OK, so our reception is now in a village hall. It's a very nice one, and the hall custodian is married to the hog roast man. Both will be available on the day so someone will be there to run the bar. We also have use of a big fridge in the kitchen from the night before to store champagne, cheese, and other perishables.
The hall consists of 3 rooms - a huge wood panelled room with vaulted ceiling -the main room. We will have tables laid out there for the hog roast buffet, also a cake table and a buffet side dishes table. There's a light and airy side room where we will have some more tables as a quiet area, and a bar with hideous decor. Corridors are rather institutional and school-like.
OK so my wobbles:
We're asking guests to arrive from 5pm, and by 6 at the latest. We want to do speeches at 6 with hog roast served from 7. I can delegate one of OH's brothers to do the meet and greets and hand out drinks and nibbles (champagne and strawberry tarts on arrival). We want to make a sort of entrance so will arrive about 5.30 in my decorated campervan. However, what are guests supposed to do as they arrive? We can play music but only in the main hall, yet will people want to go straight in and sit at a table? I doubt it. They will want to mingle, but we have no outside space except the hall carpark. The side room won't fit 80+ people in. I'm just worried that there will be no happy atmosphere or anything. We don't have a master of ceremonies or anything like that to help.
I'm also stressing about our band. We have booked a ceilidh band because I've been to some great ceilidhs in Scotland and half my family are Scottish. But they want to set up from 7pm, when everyone will be eating. do you think this is a problem? I can't solve it, I'm just stressing. And what if no-one wants to get involved in the dancing? I know my family will, but I can see friends thinking it's all a bit naff and old fashioned and be self conscious about that sort of dancing and just want a disco. In my planning mind, I imagine nearly a hundred people all up and dancing, but I'm worried it won't be like that and I'll be a laughing stock.
And final stress - decorating the place. I've planned flowers for tables and I have some good decorations for the top table and cake tables (wicker garlands from Hobbycraft, wooden LOVE letters, cake table figurine, a funky picture thing that spells out our initials in a frame) but this hall is HUGE. Really high vaulted ceiling. Maybe the hall will be OK but what about the corridors? I was thinking bunting, but that's been done to death recently, we're not having a fete/vintage theme, and the amount I'd need would cost a fortune (no, I don't have time to make any)
I think the problem is, for my first marriage we had a big stately home with all the staff and all the trimmings. Plenty of space for people to mingle outside the main dining room, and gardens/outside space. I had unlimited budget for flowers so the place looked like an Elton John party! I had time and money to co-ordinate everything, and it looked amazing. This time I feel we're just cobbling something together. Our actual wedding is just the 2 of us, eloping. And that's where my financial / planning priorities lay. But maybe I was wrong because now we're inviting people to, well, not much. And I don't want it to look half hearted.
sorry for the long post. Just very stressed about it all.
xC
