6 Ideas for a More Memorable Reception

Admit it: You kind of want your wedding to stand out. You might pretend you don’t, but because this day is special to you and because you have put so much hard work into it, you are definitely hoping that people will like it. You hope that your wedding won’t simply be shut away in the wedding archives of your guests’ minds where it will blend together with all the other weddings and simply become part of a giant wedding memory smoosh. No. Yours should be remembered as an entity on its own.

The wedding ceremony is about the two of you, of course, and should play out in a way that suits you, your culture and your religion. That’s fine. But the reception is the party part. That’s the part that the guests are looking forward to. They’re looking forward to “A Celebration”.

Here are some tips on how to have a more memorable reception

• Don’t stroll shyly into the reception area after returning from your photo shoot. Skip into the room together and have your groom do a cartwheel. It will lighten the mood and get rid of that formal “stiffness” that some weddings have.

• Make sure your first dance is special. Awkwardly shuffling around on the dance floor to the world’s most obscure song isn’t going to inspire anyone to have a party. If “your” song is a slow and sappy number that you can’t bear to part with, great. Have the dj play it for a while and then segue into something fast and vibey. If you can salsa or mambo, even better.

• Have a photo booth with props. Let’s face it: on the weekends, grownups are just large children. We need entertainment. Give us toys to play with and we’ll be happy.

• Make sure the children are taken care of. I possible, hire someone to entertain and look after the kids. It makes all the difference in the world to a parent when they don’t have to deal with their bored children. Everyone has more fun that way. Put together some gift boxes for the kids (this doesn’t have to be expensive) and make sure they are fed something they will enjoy. A Happy Meal is quick and easy or something simple like hotdogs would also work– there is no point in spending a fortune on giving them the same meal as the grownups. They won’t like it anyway.

• Get creative with the “traditions”. Instead of using the same old, tired, “western” traditions that don’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, why don’t you borrow traditions from different cultures? These kinds of deviations lead to much curiosity an excitement.

• Have a cupcake decorating station. This is truly a big hit with just about anyone. Not only are you again giving your guests something fun to do, but cupcakes are a great dessert.

An important thing to remember is that if you’re having fun planning it, then it’s likely that your guests will have fun doing it!