I loves me some receptions

Plan on getting married during your life time? you can learn something form this post.

Shortly after turning sixteen I picked up a second job at Cranberry Country Lodge (CCL) in Tomah Wi. Brenda, my sister, had linned me up for the job while she was working there. My job title was “Porter”. My duties included trash detail, stocking storage rooms, getting customers pillows and things they request for their rooms; but most importantly to setup and tear down for conventions. CCL has one large room that can be divided into three segments, these rooms can be used for parties, meetings and many other things. My job was to arrange the tables and chairs to the customers liking. Nearly every weekend there was a wedding reception or two, I would set it up, work during it, and tear it down when it ended. I did this for two years, and I got very good at it.

After moving to La Crosse for school I picked up a job at the Radisson hotel. I worked there as convention setup and server. There is a major difference between conventions at CCL and conventions at the Radisson, the Radisson's catering service is matched by no one. At the Radisson hotel on some weekends there would be up to eight wedding receptions to work. I worked for Radisson for two and a half years, and I was very good at it.

Between going to the occasional wedding reception and working them at my job, I have probably attended three hundred to four hundred wedding receptions. Now that you know my credentials, I would like to state something, and you can quote this, I loves me some receptions.

There is something very special about a wedding reception, there is a basic order to it. Although every reception is different in some way, they all follow a basic format:

Family members and Old people show up early, the family members ( usually the mother of the bride ) shows up to make sure that the hall is setup precisely as needed and to complain about pointless details. I do not know why the old people show up so early, they must not have anything better to do.

After a certain time has been reached, the doors to the hall open. People then start to mosey on into the hall. This process can take a while, depending if there are houre de vours, an open bar, music...

After people have seated themselves, they wait for the wedding party to show up. The wedding party is almost always late.

When the wedding party shows up, people go nuts, throwing rice, confetti, and other crap into the air and if you have done that, I would like you to know that stuff lands on the ground, which I have to vacuum up at like one in the morning.... you know who you are.

Once the wedding party has been sat at the head table (and the Bestman is pulled away from the bar) the priest, pastor, whatever, explains to everyone how they will get food, then prayer, then the head table is served. (or goes through the buffet if they are cheap “just kidding”)

while everyone is eating, their attention is called to the front so the Maid of Honor can attempt to give a speech while crying. After that, the Bestman gives a speech, this often mentions how long he has known the groom, a crazy story with the groom and him and ends with how happy the groom is with the bride. (Even though he is probably mad that she never lets them just hang out anymore.) The father of the bride will give a speech about how he was unsure about the groom but now loves him.

After the food is gone and the speeches are done, the bride and groom smear cake all over each other, thinking its original. if you want to be original DO NOT smear the cake, everyone smears the cake, without fail.

After that nonsense, a video that someone made with a couple songs and a bunch of pictures is played. Everyone loves it, even me....

The next and !!!!!MOST IMPORTANT!!!! thing is the dance, if you do not have a dance at your wedding, no one will remember it, it is VERY important. That is where all the memories come from. You wanna see your grandpa do something crazy? Have an open bar and a good DJ. Why do you think all those people come to a reception? To drink and dance! Trust me.

Every wedding has key things that happen durring the dance, including, bride and grooms first dance, father of the bride dance, dollar dance, throwing of the bouquet, tossing of the guarder (which can be a horrible battle) they also play key songs

-chicken dance
-Mackarienna
-Girls wanna have fun
-save a horse ride a cowboy
-greased lightning
-big buts, just to name a few.

After all is said and done, and the last drunken groomsman takes the last drunken bride's maid off of the floor, the clean up begins. The whole thing is magical and enjoyable, and predictable and it NEVER gets old. One thing that you can count on is this, something you were not expecting to happen, will happen.

I cannot wait to host my own reception, whenever that will be, I am sure it will be as predictable as the last, but hey...

"that's the right way about it".
-Richard Gums

P.S. You should see the bill sometime, open bar and prime rib for five hundred people WOW!