Fun Wedding Reception Ideas
As you’re considering some wedding reception ideas remember that you and your guest want to have some fun. The celebration is usually following the ceremony itself and with a short interlude, more often than not carries on into the evening or night time. Sometimes, for those really enjoying themselves, even to the next morning. There are many types of receptions, some formal, some more relaxed.
These days you can hold your reception at almost any venue you choose. You may opt for the local village hall, with its informal comfort and familiarity or a stately home or castle, for its elegance, romance and luxury. Your decision will be governed mainly by your personal choice and available budget which will have been taken into account at the time of planning the wedding as a whole.
Once you have decided where you would like to hold your reception, it is necessary to check out what accessories such as crockery and table clothes the venue will be using. Let’s face it; you don’t want the setting to be absolutely idyllic but the accessories to be of a lesser quality. Make sure you have a thorough look at the venue and take in all the little details, even if you have to visit more than once before committing yourself.
The layout of the room is very important. It’s a good idea for the head table to be horse-shoe shaped. This way the guests will be able to approach the bride and groom to pass on their congratulations without totally blocking the head table from the view of others. Round tables are a good option for the remainder of the guests enabling them all to see each other and engage in conversation. The tables can be decorated in many ways; color coordinated candles, flowers or themed centerpieces, either professionally put together or made at home.
Food and drink is a main feature of the wedding reception and can come in the form of a full sit down meal, a buffet, or as an alternative maybe you could offer an hors d’oeuvres or desert only style selection of food to choose from. You can have champagne, (which is usually served during the toasting of the happy couple) or a good quality wine on the table. A non alcoholic alternative should be made available for those poor unfortunates who are carrying out the driving duties for the day. The wedding cake is usually the central attraction of the food, and this can be made of chocolate, cheesecake, sponge and traditional fruit or a mixture of all of these in separate tiers.
Of course, there is always the option of having a themed wedding reception. The theme is likely to be something that both the bride and groom hold a common interest in. For example maybe you are both into country and western. You could hold your reception in a barn house to give a rustic feel and have delicious food served from a barbecue. Give your guests the chance to really let their hair down, square dancing to a fiddler or country music band.
If the 70’s were your favorite era, find a location with a glitter ball, decorate your tables with lava lamps and consider a chocolate fondue as the centerpiece for your tables.
Perhaps you would like to go for music from the 80’s theme for your wedding reception and get them all dancing to Prince, Duran Duran, and Madonna. You can award prizes for the best dancers, be it boogying or moon walking.
When considering some of these wedding reception ideas, make sure to be able to take a quick look back over your shoulder and see your guests all thoroughly enjoying themselves as you and your groom slip quietly off to start your honeymoon.