We bet the function you’re looking forward to the most is your wedding reception – who doesn’t want to eat drink and dance without all the emotional sappiness of it all? To have a blast at your celebrations you must incorporate personal, fun and unique touches to keep guest smiling and thinking about it days after it’s over. Get a surge of inspiration by our favorite reception ideas listed down below.
Keep Toasts Short and Sweet
Wedding toasts are all about quality over quantity, aren’t they? So ask your friends and family to keep it nice and no more than two minutes. If a few have longer anecdotes, they can feel free to share them at the rehearsal dinner.
Have a Plan for the Kids
To keep the kiddos entertained throughout the night (and to keep them out of the parents hair), ask the planners at Tamarind Global to organize a kids party of sorts in a separate room with movies, games, arts and crafts and a dance floor. Make sure to hire babysitters to oversee all the shenanigans.
Offer an Interactive Food Station
To make the food at your wedding reception unforgettable, offer dishes that can be customized to each individuals liking. Interactive foods like a taco bar or a pasta station are all the rage right now, where guests can create their own ideal bites.
Plan Surprise Entertainment
The surprise element of a reception is always the part that is the most memorable. Surprise your friends and family with spectacular entertainment that they may not see coming like a magician, salsa dancer or aerialists.
Rethink Dinner
Instead of the generic three-course meal, stretch it to five smaller courses. Plan small surprises between dishes like a poem from a lifelong friend or a toast from your hilarious aunt. This makes it more like a night out with dinner and a show.
Change Into Something Comfortable
Would you want your train to snag every few steps? We think not; after the first dance you could change into a fabulous little white dress or jumpsuit and the groom could go for a relaxed suit. If you’re comfortable you’ll dance more, chat more and eat more cake!
Find a DJ Who Gets You
Music is vital to any fun wedding reception and it has a lot to do with how long your guests stay. Your dance floor could clear out because of the obscure songs the DJ is playing, so talk to the DJ about your do-not-play songs upfront.
Have a Lounge Area
If your site allows it, set up a lounge space where guests can sit after dinner, the energetic dancers can rest and the non dancing guests can chat. It is also an elegant way to let the elderly relax. Look into renting or borrowing couches and chairs that fit your wedding colours.
Hire a Day-Of Coordinator
You may have a myriad of ideas floating around but to bring them to life you need the best planners from Tamarind Global. No matter how organized you are, it is a lot more difficult than it looks, (so trust us, it’s worth it). You wouldn’t want to try your hand at organization at the expense of mishaps at your wedding reception.
Don’t Let Your Guests Get Hungry
Want to party all night long? Arrange for the caterers to bring out all the good stuff like tacos, hot dogs and ice cream after midnight. Offer DIY coffee bars, complete with syrups and toppings. Stick with the favourites and no one will ever want to leave.