Often special ingredients and suppliers must be contacted by your vendors in order to complete an order properly and this also takes time. It turns out that those special flowers for your floral arrangements and wedding bouquet have to be flown in all the way from Costa Rica and Mexico - at just the right time - to ensure freshness and optimum beauty.

That great band that Gina and Tom had for their reception would be just perfect for your reception but you hear they're extremely popular and you're getting married in June....better hurry and book them while they're still available, even if your date is more than a year away. Now you're getting the picture.....

Before contacting any vendors or suppliers the first thing you need to do is draw up an accurate guest list, if you haven't already done so. (You should also have lined up your bridal attendants by this time). The guest list is your oh-so-important tool when you start to contact vendors and especially caterers or a banquet hall, for food cost estimates and all other estimates as well. The vendor's rate/quotes they'll give you is based on the number of guests. Simply from a supply point of view, the more guests, the more items such as food, liquor, wine, beer, tablecloths and settings, are required. This can only be done with an accurate guest list.

Once you have your guest list in hand, it's time to write a list of all and any services you think you'll need/want for your reception. The first consideration is a location. This can be a banquet or reception hall (especially for larger size wedding reception ideas) or a private club or restaurant for a smaller or informal wedding reception ideas. A family member's backyard or a lovely public or private park for a summer wedding would be good choices for a small or intimate wedding reception ideas as well but there are many ingenious and lovely locations possible for an intimate or smaller wedding reception ideas.

The next thing to do is take note of all the services you'll need: a baker, florist, photographer, musicians, possibly a food caterer, and liquor, wine and champagne supplies, depending on the location and whether there is a reception package or not.

Relax and enjoy your perfectly planned wedding reception.