LETS TALK ABOUT THE PARTAYY!!! Woo woo woo!!
When it comes to your reception there are a few things to think about. How do you want the flow to go? Are you doing all of the traditional aspects? Such as speeches, cake cutting, garter and bouquet toss etc. How late is your venue open?
Here are 5 tips to hopefully help you out!
1. KEEP IT MOVING - One of the worst things you can do is have a ton of lulls that keep your guests waiting for the next thing to happen. You have to remember they haven't been busy taking photos, they have been mingling since the ceremony, they want to get this show on the road and lets be real... they want to party and let loose! Try not to leave too much space in between each section, just enough time for a buffer, a drink, and a bathroom break.
2. KEEP SPEECHES SHORT! - I am sure we have ALL been to weddings where the speeches go on and on and on and on and on!! And to be honest, speeches are one of my absolute favourite parts of the day! BUT nobody wants to sit and listen to them for an hour. So the best thing to do is have no more than 4-5 TOPS! And tell everyone 3 minutes... they will almost always end up longer but if you give them a super short time length the more mindful they will be when writing. Also, as much as it would be nice to have Uncle Bob decide and come up to an open mic while he's half cut to remanence on how cute you were naked running around in the grass when you were 4... don't do it, don't open the mic.!! True story, one time at a wedding they opened the mic up to other guests and there ended up being a 45 minute speech from an uncle... everything beyond that ran SUPER late and the whole reception was throw off, and the guests were not overly impressed. Speeches always run longer then planned, so definitely put a buffer for that in your timeline!
3. SAY THANK YOU - I felt like this needed its own point all for itself! So many people hate public speaking and that is completely understandable, but your guests came to YOUR wedding, PLEASE take 2 minutes and say thank you to them! It does not need to be an elaborate speech if you don't want it to be! It can simply be a quick "Thank you all so much for coming and sharing this day with us! Let's party!" It will mean a lot to your guests to hear from you, trust me!
4. START THE PARTY - When working out the timeline of your reception I always highly suggest you get the party started early enough for people to really enjoy their time! The most common order of events is: entrance, dinner, speeches, cake cutting, first dance, father daughter/mother son dances, party time, and then later on bouquet and garter toss. So hypothetically if you can get the party started around 8:00-8:30 pm that is perfect!! This gives your guests and yourselves enough time to relax, kick your shoes off (literally) and ENJOY THE NIGHT!!
5. MC IS KEY - Whoever you choose to mc your night, whether it be a friend, relative or the DJ you have hired, make sure they know the timeline, how the flow is going and to keep it on track! It is their job to make sure they are guiding people onto the next thing, giving warnings to grab one last drink before speeches start, or letting everyone know that the dessert table is open! I will be working with this person closely to make sure I am where I need to be!
Oh and one more thing while we're here... HIRE A DJ! Do not rely on an iPod... it is 1000000% worth every single penny! Hope these help!
