How to Keep Your Reception Fun and Full of Life

By: Alexine

After talking to a few of my friends about weddings they have been to lately and how disastrous the receptions were, I’ve decided to give some party planning advice. We all have great ideas about music selection, types of alcoholic beverages and what type of atmosphere is ideal. The unfortunate reality of wedding receptions is that without a great balance of all three, your guests may become bored and want to leave early. With that in mind, here are some tips to help make the reception a fun and memorable experience.

Dance Floor
To keep the interacting going all hours of the reception make sure to include a dance floor. The key to a dance floor is where you position it. Make sure it is front and center so that people are drawn to get up and have a great time together.

If you just have hours of sitting around drinking and talking things can get pretty bland. This is often the case because people at each table don’t always know each other well and feel awkward after long hours of awkward conversation. A great mix of dancing and chit chat makes the time fly and people genuinely enjoy themselves.

Music
The selection of music is what makes or breaks your dance floor experience. While traditional wedding songs are great for the first dance and bride and father dance, don’t over do them. Make sure you really touch on fun dance music no matter how silly you think it is. Trust me on this one, nobody wants to slow dance all night long.
Bring out the party music that kids listen to with things like the electric slide and Macarena. This will get people dancing if they were afraid to get out of their seats before.
In addition to fun songs, be sure to choose songs that the majority of your guests will dance to. Of course grandma and grandpa don’t know what you listen to these days but most people will. Don’t hesitate to include more up to date fast songs. These will ensure a fun time for you and your new spouse along with keeping your guests entertained.

Alcohol
Most weddings include some type of alcohol like champagne, wine, beer or hard alcohol. While an open bar of hard alcohol can be pricy and not affordable for most, bottled alcoholic fruity drinks are a great addition to beer and wine. This will ensure that all the guest have something to sip on and it won’t break your bank.
It may seem unnecessary, but a glass or wine or a fruity drink can lighten people up to the point where they let go and dance. This will ensure a better experience at the wedding reception for the more uptight and anti-social individuals. It’s not that alcohol is necessary, but it surely helps. I mean one day in their life isn’t going to hurt.
Reminder: Please make sure to have people designate drivers if you have alcohol at the wedding. It can save lives keep good memories of your special day.

Enjoy
I hope these ideas help when planning your wedding reception and your wedding is a wonderful experience. There may be minor flaws to your plan but most likely you will be the only one that notices. Don’t worry too much and focus on having fun. It is amazing how fast your wedding days is over, so make sure and fill your head with wonderful memories of friends and family.