink and hang by the bar are usually the fun, loud partying types. How sad that those people are not having fun with you! If the banquet facilities won't allow you to have a bar in the main room, you might think of moving on.
If you're considering several different banquet halls, your next request should be that they centralize your dance floor, especially if you have 150 guests or more. With a hundred guests or less, those sitting furthest from the dance area aren't too far removed, but with larger crowds, you need to be careful. Some guests might be so far away, they miss your first dance, father daughter dance, etc. Also, if they hear a great dance song, they might not bother to get up and go dance. You should consider it your center stage. Everyone should be close enough to see it. Most reception banquet halls get it and they allow you to design the room as you wish. If not, consider looking elsewhere.
Lastly, banquets halls should have the proper size room to go with the number of guests attending. It's terrible to have all of your friends and family feeling like they are stuck in a stuffy room. At the opposite end of the spectrum is having a room so large that it feels empty. The latter is an easy fix, though. All you have to do is bring the tables in closer so they are grouped together. The worst thing you can do is try and fill up the entire room by spreading out all the tables. This will make it feel less intimate. Don't worry. Your wedding guests will be focused on you, not any empty space. They will most likely appreciate the extra room along the outside of the tables area. If you feel the need to put something in the empty areas, you can try some banquet hall decorations. This will give you a chance to add your own style to the event as long as the banquet hall facilities allow you to embellish.
There are other issues to consider when searching for your reception location, but the wedding banquet halls you look at need to be able to deliver on the above issues. If you are trying to save money by looking at cheap banquet halls, you're not alone. Your event should come off without a hitch as long as you take the advice found here. Remember, have the location set the bar up in the room. Put your dance floor in the middle of the room with all your tables gathered around. If the room is too big, bring the tables in closer. If the room is too small, move on to the next location. If the room is perfect, congratulations! As you shell out the cash for your banquet hall rental, keep in mind that you are the client, so your wants and desires come first. These requests are not unreasonable, and any professional location should have no problem accommodating you and should be happy to! If your banquet hall will follow through with the above advice, your wedding reception should turn out spectacular!
James is a southern California DJ/MC/Host and Wedding Planner and loves helping his clients with their wedding planning and wedding music. He now writes for the Everything Experts Weddings, where he is the lead writer and advice giver. His services can be attained here: Last Dance entertainment.
The number one factor to discuss with your banquet hall is that they are willing and able to put your bar in the reception room. If the bar is in the lobby (or in some cases, in an entirely different room) half of your guests will be where ever the bar is. Even if only 30% of your guests are out of the main room, it will still look like half the people left. Consider this: the people who drink and hang by the bar are usually the fun, loud partying types. How sad that those people are not having fun with you! If the banquet facilities won't allow you to have a bar in the main room, you might think of moving on.
If you're considering several different banquet halls, your next request should be that they centralize your dance floor, especially if you have 150 guests or more. With a hundred guests or less, those sitting furthest from the dance area aren't too far removed, but with larger crowds, you need to be careful. Some guests might be so far away, they miss your first dance, father daughter dance, etc. Also, if they hear a great dance song, they might not bother to get up and go dance. You should consider it your center stage. Everyone should be close enough to see it. Most reception banquet halls get it and they allow you to design the room as you wish. If not, consider looking elsewhere.
Lastly, banquets halls should have the proper size room to go with the number of guests attending. It's terrible to have all of your friends and family feeling like they are stuck in a stuffy room. At the opposite end of the spectrum is having a room so large that it feels empty. The latter is an easy fix, though. All you have to do is bring the tables in closer so they are grouped together. The worst thing you can do is try and fill up the entire room by spreading out all the tables. This will make it feel less intimate. Don't worry. Your wedding guests will be focused on you, not any empty space. They will most likely appreciate the extra room along the outside of the tables area. If you feel the need to put something in the empty areas, you can try some banquet hall decorations. This will give you a chance to add your own style to the event as long as the banquet hall facilities allow you to embellish.
There are other issues to consider when searching for your reception location, but the wedding banquet halls you look at need to be able to deliver on the above issues. If you are trying to save money by looking at cheap banquet halls, you're not alone. Your event should come off without a hitch as long as you take the advice found here. Remember, have the location set the bar up in the room. Put your dance floor in the middle of the room with all your tables gathered around. If the room is too big, bring the tables in closer. If the room is too small, move on to the next location. If the room is perfect, congratulations! As you shell out the cash for your banquet hall rental, keep in mind that you are the client, so your wants and desires come first. These requests are not unreasonable, and any professional location should have no problem accommodating you and should be happy to! If your banquet hall will follow through with the above advice, your wedding reception should turn out spectacular!
James is a southern California DJ/MC/Host and Wedding Planner and loves helping his clients with their wedding planning and wedding music. He now writes for the Everything Experts Weddings, where he is the lead writer and advice giver. His services can be attained here: Last Dance entertainment.
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