The best wedding receptions occur when you can feel the love in the room. It’s magical! You step inside the
ballroom and all the guests are engaged. Even if they aren’t on the dance
floor, they are swaying in their seats. Every bride and groom wants a wedding
reception just like that. Here are my secrets to getting your guests involved
in your wedding reception.
1. Start on time: Don’t keep your guests waiting. Sitting around at the
ceremony or standing at the cocktail hour (especially outdoors in the heat or
cold) for an extended amount of time will frustrate your guests. Frustrated
guests typically want to eat, drink and leave.
2. Interact with your guests: Greet as many as you can and thank them for
coming. This thoughtful gesture will make each of your guests feel welcome and
loved.
3. Add personal touches to the wedding: Old photographs, personalized place
cards and memorable songs from life’s milestones will engage your guests and
draw them into the evening’s activities.
4. Provide
conversation starters: If many of your guests don’t know each other, consider
having place cards with trivia questions about you and your groom. Questions
like “How did Susie and Bob meet?” “Where did Bob propose?” and “Where are
Susie and Bob going on their honeymoon?” will get people talking. Be sure to
provide answers on the backs of the cards.
5. Be active in your reception: Guests take their cues from the newlyweds.
If you are up dancing, your guests will be, too.
6. Play music that appeals to a variety of attendees: Start out with
something slow that everyone recognizes and will dance to and build up to the
music that you and your friends like as the evening progresses.
7. Keep all entertainment inside the reception room: Anything that draws
your guests away from the reception room will detract from the reception. Photo
booths, photo presentations, caricature artists, etc. should all be stationed
inside the reception room. Save cigar rollers (if you have to go outside to
smoke) for the last hour of the reception.
8. Make sure the music isn’t too loud: If the music drowns out conversation
at the guests’ tables, they are more likely to walk out of the reception room
to take a break from the sound. As the reception room empties, the party will
slow down.
9. Keep the party moving: Many brides have asked me if they should move the
cake cutting until late in the reception so that more guests will stay.
(According to traditional etiquette, it is proper to leave only after the cake
is cut). Holding guests “hostage” if they want to leave isn’t a good way to get
them involved. I suggest cutting the cake after dinner so that the guests who
want to eat dessert and leave will feel comfortable doing so. Leave the
partying to those who want to party.
10. Allow group dances: Most people who don’t feel comfortable dancing solo
will join a big group on the dance floor. Some couples shy away from them
because they think that group dances are “cheesy”. There are so many from which
to choose that you and your band or DJ can find one that will work well with
your group.
Making sure your guests get involved with your wedding isn’t very
difficult; it just takes a bit of planning. Follow a few of the above
suggestions and you will most certainly have a magical evening!