Wedding Reception Ideas

What a hard task! I've been to receptions with no drinking, but not any with no dancing. The first idea to pop in my head was to hold it at a bowling alley.

I attended a wedding recently where each table was a team and played Bride/Groom Jeopardy. If you got the question right, you earned points and received door prizes at the end. It was a great way to get to know both bride and groom better, and took quite a bit of time, while still allowing everyone to mingle and enjoy.

If kids are invited, you could have a clown or type of entertainer for them. We had one that did balloon animals for the tons of kids we had at our reception. Also to designate a person with a video camera to record messages from the guest is fun to do and watch. People also enjoy just chatting similar to a graduation open house for a couple hours, eat, visit and wish them well. It's still a party even with out booze and loud dancing music.

You could make a video of baby pictures through their dating courtship. Add music and live interviews from the couple and friends. Some surprises for the couple are always nice former teachers, college room mates, etc.

Another thing to get the couple to kiss each table has to come up with a song (recorded or made up) that contains the word kiss. They sing it and the couple kisses.

You could also have couples kiss in funny or dramatic ways and the couple has to copy them.

Hope this helps.
M.

I would suggest "Pie Tasting" - Get 100 pies and cheesecakes and have people sample all of them! If you really want to save money, you could do a "Bring a Pie to Share" and have them give the recipe cards to the bride and groom for their collection.

Hi B.,
When we got married, we didn't have drinking or dancing, but our MC's came up with games...

First there was a trivia game for all the guests at the table and they had to answer questions about us.

Secondly they used "Who wants to be a millionaire?" game show and adapted it to "Who wants to marry an engineer?" They had asked my husband (and his mom) questions ahead of time and asked me them in front of the audience giving me four options. They gave me the lifelines - poll the audience, ask a friend, and 50/50.

Third, they did a skit. "A morning in the life of..." This is the one where two people work together to be each character. You hang a sheet and cut holes for the face, arms and legs. You can dress your characters by pinning kids' clothes to the sheet. The first person is the head and their arms are the legs. The second person is standing behind the first and is the arms. It is rather humorous to watch them try to brush hair, teeth, do makeup, "shave" etc.

If you would like more info about any of these, feel free to send a message.
Hope you enjoy the reception.
A.

Kinda depends on how many people are attending...

2 teams for trivia

a table to give the bride new recipes (need 3x5 cards)

facts written on a paper...unknown facts provided by the bride and groom---guests have to figues who the question is about

multuiple groups, equally divided and they dress 1 person from each group as a bride, using 1 roll of toilet paper, its fun if the man is the "bride"

I was at a wedding with no drinking or dancing and they incorperated traditions based on the bride's heritage - and irish blessing, differnt things throughout the room that were tradtional and were explained throughout the ceremony. This may work. Look up old traditions from before the days of DJs :)

Good luck! I would also say to ask your SIL for ideas. It is somewhat odd to put everything on you.

We had people get up and tell funny stories about my husband and I and how we got together or things like that. :) It was a lot of fun and people enjoyed it.

another idea (which we didn't have the time to get together) is a slide show of pictures of each of us growing up and then together.

Good luck! :)

There are some great ideas here! A couple more to add to the list are...Wedding wishes fish bowl (guests write down advice, greetings or sincere wishes for the bride and/or groom and then the notes are read after dinner.) and a portrait photo booth (a photographer brings in a nice painted backdrop and stages formal portraits for the guests.)

Both of these ideas make great keepsakes for the bride and groom. The notes and photographs can be put in a scrapbook album for the happy couple to enjoy for years to come.

I went to one that had a hypnotist. Very comical. They involve the audience.

Is it just that there will be no dancing, or no music at all?
I would have a cd of classical music playing softly in the background If they are allowing music. It helps keep the noise down and keeps it relaxing.

I am unsure of all the wedding "rules" now... I got married 9 years ago... and since then it seems all has changed... I didn't know that you COULD put others incharge of a large aspect of your wedding and put stipulations on them. Did the bride offer any suggestions on what to do?

There are many ways to keep a reception lively, but I think it has to do with those who are invited. NOONE in my family has ever had drinking at their weddings... (and i'm talking about 40 or more seperate weddings) If the people tended to be withdrawn the party was flat... If they were more of a social group it bounced...
Try to sit a known socialite or outgoing person at each table... Draft specific people to make sure there are no "dead spots"
Play games... similar to wedding shower games. Have a note card at each setting and have people write down a memory they have of the couple together or seperately. (Have them sign them) Then read them out loud and have the couple try to guess who it was. (Don't read any risque ones or things that don't seem appropriate for the day)
Do a slide show of pics and have the PARENTS of the bride and groom try to guess when the pic was taken... Age, etc. They can get audience participation...
If kids are invited, set up a kids play area... probibly on what would have been the dance floor... If the kids are busy the parents will stay longer and stand around where their kids are and chat.

The main thing is aranging the tables so that people will WANT to move around and mingle. To close and it bottle necks. Put the food tables on oposite sides of the room or have stations (sandwich stuff here, salads here, main dishes there, desserts there) so that people will have to move around and may run into others they want to chat with.
Remind the bride that SHE and HUBBY HAVE to talk to all and keep moving around...
Good luck!

Our wedding reception had no drinking & no dancing. Honestly, it just didn't last as long most other receptions. Although I don't know why YOU have to plan it. My husband & I had practically NO money for our wedding, but we planned it all.

The reception consisted of us eating, going around to each table to talk with everyone. And even though we didn't participate, we bought a karaoke machine ($100 maybe) and a lot of our guests did karaoke. We also opened gifts at our reception.

What about Kareoke?

I worked a few weddings where activities were done like a paper airplane contest. That was more situational (groom was military).

Try playing Bunko. I'ts an awesome game for lots of people and people move table to table so everybody gets to know eachother. I know it's a little bit different but yeah w/o booze and drinking you're going to need something a little bit different. Make sure you include prizes that way everybody wants to play.

A kissing game can be fun if people are willing to participate. Basically you make a list of couples and then randomly call off names and they have to stand up in front of everyone and kiss and then the bride and groom have to copy that kiss. Anything from the groom dipping the bride or someone chasing the other around the table or standing on a chair or just a really long kiss. It can be lots of fun and laughing if people are willing to do it.

Hi B..

You could play a version of the newlywed game with the bride and groom and maybe some other guests who have been married longer

I would have some sort of music playing. It can be through a regular CD player with some speakers. Shouldn't be difficult. Maybe the place where the reception is has a sound system?

You can have a table with blank cards where guests write out tidbits to the new couple on keeping a happy marriage.

This seems like a big task with not a lot of direction.

Think about the couple...what do they like. For example, when my sister got married they did a sort of theme. She and my BIL are BIG ... HUGE movie fans. They LOVE movies. So, each table was a different 'movie'. The guests at the tables had to guess the movie based on clues that were at each place.... quotes, characters, etc... Then, if they wanted my sister and her new hubby to kiss someone from the table had to act out one of the notable scenes (listed on the table) from the movie. People really had a lot of fun with it.

So, does the couple have anything they are really into that you could form a game of some sort?

A friend of mine went to a reception where they hired a magician to go from table to table doing magic tricks and also put on a magic show on the dance floor with audience participation. I also agree with others if you can have dinner music, that would be nice.
The photographer at my daughter's wedding also set up a backdrop in the lobby for any couple or family that wanted a photo taken. It was great business for him!!

Camara's at every table, and games, board games or card games, electronic games like pictionary, one of my favorites. You could let the winner of the game keep the game, instead of gift's for all, that are usually similar to McDonald's toys. Dig through closets, ask for donations, or hit the toy store, you would be suprised to find most adults love to play clildren's games. Hope you have lots of fun. Best of luck to you.

B.,

I suggest great food, cameras for pictures around at tables, and a microphone for everyone to wish them a great marriage in between eating. You may also want to do a "Tell Facts of the couple" which is always hilarious!That'll take up alot of time for sure. I would suggest nice jazz music or something, but you never know if that'll spark someone to start dancing. Good luck with that.

A