The Best Wedding Reception

Are you getting married and planning a grand wedding where all your loved ones gather to celebrate the love between you and your partner? Surely, you have also planned to have a reception in the afternoon between the ceremony and the dinner.

You want to throw a party where nothing is lacking, where everyone has a great time, and it becomes a huge success - nothing less than the party of the year!

In this blog post, as a wedding photographer, I will share my best advice on how to achieve the greatest success with that exact goal! So read on and get invaluable tips on how to ensure a fun, cozy, and memorable reception.

General Advice

Before we delve into the details of the activities you can arrange for the reception, here are some general advice on how to tailor the reception to your wedding.

1. More than just a waiting period

   Your wedding reception is not only a festive occasion but also an incredibly important part of the biggest celebration of your life. It is an opportunity to celebrate your love and create unforgettable memories with your loved ones. Therefore, it is crucial that you carefully consider and plan your wedding reception, so it becomes more than just a waiting period before the dinner begins.

2. Let your personalities and style shine through at the reception

   First and foremost, it's important to let your personalities and style shine through at the reception. It's your special day, and it should reflect your unique preferences and desires. By taking the time to consider details such as theme, color scheme, decorations, and entertainment, you can create a reception that is truly your own.

3. Create a good timeline

   In addition, thorough planning allows you to coordinate and organize all elements of the reception. By creating a solid timeline, you can ensure that everything runs smoothly and efficiently. It will also give you the opportunity to enjoy the day without stress and worries. Once you're done reading this article, you can head to the blog and read the post about creating a good timeline.

Finally, a well-planned wedding reception can create an unforgettable experience for both you and your guests. From choosing the perfect wedding venue to the food, music, and entertainment, every detail can contribute to an atmosphere of elegance and joy. By carefully considering and planning your reception, you can ensure that it lives up to your expectations and becomes a moment you will talk about and cherish for years to come.

Having a well-planned reception with engaging activities for your guests will also help break the ice among those who may not know each other beforehand.

All in all, it's crucial that you take the time to carefully consider and plan your wedding reception. So, sit down together, have a conversation about your desires, and create your dream reception that will be a testament to your love.

Here is a list of 10 different things you can plan for your wedding reception. Remember, these are just ideas, and your wedding reception should reflect you and your partner, as well as the style and theme of the rest of the day! So don't feel like you have to choose them all - select your favorite activities.

1. Wedding Cake
2. Outdoor Games
3. Stump
4. Selfie Camera
5. Live Music
6. Guest Book
7. Photo Wall
8. Live Entertainment
9. Drinks
10. Interactive Games

Underneath each activity, you can read more about them and get ideas on how to execute each one.

Wedding Cake

Serving a wedding cake during the reception is a cozy tradition. When you cut the cake together, it symbolizes the promise you make to each other to provide for one another in your marriage. But besides its symbolic meaning, there are practical and enjoyable reasons to include the wedding cake as part of your reception. If you're one of those couples who don't see the appeal of a traditional wedding cake, you can choose to serve cake tapas, another type of cake (such as strawberry tart), or even brew your own beer and make a toast instead.

1. Central Element

   First and foremost, the wedding cake is often a central element of the wedding day. It's a memorable moment where you, as the couple, stand close together, cut the first slice of cake, and share it with each other. This moment also creates a sense of togetherness and joy among your guests.

2. Elegance

   The wedding cake also adds a touch of elegance to the reception. It is often beautifully decorated and can be a visual highlight. You can choose a cake that complements your wedding theme or color scheme, and in that way, the cake can also contribute to the overall aesthetic and decoration.

3. Sweet Treat

   Another advantage of serving a wedding cake is that it offers a delicious and sweet treat after the ceremony. After witnessing your vows, guests can look forward to indulging their taste buds with a slice of the delicious cake. It's also an opportunity to introduce guests to different flavor variations that can be customized to your preferences.

4. Excitement and Surprise

   Furthermore, the wedding cake can be a source of excitement and surprise for your guests. You can choose to have a multi-tiered cake or different flavor variations, allowing guests to try different combinations. Or you can select your favorite cake and choose a skilled pastry chef who can balance the flavors and highlight the various nuances. It can also be a good idea to include a gluten-free, nut-free, or vegan cake for guests with special dietary needs, ensuring that everyone can enjoy something delicious.

5. Beautiful Photos

   Finally, the wedding cake can be a beautiful part of your wedding photography. Photos of you cutting the cake together or feeding each other a bite create unique and memorable moments that can be captured in your wedding album.

6. A Festive Element

   Overall, serving the wedding cake adds a traditional, elegant, and sweet touch to your wedding reception. It creates a sense of celebration and community among the guests and allows you to treat yourselves and your guests to a delicious indulgence.

Garden Games

Garden games are a fantastic way to entertain your guests. Regardless of age or skill level, guests can enjoy participating in these games and have fun together. It creates a relaxed and festive atmosphere where everyone can join in and be part of the activity.

1. Social Interaction

   Garden games allow for social interaction and collaboration among guests. It creates an informal atmosphere where people can get to know each other better and form connections across different groups and generations. It's a great way to break the ice and get people interacting with each other.

2. Outdoor Activity

   By including garden games in your wedding reception, you give guests the opportunity to enjoy the good weather and fresh air. It's a perfect chance to make use of any outdoor areas at the reception and create a cozy atmosphere in nature.

3. Multiple Participants

   Garden games like ladder golf, croquet, giant Jenga, and cornhole are ideal as they can be played by multiple participants at the same time. This allows more guests to be involved in the activity and creates a sense of competition and camaraderie among the participants.

4. Fun and Relaxed Atmosphere

   Garden games add a fun and relaxed atmosphere to the wedding reception. It allows guests to unwind, have fun, and enjoy themselves in an informal manner. It can also serve as a good distraction or activity between other events during the reception.

   Garden games are easy to learn, require minimal space, and can be adapted to different ages and abilities. They can add an extra layer of fun and entertainment to your wedding reception and create unforgettable moments for both you and your guests.

Stump

Stump is fantastic for any party! A large tree stump, long nails, and a couple of hammers are all you need. In fact, you can even rent the equipment, so you don't have to spend time gathering everything yourself. If you're hosting a wedding at Sjaelland, this place is an option.

Selfie Camera

A great icebreaker is definitely a selfie camera with fun props. This provides a fun and interactive experience, and guests can take home the pictures as souvenirs.

And you'll have a good laugh when you go through all the pictures. You'll discover that your guests can be incredibly creative when it comes to taking photos. They will challenge themselves and each other with funny and silly poses, facial expressions, and compositions.

A selfie camera captures the festive atmosphere and joy of the wedding to a great extent. Guests have the opportunity to share their experience of your wedding through fun pictures.

There are several providers in the market. In Denmark SelfieCircle and Myselfie are the two largest players in the market.

Overall, a selfie camera for the wedding can add an extra dimension of fun, interaction, and memories. It creates a festive atmosphere where guests can engage and create their own unique pictures that capture the joy and love of the wedding.

Live music

Having live music during the reception is definitely a great way to create a fantastic atmosphere, ambiance, and get people talking.

Here are some reasons why it can be a good idea.

1. Setting the mood and providing entertainment

   Live music creates a vibrant and atmospheric ambiance. It can contribute to a festive atmosphere and make guests feel welcomed and entertained.

2. A smooth transition

   Between the ceremony and the dinner, there may be a transitional period where guests are waiting and socializing. Especially if you choose to have your wedding portraits taken during this time, it is important to keep your guests engaged. Live music adds an extra dimension to this period, providing guests with something to listen to and enjoy. It can initiate meaningful conversations among your guests and offer a pleasant transition from the ceremony to the dinner.

3. Offers a personal and unique experience

   Live music gives you the opportunity to tailor the music selection to your preferences and create a personalized experience for you and your guests. You can choose musicians or a band that aligns with your musical taste and the theme of the wedding. It can contribute to a memorable moment and allow you to dance or enjoy the music together with your guests.

4. Community

   Live music has a special ability to bring people together and create a sense of enjoyment in a unique way. It can foster a sense of community and provide guests with the opportunity to dance and have fun together.

5. Professional musical performance

   Live musicians are professionals who are skilled in their field. They can deliver a high-quality musical performance that will impress and delight you and your guests. Their musical abilities and professional approach add extra value to your wedding reception and create an unforgettable experience.

Guestbook

A guestbook is a fantastic addition to your wedding reception, especially when you have invited all your loved ones to your big day. A guestbook allows you to collect personal greetings and well-wishes from your beloved guests, and it will be a treasure trove of memories to look back on in the future.

1. Doesn't have to be limited to the dinner

   A guestbook is not only an activity that can take place during the dinner, but it can also be a fun and meaningful part of the reception. By placing a guestbook near the entrance or in a central location, you can encourage your guests to write personal messages and wishes for you. It can be enjoyable to read these greetings on your first wedding anniversary and reminisce about your special day.

   During the dinner, many things are happening, and your guests may also start to become a bit tipsy. This means that the likelihood of receiving greetings from your guests is higher if the guestbook is already a part of the reception.

2. Do you want to handle it yourselves or your guests?

   There are many ways to create a guestbook. You can either handle it yourselves or inform your toastmaster that it is a big wish. They can then coordinate it with one or more of your guests.

   If you choose to create your guestbook yourselves, you can advantageously include pictures from your engagement photoshoot. It's a cozy way for your guests to get to know you better and be inspired by the message they want to write to you. Additionally, it's fantastic for you to read the book in the future, as it will contain both fond memories of you as a couple and greetings from your loved ones.

3. Prefer an electronic guestbook?

   If you desire an even more personal guestbook, it can be created electronically. Here, you can choose whether guests should record a message or create a video for you. This solution allows for more interactivity and creativity, and you will have access to digital messages that you can view anytime.

Photo Wall

A great experience for your guests can be a photo wall where you display a collection of pictures from your time together as a couple. It's a great way to share your story and create conversation among your guests. By creating a photo wall with beautiful, silly, and funny memories from your time together, you can truly give your guests a glimpse into who you are as a couple. You can choose pictures that reflect your love, adventures, and unforgettable moments. You may even include memories where your guests have been a part of your journey. This will surely spark conversations and create a joyful atmosphere.

The photo wall can be set up in various ways, and only your imagination sets the limit. It can be a bulletin board with pictures or a photo collage. You can enhance the photo wall by decorating around it with a floral arrangement created by your floral decorator, so it matches the rest of the flowers at your wedding.

Live Entertainment

If you want a truly special addition to your reception, you can surprise your guests with a live performance. It could be a comedian, magician, or dancers, for example. It will undoubtedly be a highlight that your guests will remember and talk about for many years to come. Choose an act that you personally enjoy and avoid selecting something you wouldn't go out and experience yourself, like on a date or similar occasion.

Beverages

There should, of course, be plenty of beverages at your wedding reception. You can enhance the experience by creating a champagne tower or setting up a cocktail bar with professional bartenders, where you and your guests can try different signature cocktails.

Interactive Games

Last but not least, you can arrange various games and competitions where guests can participate and win prizes. It can range from quizzes to karaoke.

One game that is almost always a hit is "Guess the 13," which can be done in many different ways. To make it personal, the quiz can be based on you as a couple, where guests have to guess various things about you.

You can also create a bingo card where guests have to find someone among the guests who matches the statement described. For example, "someone who has studied abroad" or "someone who has been paid to drink beer." This solution is especially great for getting guests to mingle with each other, as it requires them to actually talk to each other.

You can read more about what it would be like to work with me below.

I'm looking forward to meeting you!