Ideas That Will Make Your Reception One To Remember

Planning your wedding reception

The wedding reception is just as much fun to organise as the wedding ceremony!

Whilst the wedding ceremony is about tradition, sophistication and saying "I do", the wedding reception is about kicking off those heels and celebrating with all your guests.

There's lots of unique wedding ideas you can use to plan your wedding reception. So much so, that the wedding planning process can be quite overwhelming! If this sounds familiar, there's no need to worry - we're here to make the planning process easier.

In this blog, we lay down all of the wedding reception ideas to impress your guests with! From the wedding venue, to the wedding décor, to the guests party favors, to even the table numbers and the cake topper! We recommend you get your pen and paper out so you can jot down your favourite creative ideas.

Are you ready to make your dream love story come true? Let's go!

Wedding reception venue

The wedding venue determines the whole aesthetic of your wedding day! It's crucial you choose a wedding look you love as it will be huge in creating your wedding day.

There are endless ideas for the location of your wedding reception. The hardest part will be selecting just one location!

Outdoor weddings

You can host an outdoor wedding, which is especially beautiful if you're having a summer wedding. Beaches, gardens with lush greenery, parks or lakes are popular spots for a summer outdoor ceremony and reception. Plus, they make for stunning photos with guests dressed in beautiful wedding attire.

Destination weddings

You could take your wedding guests to Bali and have a destination wedding (...if so, can we come?). Resorts, hotels and naturescapes are stunning spots for a destination wedding ceremony or reception venue. You just might want to keep the guest book minimal otherwise you will quickly exceed budget!

Farm weddings

Or, you could take a trip down South and have your wedding ceremony on a farm, host a barn wedding ceremony, or in a function room. Have wedding signs on the farm to direct guests on where to find the ceremony and reception. Guests can easily get lost!

Regardless of the wedding ceremony and reception venues you choose, what's most important is that it feels romantic and meaningful to you and your partner.

The guest book

The guests play a large part in creating the wedding ambiance and overall wedding fun! So, it's important you make sure your guests are well looked after to make them feel comfortable and ready to party.

Easy ways to delight guests is to arrange the seating chart wisely. Make sure friends are seated with each other, no one is going to feel left out and any wedding guests who have conflict are as far away from each other as possible.

Double check your guest book to ensure that any guests who might not know anyone can be easily welcomed into the wedding party. If there's some solo guests, it could even be worthwhile sending out an extra wedding invitation so that your lone wedding guest has a partner in crime.

Kids table

Speaking of wedding guests... make sure you consider whether any kiddly winks will be included in the guest book.

As much as we love kids, they do involve a bit of special attention to make sure there's no crying before bed time.

We suggest making sure there's a kids table with a creative display of colouring-in, toys or games. If you're hosting an outdoor wedding, organise garden games for the children to occupy themselves with. Croquet, ring toss or Jenga all offer a fun way for the kids to keep busy whilst Mum and Dad enjoy the dance floor.

Party favors

Real weddings always include wedding favours. A favour is a small thank you gift for the guests to take as a keepsake. Guests favours can come in all shapes and sizes varying from edible favours, mason jars of honey, small floral arrangements, mini sparkling wine bottles, bottle openers and the list goes on! There's truly an endless amount of unique wedding ideas for the wedding favours.

The best kinds of wedding favors are the ones that reflect the bride and groom. Talk with your partner and have a think what kind of wedding favors tie into your love story. Where did you meet? What do you do together? What are you both renowned for? These personal touches make for such a romantic wedding reception, leaving all of your guests feeling the warm and fuzzy.

Wedding food

Make sure you keep your guests happy with yummy food!

Dietary requirements

There are so many choices when it comes to the food! From having a set wedding menu, an interactive food station, wedding buffet or even a food truck! The choices are endless when deciding on the food.

Include vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options for guests with dietary requirements. Or, ask the guests prior to the day whether they require any special foods. There's nothing worse than guests announcing their dietary requirements on the night and you have to serve them up salad whilst all the other guests dig into a 3 course meal.

Wedding food style

Also consider the season when choosing your wedding menu. For winter weddings, warm and wholesome dishes will keep your guests happy and full. For summer weddings, light and fresh salads will be delicious.

When deciding which food you'll order, keep in mind the wedding style of your reception. If your wedding is a casual outdoor wedding perhaps finger food catering will suit your guests. If your wedding is a black tie event with a cocktail hour, a set menu might please your guests more. Or, if your wedding is being held in the morning you might throw away all of these ideas and have a wedding breakfast! Yum, imagine your guests enjoying bacon and eggs at the reception!

During planning, always come back to what you think your guests will enjoy as well as the wedding theme.

Wedding drinks

The wedding drinks play an important role in your wedding reception. Many wedding guests look forward to the drinks reception as it's their way to unwind and get the wedding party started.

Wedding drinks can vary from a cocktail hour where bar tenders make up margaritas, piña coladas, mojitos and your other favourite drinks for the whole cocktail hour! This adds a fun twist to the evening as wedding guests enjoy picking out their drinks and sipping on the fun drinks reception. Just make sure you have cocktail napkins to complete the wedding theme.

Reception décor

The wedding décor completes your wedding. The décor varies from the lighting, the reception tables, the table runners to even the table numbers... every component that makes up your wedding day plays an important role in your wedding look.

During the wedding planning, make sure you have a clear vision of your dream wedding day. Stay consistent with your theme and wedding colors and add quirky details where appropriate.

Wedding cake

Calling all sweet tooths! Let's talk the wedding cake.

Usually towards the end of your reception, you will cut into that delicious wedding cake and share a slice with your guests. Cutting the wedding cake is an important tradition for the reception and also marks the ending of the evening.

The most common style of wedding cake is one covered in delicious white fondant, with a bride and groom cake topper and presented on its own cake table. This is a classic style that is most popular amongst Western cultures.

If you're looking for other wedding cake ideas, we recommend checking out our other blog on Wedding Cake Ideas and Alternatives.

Hot tip: our favourite idea is arranging a whole dessert table of yummy cakes, pastries and desserts to spoil your guests with! It's a great way to accommodate to dietary requirements, kids or fussy eaters.

First dance

The first dance is the moment where the bride and groom hit the dance floor for the first time as a married couple. Whilst some couples take this seriously with a formal dance song. Other couples practice a whole dance routine involving the whole bridal party and wedding party!

Depending on the wedding will depend on how you and your partner hit the dance floor. Keep in mind, if you're planning on doing a whole routine with the bridal party... make sure you practice!

Once you've finished the first dance, invite all of your guests to boogie on the dance floor. Allow your guests to make song requests and create a fun and welcoming space for your guests to stroll under the disco ball with ease and excitement.

Creative ideas

There are many ways you can add unique flair to your wedding day reception. Some creative ideas could be having a polaroid picture camera available for guests to take vintage look photos, a guest book open for guests to leave messages or perhaps inviting your furry friends to your wedding day!

Ultimately, it's important your reception is fun for you and your guests. If you have a great idea that will add a special moment to your wedding reception then go for it! The wedding date is all about you, if you think of a fun way to celebrate with your guests then we encourage you to find a way to include it into wedding schedule.

Wedding made perfect

We hope you have found a few ideas for your wedding day!

If you're still unsure about your wedding planning, not to worry, that's normal! Planning a wedding is a massive job that takes a lot of time.

Remember, this is your wedding day. Whilst some weddings might want more traditional themes you might enjoy more unique wedding ideas. Either way, you and your wedding guests are going to have a wonderful time. And, if something goes wrong... simply pour yourself a glass of champagne and stare at the beautiful ring on your finger - works every time!