The Differences Between a Banquet and a Reception

A banquet typically involves a professionally-catered feast arranged and paid for by an individual or a business, in association with, or in honor of, a particular occasion. The sponsor or client who arranges a banquet may have a guest list of as few as ten or upwards of hundreds.

Typically, sponsors hold banquets in a facility that deals regularly in such events, such as a restaurant or hotel with function rooms, a separate function hall, or a function room of a lodge. For banquets held in a function hall, a lodge, or a similar facility, the sponsor will usually engage a catering service to supply the meal.

Sponsors may arrange banquets in association with some sort of significant business, political or spiritual event. Examples of occasions when a sponsor may arrange a banquet include a political candidate’s victory in an election, a retirement ceremony for a high-level manager, marking a victorious season outcome for a sports team or significant wedding anniversaries such as the 25th or 50th. Banquet occasions associated with religious or spiritual milestones include those arranged in celebration of a baptism, first communion, confirmation or bar mitzvah.

A reception, as a type of event, derives its name from its distinguishing characteristic: a receiving line. The most common occasion for the holding of a reception involves a wedding. However, the receiving line may be appropriate at other occasions, such as the ordination of a man to the priesthood, a significant job or military promotion, or a retirement. Attendees progress through the receiving line, at the head of which the wedding couple or person of honor greet each guest or group of guests and receive well-wishes from the attendees appropriate to the occasion.

In the instance of the ordination of a priest or retirement of a non-management individual, the reception may occur in the context of an offering of simple fare such as cheese and crackers or a cake appropriate to the occasion. In some instances, couples elect to have an informal wedding including a simpler meal such as an outdoor picnic gathering with food prepared by family and friends. In such instances, these receptions would not qualify as banquets.