The wedding ceremony is for you and your partner. The wedding reception? Well, it’s still important that you love it, but you also need to think about your guests. Don’t forget, your guests will have probably taken time off work to attend your wedding, and they might have even travelled long distances. You don’t want them to leave your wedding wishing they had just made an excuse not to show up. But, that’s exactly what can happen if you don’t get the wedding reception right. So, let’s look at some of the things that you will need to make your wedding reception fantastic for both you and your guests. Along the way, we’ll point out some of the mistakes that couples often make when planning their reception that you will want to avoid.
Finding A Great Venue
The first step of making sure that your wedding reception is absolutely awesome is to find the right venue. Don’t forget the ceremony won’t necessarily take place in the same location as the reception. While this does happen, it’s quite common to book two different venues. Particularly, if the location of the ceremony doesn’t have what you want for your reception. So, what does your reception need? Well, it should be open enough that people don’t feel cramped and confined. Ideally, you want an area that is out in the open and one that is inside, but this isn’t essential. As long as the interior is large enough, your guests should be happy.
You might be tempted to just plan your reception to be entirely outdoors however this is a mistake. If the weather turns, you will have no backup plan, and nowhere that guests can retreat to. As such, it’s important that if you do plan for an outdoor reception you at least have something like a gazebo. That way, guests will have shelter if the weather does turn. Do make sure that you also have waterproof furniture as well, particularly if you are renting equipment and other items.
Make sure that when you plan for the location is has the amenities and features that you and your guests will want. For instance, make sure that there are enough toilets based on the number of guests that are going to be present.
There is the possibility of throwing your reception at your home. It’s a great way to cut costs, but it will put a lot of pressure on you and make it more difficult to impress your wedding guests.
Entertainment And Action
You will need to make sure that you have thought about ways to entertain your guests. There are a number of possibilities here, but one of the most obvious is music. Guests expect to be able to dance at your reception. There are two routes to take. Either, you can hire a DJ. If you do this, you need to make sure that you get a really good one. Nothing kills a wedding party faster than a terrible DJ choosing truly awful songs. Alternatively, you can think about planning your own playlist. Spend a couple of months doing this, researching songs and getting a good mixture of fast and slow ones. You can also think about just using an AUX cord and letting guests select the music that they want to hear or dance to. Be warned, with this option, you can get some truly crazy selections that won’t fit your wedding at all. Still, at least it will keep things entertaining and exciting.
Remember, the music is only half the issue here. You also need to make sure that you are investing in a fantastic PA system. With a great PA system, you’ll be able to blast music clearly and make sure that it doesn’t sound like a fuzzy mess.
Don’t forget, with a PA system, you will also have the opportunity to invest in a Karaoke machine for your wedding. It’s a great way to keep guests entertained, and something like this is sure to guarantee there are some awesome memories and photos from your wedding.
This is just one of the possible entertainment options that you can consider and speaking of photos, why not think about renting a photobooth. If there’s a photobooth you’ll get more than just the, dare we say it, dull wedding snaps from a professional photographer. You’ll have pictures of your guests and you in your element, having a good time and just letting loose a little more.
Other entertainment options could include fun little items that can be provided to each wedding table. For instance, you can get giant bubble blowers. These will be great fun and allow your guests to regress to their childhood years.
As you move towards the next chapter in your life, it can be interesting to look back to the past one last time. That’s why we suggest you also have a projector system. This can be used to show photos and videos of you and your partner from when you were young to when you started dating. It can be a little fidgety setting up a display like this, but there are lots of guides on how to do it online.
Keeping Kids Entertained
If you’re having a kids free wedding, then you forget this part. But, if kids are going to attend, then you’re going to have your work cut out for you. You’ll need to think about how to keep them happy as your wedding rages on into the early hours of the morning. It’s not uncommon for couples to provide something completely separate for the kids to enjoy like a bouncy castle. Bouncy castles are fantastic fun and an awesome idea if kids will be attending. Although, you’ll probably find that some of the adults want to go bouncing too!
Last but certainly not least, do make sure that you’re thinking about food, giving guests a broad selection of what they can choose to dine on. The best way to handle this is with a buffet. That way guests can eat whatever they want, and you won’t have to worry about it much at all.
Photo c/o Stories Of I Do Leeds Wedding Photography
