What does the wedding reception mean? A wedding banquet is a banquet held at her parents' house the day before her daughter gets married, that is, the day before the wedding. In the past, the day before the bride got married, the bride's family would hold a wedding reception for her daughter, which was also her last meal at the bride's family, because after marriage, she was a member of the man's family and invited all her close relatives and friends. Nowadays, due to marriage customs and traffic reasons, many places combine wedding banquets with wedding banquets.