#1- Serve refreshments before the ceremony.
You don't have to make your guests wait until after the "I do's" to grab a drink. Set up a drink station with refreshing flavored waters, tea, or lemonade so that they can pour a drink to enjoy during the ceremony. You could even schedule the cocktail hour to happen before the ceremony with drinks and a few small appetizers for everyone before you walk down the aisle.
#2 - Keep everyone well-fed all day.
Instead of the traditional ceremony followed by a cocktail hour with appetizers and then dinner followed by cake, spread out the food. Start by using the advice from tip #1 to feed everyone a little bit before the ceremony, then have a few more appetizers before dinner. Serve a light meal at the reception, then go ahead and cut the cake for any guests that need to leave early.
As for the rest of the guests that stay to dance the night away, serve a snack midway through dancing. It could be a surprise appearance by a food truck, a dessert table with cookies and cupcakes, or maybe even a popcorn bar. If you're going late into the evening, have a few pizzas delivered for everyone to munch on before heading home or send them away with edible favors to enjoy on the ride home or the next morning.
#3- Relive memories with each guest.
Many couples like to display photos from their relationship leading up to the wedding day as a part of their decorations. Some also display pictures from the weddings of other family members. Why not add your friends to the mix too? Display photos of yourself with particular guests or handwritten memories you have of them at their reception table. It's a very sweet and personalized gesture. This is a lot easier to do with a small, intimate wedding rather than a large one with lots of guests.
#4- Act like kids again.
Kids always seem to be happy and having a great time. Take a cue from them and do something child-like that will put a smile on everyone's face. Rent a bounce house, play some goofy games, serve cotton candy and ice cream... you get the idea. The kind of stuff that grown-ups don't normally let themselves enjoy. You'll all go home with incredible memories of having an amazing time. You can be a grown-up again the next day.
#5- Surprise them with your first dance.
Your first dance as husband and wife is a romantic moment, but if the song goes on too long, guests may lose interest and you might start feeling awkward having everyone stare at you both for so long. One way to avoid this is to have the DJ cut the music after a verse or two to shorten the song. A fun way to fix this problem is to have the DJ merge your romantic slow song into a fast dance midway through. You could even invite your wedding party or the entire room to join you on the dance floor at this point. It's a very lively way to get the party started.
#6- Arrange for unique entertainment.
In addition to just having a DJ or live band perform at your wedding reception, think outside the box. You could have a professional dance troupe come in to perform for your guests. An impersonator or hypnotist would be very entertaining. Another creative option could be a close-up magician wandering around the room or a caricature artist on-hand to draw favors for your guests.
#7- Set aside an area to chill out.
If you have some wedding guests that don't like to dance a lot or some that dance so much you know they'll need a place to take a break, set up an area away from the dance floor where they can all chill out for a while. A few comfortable chairs set off to the side of the room will do the trick. Inside our beautiful event barn near Knoxville, you could host dancing upstairs in the hayloft and set up a relaxing area downstairs after the reception tables have been moved out of the way.
Those are just a few fun ideas that you might want to add to your wedding plans to make the celebration unique and add an extra element of fun. When you visit us at Country Jewell in Heiskell, we would love to hear what type of fun ideas you have in mind. Between the both of us, your wedding will be one that you and all of your guests will enjoy and remember fondly for years to come!
A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding
& event venue.
6550 Hickory Valley Road
Heiskell, TN 37754
865-494-0552
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