25 Best Wedding Reception Ideas Of All-Time (For A Night Everyone Will Remember)
Add these subtle touches to create an unforgettable night.
getty It's wedding season, and during this particular time of the year, it seems as though we're traveling from one wedding event to next as our loved ones all tie the knot. For those of you planning your own wedding in the near future, this may be the time you're taking notes and picking up different tips and tricks.
Luckily, we're here to provide you with 25 wedding reception ideas! These exceptional wedding ideas will help you carry out your own wedding reception with something a little unique from others.
1. Try long tables.
While some weddings have smaller and more intimate tables scattered throughout the reception, some decide to take the another route and put in long tables. If your venue allows for longer tables, it may be the preferred route to take. Mixing and mingling larger groups of tables will cultivate interactive wedding guests.
2. Create a dessert bar.
The cake at a wedding is not only an iconic tradition, but one that satisfies sweet tooths everywhere. But what about those guests who may want to induldge their sugar addiction a little further?
Behold, the dessert bar! From cookies, brownies, and macaroons, there's no shortage of delicious sweet treats to offer your guests.
3. Have a photo booth.
One of the most popular wedding trends taking place now is the iconic wedding photobooth. Whether you hire a specific photographer or rent equipment, there's several ways to carry out wedding photo booths.
We also recommend having both digital and physical copies of the photos for the guests. As the night carries on, guests may be more inclined to lose their physical copies but would still love the images to remember the night.
4. Welcome guests to take off their shoes.
By the end of the night, we can guarentee they'll be at least several guests holding their shoes and dancing barefoot. Who could blame them? Dancing for hours in heels can be a painful tasks, so make the guests more comfortable by providing slip-ons or sandals to change into when they remove their heels.
5. Serve custom cocktails.
While it may just seem like a cocktail, creating custom drinks crafted or inspired by the couple can spark and portray so much personality. Not only will it let your guests know your spirit of choice, but also if you tend to lean sweet or sour, or maybe even savory (maple bacon bourbon anyone?).
6. Personalize drink accessories.
From koozies to bottle openers, it seems as though couples are deciding to add in these party tokens to their guests' goodie bag as a take-home trinket. If deciding to move the koozie or glass cuff direction, companies like TOAST offer an elegant twist to the the traditional drink accessory.
For bottle openers, try a creative twist: instead of making the theme surround the couple, try tying it to the venue or location. For example, if you're having a wedding in Charleston, South Carolina, create iconic pineapple bottle openers.
7. Change up your outfits.
There's nothing more stunning and elegant than the beautiful white dress and the daper tuxedo, but there's nothing wrong with jazz-ing up the party by changing wardrobe after the ceremony. Pick an outfit that not only lets you dance the night away, but speaks to your personality in a fun and whimsical way.
8. Put a cupcake tower on display.
Some couples decide to cut the cake, while others... unwrap the cupcake? Yes, it's true. Many couples are deciding to twist the traditional tiered cake and opt for cupcake towers instead. Not only does it make for an adorable decor idea, but guests now have a variety of cake flavor options and likely one that suits everyone's sweet tooth.
9. Offer unique entertainment.
We mean in addition to the band or DJ, too. If your party has an underlying theme or decor, try matching it with unique entertainers. This can be anything from acrobats, cartoon artist, or even tarot card readers.
10. Use food trucks as a meal option.
A sit down and organized dinner can sometimes halt the fun and mingling at a wedding. By incorporating food trucks, you're able to not only keep the party going, but scatter the order of events.
Way too often, weddings generally become rythmic and pradictable, so change things up by having guests order from food trucks. Plus, they'll have more variety of food option to choose from.
11. Customize table numbers.
Not only can numbering tables subconsciously add a level of importance to the guests, but it takes an opportunity to be creative away. Try thinking out of the box when it comes to labeling tables.
Some couples decide to name the tables after of their favorite date spots, places they've visited together, or even their favorite movies to watch together.
12. Offer to-go boxes.
If eating a three-course meal sounds heavy to you, that's because it does to most people. A dinner full of bread rolls, salads, and a main course in addition to drinks adds up.
However, guests don't want to miss out on the couple's delicious cake or dessert offerings, so they stuff themselves and the dancing starts to dwindle and the party ends early. Make sure this doesn't happen on your special night by giving the guests the option to take a doggy-bag home of cake.
13. Give fun facts about the couple.
It's likely that if someone is attending a couple's wedding, they're pretty knowledgable about at least the bride or the groom, but you never know! Incoporating fun facts on napkins, decor, or table settings may be the perfect way for guests to learn something new about the newly married couple.
14. Create a wedding hashtag.
Wedding hashtags are now full-force and some invidiuals may even be thinking of them after the first date (scary, but unfortunatley true). For those who are still skeptics and not wanting to buy into the trending craze, just think of this.
While, yes, you pay a photographer a nice sum of money to capture the moments from the night, your friends and family have also been taking wonderful photos too. Instead of annoying all your guests into sending you their images, think: a place where the images all live? There's a hashtag for that.
15. Put together a seating chart.
Quite possibly the least favorite part of wedding planning for every couple is seating arrangements and charts, as they are both crucial and annoying. But the hard work is meaningful. Deciding which individuals to put together can make or break the mingling that happens on your special night.
16. Create an ambience of lighting.
Establishing the perfect and most scenic lighting can completely transform a wedding venue. Particularly if outside (night) weddings, there should be touches of light from elements like candles, string lights, and soft laterns. For both indoor and out, it's important to avoid harsh florescent lighting, as it doesn't make for great pictures.
17. Perform a creative send-off.
There's no such thing as casually leaving the party anymore. The newly married couples now need to make a grand-exit, and to do this there are a wide variety of options to choose from. Couples can chose to exit through a tunnel of sparklers, bubbles, streamers, or even confetti!
18. Include personalized photo decor.
Whether on the table with the seating chart, the welcome table, or even each of the guests tables, it's common to see photos of the couple and their family and friends scattered throughout. Not only does it give the event a homely touch, but it makes the might more inclusive (as people spot themselves in the images).
19. Sign a globe.
For couples that love to travel (or who have guests coming in from all over the world), having a globe or map guestbook is a perfect addition to the party. Not only does it add to the event's decor, it will be a wonderful decor addition to your home as well.
20. Incorporate whimsical details.
Every little detail counts, and this is especially true when it comes to wedding receptions. Between the floral design and the table cloths, there's no detail that should be left unchecked. With that said, try to add some personality and whimsical nature to your decor that speaks to you both as a couple.
21. Add unique cake toppers.
If you as a couple decide to move forward with the traditional wedding cake, there's still a way to jazz things up. Try incorporating a wedding cake topper that's personalized to you. Whether it's a doppelganger couple or your favorite animal, have fun being creative and authentic.
22. Have themed food stations.
There are a few things people love more than deliciously-themed cuisine. So, why not embrace this love and create these stations throughout your wedding reception? Some examples of food stations couples have featured in their recpetions include: pasta bars, mac and cheese bar, and an ice cream bar.
23. Give take-home centerpieces.
For most wedding receptions, this may be refering to the floral arrangements, but the key piece of advice is to let your guests know that they can be brought home. As many guests travel for weddings, there may not be too much compeition for them; however, local guests will appriciate the gesture.
24. Treat your guests to a dance routine.
Too often, do guests have to sit through at least three staged dances during a wedding: the couple's first dance, mother and son, and the father-daughter dance. During at least one of the three, try and incorporate a jazzy flare. Whether it's rehersed choreography, a fun song, or a humor skit, the action will surely liven up the crowd.
25. Incorporate culture.
If you have unique and special traditions in your family, heritage or culture, share them with your family and friends. Incorporating cultral traditions at ceramonies like weddings is not only important to passing down practices from one generation to the other, it's also opening other's eyes to all the amazing traditions out there.
Elizabeth Blasi is a New Yorker. A lifestyle & travel writer, who is often seen with a suitcase in hand, jetsetting to her next location. But as a true Digital Nomad, her love of writing and romance novels means her laptop is always beside her.