Hey @parrisfamily, hope this isn’t too late a reply, but what a fun opportunity!
– Don’t be afraid to ask people to smile for a photo. Most people don’t mind, and you just snap a photo and keep going. And it’s way better to do that than catching someone mid-bite. 🙂 At the same time, it can be nice just to capture conversations that are happening. Not every photo has to have people smiling at the camera.
– Capture details. Take some pictures of the buffet, or a plate of food. Decorations, dessert, etc. Capturing details with people blurred out in the background can be a nice way to give a sense of the event in an artistic way.
– Wide angle shots of the room are always good!
– Look for artistic ways to photograph what’s happening. If someone’s giving a speech, frame it up with some people in the foreground.
– Capture people’s reactions. If someone’s giving a speech, be ready for times that people will be laughing or clapping or responding in some way, and take some pics of the attendees, not just the person talking.
This video might be helpful to watch as well, to give you some ideas. There’s other posts, articles and videos here on Lenspiration that could help, just search “event photography” in the search bar and read what applies best to your situation!