By Gina Groeger
gina@newsroom.byu.edu
A reception verses an open house. What is the difference?
A reception has nice food, a set schedule and it is formal. An open house is more casual, where people can come and go said Paige Engelhardt, 18, a freshman from New Canaan, N.J., who has an open major.
An open house is more casual, smaller, informal and has less food, said Jeff Waldvogel, 23, a senior from Corona, Calif., majoring in accounting.
Keith Blomquist, a wedding consultant and coordinator at Point du Ciel Event Center, said, 'An open house is less formal and more casual than a reception and it is an opportunity for the bride and groom to meet family.'
Both open houses and receptions typically have light refreshments, Blomquist said.
At receptions the bride wears her wedding dress and the groom wears his tuxedo, whereas, at open houses the bride and groom can wear formal or informal clothes, Blomquist said.
The bride and groom can choose whether on not to have a receiving line for an open house, Blomquist said.
An open house is usually the groom's area of responsibility. Blomquist said this responsibility primarily depends on where the couple is married and where the open house is located. Sometimes it is the bride's responsibility.
Receptions however are different. Blomquist said LDS members have a different approach to receptions, although the latest trend is traditional receptions.
LDS receptions usually consist of a formal receiving line or a partial receiving line followed by refreshments, cake cutting, a dance and the throwing of the bouquet and garter, Blomquist said.
The bouquet toss occurs about 95 percent of the time and the garter toss occurs less than half the time, Blomquist said.
The main difference between an LDS reception and a traditional reception is the formal receiving line. Blomquist said a traditional wedding does not have a formal line.
Blomquist said everyone benefits from not having a formal receiving line. The bride and groom have the opportunity to visit and mingle with everyone.
The traditional reception is an evening with a buffet, dancing, toasts and casual mingling with guests, Blomquist said.
It is the traditional receptions that are the most fun to have Blomquist said.