After the wedding ceremony comes the celebration!  Also known as the reception.  You and your guests are all excited because now you are officially married!  Naturally, you want to have an amazing reception to celebrate your marriage.  Here are three quick tips for a fun filled reception.

Hire an Amazing DJ or Band and MC

The DJ and Band have the task of keeping the dance music going.  Be sure to give them a list of songs you absolutely want to have played at your reception.  You can also ask your bridal party for help in a choosing some songs that are sure to get people on the dance floor.

The DJ and MC have the task of directing the night and getting people on the dance floor.  A great DJ/MC will have fun ways of getting the guests onto the dance floor throughout the reception.  If you are going to hire a band, make sure you are clear if they will be assisting with the MC duties or if you need to delegate that out.

The DJ/MC will not only announce the events of the reception (first dance, cake cutting, etc.), they can direct guests to other activities of the night.  If you have a photo booth, s’mores fire pit, or glitter station, the DJ can make announcements throughout the night to direct people to those activities as well.

Dancing and Other Activities

When we think of a reception, we often thing of drinking and dancing.  These are for sure two fun elements of the reception, but there is so much more to do!  There are the traditional activities of the toasts, first dance, mother/son and father/daughter dance, cake cutting, and garter/bouquet toss.  But the fun doesn’t have to stop there.  Here are some fun ideas you can incorporate to your reception:

• Wedding Pinata
• S’mores Bonfire
• Lawn Games
• Photobooth
• Temporary Tattoo Station
• Board Games
• Glitter Station
• Outdoor Movie Screen
• Caricature Artist
• Candy Apple Bar
• Dollar Dance
• Trivia to Release Tables for the Buffet
• Flip Cup
• The Shoe Game
• Oversized Word Search
• Hot Chocolate Bar
• Limbo
• Sky Lanterns
• Anniversary Dance
• Mad Libs
• Bounce House
• Desert Food Trucks

Get Your Bridal Party Participation

This is especially useful for any dances you will be doing that require guest participation.  Like an anniversary dance or dollar dance.  Make sure you bridal party knows about these in advance and are ready to participate.  Once your DJ announces “everybody join the couple” or “form two lines to dance with the bride and groom”, your bridal party should get on the dance floor or start the lines.  Once the guests see others participating, they will join right in.

This goes the same for any other activities you have for the reception.  Nobody wants to be the first person to put a gift on the table (what if it is the wrong table?!) or visit the glitter station (what if nobody else has glitter on their face?!).  But if there are already gifts on the table or your bridal party has glitter hearts on their cheeks, the guest will feel more comfortable participating.

There you have it!  Three quick tips for a fun-filled wedding reception.  Want more wedding planning tips?  Click here for more Wedding Tips.