You want a party at your reception?

We have had the honor of entertaining at weddings for years,  low key small events, to hundreds of people dancing for hours.  My wife was even electrocuted by a nearby lightening strike at one event.  But that’s another story.  The most exciting part of the wedding, and the part your guests are probably looking forward to most besides that “Kiss the bride” part, is the reception.

Here are some notes I have learned and taken away from entertaining.  Not everything would pertain to your wedding, but the following is how things would go at my own wedding if I were to have one again.  Luckily I have been with my wife for 18 years, and don’t have to worry too much about this now!

Want to have a “Party” at your reception?   Read on.

The perfect scenario:

The perfect scenario starts with the right venue choice and set up.  You certainly want enough room for your guests to get around, also make sure the ceremony location is close to the reception.  I always recommend doing them at the same location if the venue is set to handle that.  Unfortunately most are not.  Here are a few more notes:

• Liven up the venue by dimming their lights, and add uplighting.
• Select a venue that would have a separate “Cocktail Hour” room from the main ballroom.
• If your having a bar, make sure the bar isn’t far from the dance floor.  Making guests leave the area and in some cases, move to another room to get a refill will put a damper on the fun.  Guests tend to hang out at the bar.
• Make sure the dance floor isn’t too big.   A full dance floor feels better, and if it is too big, it won’t ever have that “Full feeling”.
• Open Bar.  If your family drinks, give the guests some complimentary drink options.

Have your wedding in the evening.  Your guests will “Dance the night away”, many of which would not “Dance the day away”.  The DJ should include tasteful dance floor lighting, and for an extra special touch, digital screens for music videos and slide shows.

Order of events:

The order of events might be the most important part of the reception.  Here are my recommendations.

1. Receiving Line:  It is a great idea!  It gives you the opportunity to thank everyone right away.  My recommendation is at the conclusion of the wedding, since you have already taken your photos, form a receiving line and thank guests as they move to the reception location. (ok, we didn’t talk about how important photos before the wedding are.  When ever possible you should take all of your photos before the wedding.  Makeup and hair is fresh, and your guests won’t have to wait long for you to arrive to the reception)  Another option is to thank them as they move to the grand ballroom from the cocktail area.  
2. Cocktail Hour:  Your guests enjoy light appetizers and beverages.  While traditionally Cocktail hours are not attended by the wedding party, this is something that should be reconsidered.   This is a fantastic time to start mingling with your guests and start catching up.  This can take alot of time later during the reception when you would rather be having a great time.  Some couples don’t want to be seen before the grand entrance, and that’s OK.  I can tell you though the guests will be just as excited about the grand entrance even if they saw you before, heck, they just saw you get married.
3. Dinner and Grand Entrance: Alot happens during dinner.  My recommendation is to take care of many of the formalities during this time, plus you have the undecided attention of your guests.
   1. Everyone enters the grand ballroom and has a seat.
   2. Grand Entrance; alot of recommendations on the grand entrance, we will leave that for another time, but one thing that is fun, is to do individual introductions of the wedding party with a funny fact about them.
   3. Wedding Prayer if one is to be given.
   4. First course is served/or Guests are asked to go thru the buffet line.  My recommendation is always have the bridal party go first.
   5. Everyone has moved thru the line.
   6. First Dance, Mother Son dance, and Father Daughter Dance.  (not all weddings do the parent dances)
   7. Entree Course is served/if buffet this does not apply.
   8. Toasts given by best man, maid of honor, and potentially moms and dads.   It might be a good idea to give them a heads up before hand, and make sure they follow some simple rules.  We will talk more about that another time as well.
   9. Eat Dinner!
4. Dancing starts:  DJ opens the dance floor and kicks it up a notch.  A great way to open up the dance floor is with a wedding party dance.  They have to dance if the bride and groom say so right?  Dancing music starts, lights are turned down, and the party begins.
5. Garter Toss and Bouquet Toss:  There are alot of fun things you can do with these, but after some time of dancing, it makes sense to take a break with these popular activities.
6. Cake Cutting:  We purposely leave this for later in the evening.  When cutting the cake, it is a sign to guests that it is ok to leave.  Doing this too early could result in an early night.
7. More Dancing:  Kick off those shoes and tear up the rug!
8. Last Dance and Farewells:  Choose a great song to have your final dance to.  Then your guests will be instructed by the MC to line up outside to bid farewell.

Alot can be changed to customize your wedding, and Impact DJ and Lighting are happy to do exactly what you want.  Our goal is to make the wedding uniquely yours.

The moral of this story:

Try not to interrupt the flow of events.  Use dinner as a great time to give toasts and first dances.  You have the undivided attention of your guests during this time.  Once dancing begins, don’t interrupt it.  Try to keep the party going.  The last rule is have fun and be flexible.  It’s your big day and make it the best day of your life!