People often assume cocktail parties are 2 hour events with some finger food and champagne passed around. This doesn’t have to be the case when it’s your very own wedding. I have worked some fantastic wedding cocktail parties with creative lounge areas, large screen photo shows and funky music. Some were outdoors with breathtaking views, others indoors decorated simply or intricately themed. Cocktail parties, like the sit down reception, are generally held after the ceremony at a different location, but why not combine both?

You may be close to someone who has the perfect house and has no hesitations loaning it on your big day. Alternatively, choose a venue boasting views, such as Noosa’s Main Beach or the river. While the photographer snaps away creatively with you and your family, your guests enjoy a glass of champagne and canapes.

Cocktail parties can be very sophisticated, formal or black-tie. Or they can be a very casual event. Your family and friends are able to mingle and converse with ease, and just as importantly so are you - the bride and groom. Cocktail party formalities are routine just like sit down receptions. Speeches, cake cutting and dancing are all still a part of the celebration.

Perhaps a grand entrance into the dining room is more your scene, guests standing in ovation as Mr & Mrs Newlywed glide in. Tables graced with flowers and candles, the room filled with a romantic ambience as the quartet strings along. Sit down dinners always hold an air of excitement and anticipation. Why not have a lunch reception for something different? A very intimate and memorable wedding I worked at was one long table, banquet style like the last supper, decadently decorated right down to pink glassware. The layout made it a very social evening.

Although a lot of organising goes into sit down dinners, every little effort is worth it. Unless you hold it at a private residence, it is likely an event manager from the venue will guide you all the way. Hiring a wedding coordinator for a sit down reception at home or in a marquee is well worth looking into. Coordinators ensure nothing is missed. More importantly they have a visual image of your dream wedding, their job being to fulfil that and keep it within your budget. You can relax and enjoy the lead up to the big day as much as the celebration itself.

Whether it be a cocktail party or sit down dinner,the key to a successful event is that it is well managed and executed. Whether your budget is small or large, whether it’s in a home or at a venue attention to detail and how organised you are will be the most important aspects.

If at home or in a marquee, your caterer should help you with every aspect related to food and beverage, and in most cases your hire equipment and waiting staff. Research a few caterers and check they have experience in private homes, indoor/outdoor. Find out if they provide staff and equipment to set up a bar area, a table and chair to sign the marriage certificate.

What do they charge per head, and are there extra costs? What menu options can they provide, are you able to do a menu tasting? What are their portion sizes and can they cater for special dietary requirements? Consider these when you seek out the perfect reception venue already with inhouse caterers.

You’ll want the food and wines to be delicious, of highest quality, and served efficiently. Find out if you can bring your own wines to the venue. You can often save some money buying your alcohol elsewhere.

Create a visual image of your wedding and start researching here on Noosa Brides!

Good luck and don’t forget to enjoy and saviour every moment leading up to, and including, the big day.