The wedding reception is a ritual that is observed to accept the society and the family and friends who make it. in this ceremony the bride and the groom formally meet the society together for the first time.
The couple hosts a function in which they receive the guests and show kindness for attending their wedding and blessing them. Generally a wedding reception is meant to be a dinner party where the new couple arranges for the food and drink. It is their first get together after marriage and they expect every friend and relative to join in their celebrations. It is a custom to invite everyone formally for the day.
The ritual of throwing a party and entertaining the guests are different for different societies. The difference in religion also makes a lot of difference in the ceremony. However, in the West the Christians generally keep a wedding cake at the function. The food and drink are chosen according to the bride and the groom. Playing games and singing wedding songs are the general activities in such occasion.
In this occasion the bride and the groom wear their chosen dresses though wearing a wedding gown is optional for the lady. There are some customs in some countries where the wedding reception is scheduled just after the marriage. Here the marriage takes place in the morning or afternoon and the guests are invited to a different venue thereafter for lunch or dinner. It is also customary to introduce the bridal side to the groom’s side at this occasion. After a formal introduction both the parties enjoy the drink and food.
There are also other formalities that are maintained by different societies. However the Christian weddings also have the custom to raise a toast for the well being of the new couple. The toast is proposed by the bride’s father or the best man at the wedding. Nonetheless, other religion like the Muslims does not drink on such occasions and have other rituals to celebrate the couple’s happiness. There are many more rituals in the world that are comparable to a wedding reception. They have different names for the same but the purpose is the same.
The custom and tradition of a wedding reception change with the social practice. It can be thrown on the same day while there are other rituals which hold the ceremony after a day or two. In these societies it is believed that the couple should be accepted by the society after they have been accepted by the family. Generally a small get together is organized with the family members in between the wedding date and the reception date.
In the West it is believed that the new couple is the guest of honor and they must leave first from the wedding reception venue. It is believed that only after the guest of honor departs that the other guests can take leave freely. They should not wait upon the family of the bride or the groom. The family members of the couple however should bid leave to the other guests. However, in many other traditions the guests should leave first while the new couple waits for their departure. It is believed to be rough to leave the guests behind. Hence tradition and custom change the rituals as well.
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