The wedding reception is the fun part of the day. It’s a party that everyone looks forward to. The key is to have fun and make sure your guests are having a good time. Aside from having a great DJ or a Band to keep your guests on the dance floor, many brides will opt to have some fun and unique things for their guests to do while they party with you. The more diverse and unique your activities at the reception, the more likely your guests will be talking about your party for years to come. Here is a list of some things you can add to spice up your wedding reception and ensure that your guests will leave having had the time of their life.
VIDEO BOOTH
You may have seen photo booths at wedding receptions. Many years ago these were the newest thing and everyone continues to love them. They are a staple at most wedding receptions now.
You may not have heard about video booths though. If you don’t know what a video booth is, imagine a photo booth with a backdrop, a camera and fun accessories. When you step in, however, you are given a microphone and the camera records the video. You can leave a heartfelt message, tell a story, sing a song, tell a joke, look awkwardly into the camera, or just about anything else you can think of. The Video Booth is like a digital guest book. Instead of writing a message for the bride and groom to read later, they can watch their guests talk to them through the camera. When I was married years ago, video booths were not yet an item, but we had set one up at our wedding reception. On that particular video, there is a message from my grandmother telling my wife and I that she loves us. She has since passed away, but we are left with this amazing keepsake.
Video Booths are not only sentimental, they are just fun. Once your guests warm up to the idea, they will find that it is an entertaining station to visit at your wedding. Some will even be repeat customers throughout the night. One thing is for certain with a video booth…as the night continues on and your guests have had plenty of trips to the open bar… the messages get more and more entertaining as the night progresses. If you decide to hire a wedding videographer who offers a video booth, your guests will have a blast.
CANDY BAR
Almost everyone loves candy or has some kind of sweet tooth. Wedding guests look forward to the time after dinner to grab a piece of cake and coffee at most wedding receptions. Some of the receptions have the unique feature of a candy bar. This mountain of sweets not only provides an attractive aesthetic to your wedding decor, but your guests can load up and take a bag to their table or take it home for later. Some brides will buy in bulk their favorite candy and the groom’s favorite candy while also putting out the parents’ favorites as well. There are many ways to organize and set this up, but they can look quite elegant if done with care. Some couples even have a donut tower constructed in lieu of wedding cake. This is a fun alternative to the traditional wedding cake that can provide a variety of choices. “Donut” forget about donut holes as another option.
The candy bar is almost irresistible to someone with a sweet tooth, especially if their favorite sweets are visible in a mountain of goodies from across the room. Provide your guests with some tongs and some crafty containers and watch the sugar rush unfold at the candyland buffet.
ICE CREAM & GELATO
Let’s face it, some people just don’t like cake. Every children’s birthday party seems to have birthday cake and serve it up with some ice cream. Having an ice cream or gelato station is a great accessory to add to the flavor of your wedding reception. There are a couple of interesting options that will set your party apart from all of the others in this regard.
The first of these types of cool additions is Nitrogen Ice Cream. Nitro Magic is a company in Buffalo New York that offers this one of a kind service. Imagine an ice cream station where they make ice cream out of thin air! Next to the table of toppings there is a person with an empty bowl. They add in some cream and flavoring, blast it with nitrogen and seconds later, BOOM, there’s ice cream that has magically formed in front of your eyes. Not only will your guests be amazed by this magic trick, it looks super cool as well and it tastes even better.
If you want to offer ice cream in a fun way but without all of the magical effects, try for a gelato cart. These can be offered for rental at any reception. Picture walking into a gelato shoppe, but it is right at your reception. Gelato is a delicious treat to offer at your reception that the guests will love.
CARICATURE ARTIST
If you are looking for something your guests will find different and also allow them to have a keepsake, try hiring a caricature artist to sit and draw pictures of your couples. This is always fun for couples to do and there is usually a long line of people waiting for their turn at the artists’ canvas. If you’ve ever been to a carnival or a theme park, you can find these artists waiting to draw your likeness for a price. It’s always exciting to see them waiting when the reception fun begins.
GLOW STICKS
You may have seen this trend, but in case you haven’t foam glow sticks are oftentimes a go to accessory for the dance floor. These foam sticks light up in different colors and add color and fun to your reception. Let your guests unleash their creativity with these colorful sticks to see how crafty they can be with their dance moves. You can light up your dance floor for a reasonable price (less than $1.00 each) as these glow sticks can usually be found in bulk on Amazon.
COLD SPARKS
Cold Sparks are also a trend that many DJ companies will have available for an extra price tag. These are little machines that can be set up near the dance floor that shoot off a tower of sparks at any given time. They are a safe method of having indoor fireworks that can be triggered at key moments like the end of a first dance, the entrance of the bride and groom, or just when the beat drops on the dance floor. They are a really exciting add-on to your festivities and give even a dull moment some flair. Talk to your DJ to see if they offer cold sparks and see when and where you can light it up.
FOG MACHINE
If the dance floor is where you will live during the reception and you want to spice it up, try adding fog and lights. These can also be added by your DJ and add some pretty wild effects. They help to create a cub atmosphere at your reception and can also jive with the music. Having fog and lasers may not be too pricey but will definitely enhance the look of your party by giving it that professional club vibe.
Fog can also add an elegant look to the venue. If you want to look like you are floating in the clouds as people look on at your first dance, this provides you the dream-like sense of fantasy. Fill the dance floor with clouds and watch them flow around you as you dance on air. Just be aware of the size of your reception venue. The bigger the space, the more fog you will need to cover the space. This effect looks better in smaller spaces unless you have multiple machines, but if you are in the right venue, it could look like you are dancing in the sky.
FOOD TRUCKS
Food trucks are a great way to add some flavor to your wedding reception. With the vast variety of different food choices available, you can really create a tasty environment for your guests with some late night snacks. There are so many options whether you want to offer chicken wings, greek food, or even ice cream. Having one or multiple food trucks show up gives your guests some variety and yet another thing to talk about whenever your wedding celebration comes up. Some of these food trucks are outstanding and extremely popular. Check your area to see which food truck companies are the best quality in your area.
Whichever path you choose, remember that the wedding reception is a party and the goal is to make sure your guests enjoy themselves. Having a variety of things for them to do will help make a memorable event. Do you want your wedding to be unremarkable, or do you want your event to be one that people remember and talk about whenever the word wedding pops up. As an established wedding videographer in Buffalo, New York I have been to hundreds of weddings. The ones that are most memorable to me are the ones that went above and beyond to have stations and unique items to make them stand out from the crowd.
