Reception time!!! During the reception it’s typical to have the formal dances, dinner + cake , speeches, guarder + bouquet toss and open dancing, but have you ever wondered what else you could add to your reception to get your guests from their tables to the dance floor? In this blog, I want to share with you some ideas of things you could do for your reception! I will also share a few ideas on when to start dinner/formal dances! Following this, you will defiantly want to get to the last tip because it was my FAVORITE thing my husband and I did on our big day!
What works GREAT
Friends, have you ever been to a wedding where you felt like you where waiting around for a while? The last thing you want, is for your guests to leave early. Everyone knows that if the bride and groom aren’t doing a first look, there is normally an hour to an hour fifteen minutes after the ceremony for picture time. I highly recommend couples to take advantage of keeping your guests active. If you plan on serving some type of refreshments + Finger food for the cocktail hour great but what if you aren’t? Here is something I’ve seen work GREAT and I did version of this for our wedding as well!
First
If you plan to have dinner (buffet) start after family formal portraits, this keeps everything running smoothly and you can cut your guest waiting time in half!
Second
Now once your wedding party + Bride & groom portrait time if finished, your guest will have made it through the Buffett line and back to their tables in time for the wedding party & MR & MRS grand entrance!
Third
The goal is now to get the formal dances done before, the bride and groom sit down. It only makes since that when you get announced as MR & MRS, to go straight into the First dance following that, the father daughter + Mother Son. After you two have had some time to eat, the speeches should then take place (20-30 minutes after dinner)
NOTE: Make sure the Bride & Groom dinner plates are pre-served by your planner during the formal dances, and taken to your table! Also remember to not allow your guest’s seconds on the buffet dinner until you two have a plate and your wedding party has been served!
These are just 3 simple ways to keep things rolling smoothly and everyone to not feel like they are waiting forever! Now, on to what next!
Lets Talk Dancing!
It never fails that the wedding party is ready for the dancing to begin after speeches! The opposite is true though for many of your guests. I have observed at many weddings the SAME thing happens, once the dance floor is open… guests simply don’t want to rush to the floor! Think back to a time you attended a wedding as a guest. Now think about when the DJ announced, “the dance floor is now open”… did you immediately go to the dance floor or, did you wait about 20 minutes till it started to get more crowded? I love dancing but I am defiantly one of those types of guest that doesn’t want to be the first one on the floor!
Here are 4 FUN ways to get your guest ready to dance and get the party started!!
#1 Longest Married Couple Dance
This is a great way to kick it off soon after dinner/speeches. I recommend doing this first because, most all of your guest haven’t left… especially your older crowd. It gets every couple who is married, out on the dance floor when they probably would have stayed at their table otherwise.
As a bride who had this at my reception, I will say it was so special to see our friends and family couples out on the dance floor dancing for their marriage. Even though Mike and I got booted off the floor when the DJ announced, “off the dance floor if you’ve been married in the past few hours.” It was exciting to see my grandparents in the image above, dance till the end with being married for 50 years!
#2 Play Music Everyone Can Dance To
This really plays a BIG part to how much your guests get out on the floor! Each crowd is different but you will have an idea of songs you’ll want to play and thats great! As a bride and groom, it’s YOUR day so have the music you love above all. It is nice though to throw in some other songs that your guests could dance to! Talk with your DJ on this. Each dj has his own style but find someone who listens to your wants as a couple.
#3 The Dollar Dance
This has become more of a trend lately and a fun one! Not everyone wants to bother the bride or groom asking to dace BUT what if you didn’t have to feel like a bother? The way the game works is there are two buckets, one for the bride and one for the groom who are standing on the dance floor. You can put your dollar in and steal the bride/groom away for a short dance. Note: You get to dance with them until the next person throws a dollar in! This is a great + fun way to have your guests dance with you and also make a little money for the honeymoon spending!
Some think this game is disrespectful because money is involved. If you don’t feel comfortable calling it the “dollar dance,” Still use the idea of this game but get creative with something your guests could put in the bucket other than money. Such as a little note, encouraging them or maybe, instead of buckets, have a Bride and Groom bible and as the guests line up, they highlight their favorites verse in order to dance with you! The options are endless when thinking outside the box of money!
#4 Start a Dancing Train
We have all been pulled into a wedding reception train a time or two, am I right? This is a simple and traditional way to keep the party going!
Finally
I want to share with you the #1 thing I am SO beyond thankful Mike and I did at our wedding. The DJ announced for the Friends & family to line up for the sparker exit (note: make sure your immediate families are close to the getaway car in order to give them hugs goodbye) we stayed out on the dance floor. Why? because that was the FIRST alone time we got. We danced to “my feat don’t touch the ground” which is one of Mikes favorites! No one was in the reception area besides our photographer who quietly captured this sweet, memorable moment.
I highly recommend taking advantage of the “last dance” while everyone lines up for your grand exit! Trust me, you won’t regret it!
So there you have on my Wednesday tips for the reception! If this blog post helped you any, I’d love to hear about it! You can leave it in the comments below
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