Looking for the perfect Wedding Venue? Join us for a virtual tour of our Venue…Capriotti’s in McAdoo, Pennsylvania. View our outside scenic property, including 2 patios, the onsite ceremony building – The Cappella, and our Ballroom in the Palazzo. With neutral tones, our venue is customizable to coordinate with your wedding theme.

 

Let’s face it – wedding planning can cause a lot of stress if you let it.  Surprisingly, the influx of small details alone can put a damper on your mood. However, choosing your wedding venue should not be one of those stressors. When it comes to planning one of the happiest days of your life, surely you should be excited!

So, we’re not here to sugarcoat things – the small details do add up and oftentimes, choosing a wedding venue can be difficult. Therefore, here are a few tips to help you during the process of choosing the perfect venue for your big day!

Get Started

Know your VISION – this is SO important. What kind of day are you envisioning? Rustic and boho? Elegant and classy? Simple and casual? Also, what time of year do you want to get married? Do you want an outdoor ceremony or inside? Surprisingly, knowing this going into the process will help…especially when deciding to tour venues and help lock in a location.

Size Matters

Draft up a guest list. Have an idea of how many people you might be inviting so you know that your venue can accommodate that amount of people. If your guest count is significantly higher than the max capacity, then you can eliminate that venue.

Equally important is touring venues. Once you know what your vision is, visit venues, meet with the staff and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Do they offer on-site ceremonies? How long can the reception go until? What are some policies that the venue has? 

What’s Included?

Ask your venue what all they include. This is MAJOR. Otherwise, you may end up running around looking for items from all different locations. Are linens included? What about flatware? Chairs? Does your venue have any decor available for use that you can utilize with the rest of your items? Is the catering provided through the venue or do you have to hire an outside caterer to come in? Additionally, are there any preferred bakers in the area for the wedding cake or does that come included in your package? Comparatively, Capriotti’s Wedding Packages list all the details for our on-site and off-site weddings.

Find out if you are entirely responsible for the planning process. Obviously, some couples prefer to take care of the details themselves. While that is completely fine, it is important to keep in mind that there are a lot of details to balance. If you are looking for a day-of coordinator, find out if your venue includes one or if you are responsible for hiring an outside coordinator to keep things organized along the way.

Set a Budget

Accordingly, ask for charges ahead of time. Evidently, this step goes hand in hand with knowing what’s included. No one wants to be bombarded with a million charges that you weren’t expecting when choosing your wedding venue. Nevertheless, there are a few key questions: Is the per person price just for catering? Is there an upgrade charge for renting linens/chairs through the venue? Does the venue charge a facility fee for utilizing the space? Lastly, is the gratuity included in the pricing? Generally, these are some questions that will help you to stay in your budget. However, you can Read more about some tips on wedding budgeting.

Overall, think of your must haves. What do you absolutely NEED to have on your day of?

Have Fun!

Lastly, despite all the questions, choosing your wedding venue doesn’t have to be stressful. By utilizing these simple tips, you can basically save yourself time and enjoy the planning process. So finally, have fun!

 

How to arrange tables for a wedding reception

Before deciding on the layout of your reception, first to consider is the size and shape of tables. Each table shape has advantages and disadvantages. The decision of circular, rectangular, oval, long-rectangle, or small-square tables will depend entirely on the venue and the general style of the preferred table arrangements. These are considerations that are important to keep in mind for your banquet table seating guide.

The next decision is whether you want to be in a head table setup with your chosen close family and wedding party or separately in a sweetheart table setup with just the bride and groom. If you opt for the latter, the family and wedding entourage tables will preferably be set up closer to you. These tables typically have special decorations different to guests to emphasize their importance. Either way, the most important thing to remember is that the newlyweds should be facing the guests.

When deciding on the layout of the reception festivities, also consider the grand entrance as newlyweds, cutting the wedding cake, the first dance, and wedding toasts. Arrange tables to make enough space for all this to be possible and visible. Your dining table seating guide is crucial to help your guests enjoy their shared meals and the wedding reception in general.

Other things to take into account are miscellaneous factors such as a DJ or a live band, a dessert table, an open bar, a photo booth, and other things that you might want to include in your wedding. When planning your layout, keep in mind that these will also need their own space. Ideally, these must be spread out across the venue to avoid crowding obscuring pathways.

How to seat guests at a Wedding Reception

Seating your guests will be the hardest part of creating your wedding’s table seating guide. To make it less stressful, start with immediate family and closest friends. You can branch out from there.

Parents will typically sit together in one table which is the closest to the newlyweds. In the case of complicated family situations, they can be put on opposite sides of the table or at separate tables.

After the parent’s and immediate family are sorted, the nearest table to the newlyweds would be the wedding entourage. Bridesmaids and groomsmen can sit in one table. Or they can sit separately depending on the arrangement of tables and the number of people that fit in one table.

You can opt to seat your guests by groups – your work friends, high school friends, college friends, and extended family. You can also opt for a mix of these groups for all of them to get a chance to get to know each other.

Basic Etiquette for Wedding Reception Seating

Considering the diversity of the people on your guest list, it’s important to be considerate of where you place them. You can group them by how you know them – school, work, extended family, etc. Or you can mix it up and decide who you think could get along well with who.

Traditionally, the groom will sit to the right side of the bride. The best man will sit on the left side of the bride. Meanwhile, the maid of honor sits to the right of the groom. All other special guests are seated near the couple depending on how large the table is.

It’s also important to keep in mind a few considerations. Make sure you don’t place people who may have conflict next to each other to avoid possible drama. Also consider the accessibility of guests who might need it. Elderly or persons with disabilities may need extra accommodations to ensure they have a fun time.

Additionally, if children are allowed at the reception, a Kids’ Table is a good idea to keep them in one place. This will occupy them while the function is happening. Ideally this table is near to their parents or their line of view.

If you don’t want to have to go through the trouble of placing each guest in a specific seat, you can opt for assigned tables instead. Guests will have the option to sit where they want in a table assigned to them. This way, you don’t have to painstakingly decide the placement of each guest but they won’t be in chaos trying to look for a seat.

Coming up with the Best Table Seating Guide

Your wedding day is a milestone worthy of celebrating with all your dearest family and friends. Coming up with a proper table seating guide will help make your big day go off without a hitch.

This article gives the basics of how to achieve the best seating arrangement for your wedding guests, how to properly seat your guests to give them all a good time, and the basic etiquette for every wedding reception seating. You can even opt to create a wedding reception seating chart for easier planning.

For other wedding matters, you can also opt for other wedding planning tools online. There are many online resources to help you plan your wedding.

Once your seating arrangements are ironed out, you can get on with planning your wedding reception decoration to give your guests a dining experience in style. Get high-quality linens at affordable prices by ordering wholesale tablecloths, chair covers, and other wedding decorations.

Keep these guidelines to help you navigate the tricky task of creating the perfect wedding seating arrangement. Following these tips in planning your table-seating, you’re sure to give your guests the time of their lives at your wedding reception.

 

We LOVE catering Weddings! (And why wouldn’t we??!!). Weddings are one of the happiest moments in a person’s life – surrounded by friends and family – celebrating the love of two people!

The interesting thing though about Weddings is everyone has their own vision…and that’s what we love most! With so many options to choose from – ballroom, barn, outdoor – it’s a big decision for many couples. And certainly one that should not be taken lightly!

If you’re thinking Ballroom, the Venue at Capriotti’s offers so much…beginning with our on-site, climate-controlled Wedding Ceremony building – The Cappella. With seating up to 200 guests, the venue can be transformed into your vision with the celebrant of your choice! Fast forward to your Cocktail Hour and Reception, we offer two beautifully appointed outdoor Patios and a spacious modern Ballroom, accommodating up to 375 guests! The versatility of our Venue allows you to use your theme to make our space your very own.

But if Ballrooms aren’t your thing, Capriotti’s is also the exclusive caterer for The Barn at Graver’s Tree Farm. It is a beautiful Barn Venue, tucked in the valley beneath hills of evergreens – the perfect blend of new rough cut woody timbers strategically placed on the original 1850’s stone walls. The Venue is laced with touches of sweeping elegance found in the iron doorways and chandeliers. Our expert staff will move seamlessly throughout your Wedding, handling all the Venue details.

We are also pleased to be one of the recommended vendors at Catalpa Grove. Located on the historic property of Lakewood Park and situated creek side, it is a four season Venue with a tranquil setting. The timber frame building boosts massive ceilings, elegant chandeliers, a stone fireplace, and balcony. We can happily provide delicious food and bar service for your event.

Perhaps you have a memorable spot or homestead that is special to you. As an experienced caterer, we will make that area just as elegant or casual as you would like. We offer everything from appetizers to full course meals and can even do an onsite grilling with a variety of options.

Wedding Weekends are now becoming more popular. And if you are looking for a NEW option…we’d like to introduce…BELLAGIO FIELDS – Your Weekend Wedding Venue! A perfect outdoor setting for your Ceremony and Reception with rolling fields and mountains as your backdrop!

The best part…the Venue is yours for the Weekend – with overnight accommodations for up to 30 members of your Bridal Party or Family! Relax and enjoy the private Courtyard, complete with fire pits and furnishings, set up outdoor games around the property or hang out in the common area with drinks, games and tv.

The celebration starts the night before your Wedding with a private Rehearsal Dinner, followed by a Continental Breakfast (hot options available) on your Wedding Day, Beauty Prep Snacks, the Reception and a Continental Breakfast (hot options available) for the day following. All catering for Bellagio Fields will be done exclusively by Capriotti’s Catering!

To ensure a smooth weekend celebration, Capriotti’s also provides you with an experienced Wedding Coordinator…on-site to take care of all your needs during your weekend celebration!

This newly renovated property – reflecting the colors of nature – will be ready to host Weddings beginning in the Summer of 2023!

To learn more about all Capriotti’s has to offer for Weddings, visit our Wedding Page!

(Cover Photo: Amy Pcolinsky Photography)

Have you seen our on-site Ceremony Venue – The Cappella? We have hosted many Weddings, Parties, and Cocktails Hours in this beautiful climate controlled building since we opened our doors just a few years ago.

Here’s a flashback video of when we began using this new building…Watch below as Bri takes a few minutes to talk about our first ceremony in the Cappella, along with the options for a receiving line on our spacious outdoor Patio with cocktail hour back in the Cappella.

Each week it is our pleasure to host Wedding Ceremonies, Cocktail Hours, and Parties!

Capriotti’s is pleased to offer the option of hosting both the Ceremony and Reception at our Venue. This Wedding Day convenience is perfect for both couples and their guests.  The Cappella is ideal not only for ensuring a dry onsite location on rainy days, but also a climate controlled venue for the sweltering days of summer.

 

Make your appointment today and share in Bri’s enthusiasm of all Capriotti’s has to offer. You can even take a moment to learn more about our newly designed Wedding Collections for the 2021 Wedding Season before arriving.  At Capriotti’s, we strive to “passionately perfect life’s celebrations” and would love to assist newly engaged couples as they begin their journey to their Wedding Celebration!