Weddings can either be time for celebration, but often guests flinch at the invitation, worrying it’ll be a stuffy affair, so the last thing you want is for your friends to think the same thing. So here are some tips to liven things up at your wedding celebration.
The first dance will have everyone’s eyes on you, and while there is something timeless about a Viennese Waltz or a sappy romantic tune, try to jazz this up a bit. This is the time to shock your guests – surprise them with a sexy Latin dance or a jazzy swing step. This will definitely set the tone for a lively party.
Bored children at a wedding could very easily lead to disaster, so make sure you’ve got a game plan to entertain them. Set up an area for them, perhaps in a separate room with a babysitter who can set up movies for them to watch or even just give them a couple of tables with coloring books, toys and such.
Toasts can be brilliantly witty, but sometimes they run on and on leaving guests to look at their watches often. Prep your toasters to keep it down to two-minute max and to keep long-drawn stories for the anecdotes during drinks.
A wedding is a party, so give out some favors like noisemakers or masks. Encourage the guests to let their hair down and have a bit of fun once the formalities are all over and done with.
Get rid of the sit down dinner and get your guests involved. Great food is a good way to celebrate, but when everyone gets what he or she likes it’s even better. Set up a customizable food station where people can either have a pasta bar or a grilled cheese stations they can pick and choose from. It’s fun and everyone gets what he or she wants!
Nothing kills a party more than having all your guests leave early, so give a reason for them to stay. Plan some fireworks or an exciting surprise and tell them about it. It’ll give them an incentive to stay on until the very end.
But, sometimes the best parts are the bits the guests don’t see coming. Plan a surprise that will awe your guests until the very end, like a mariachi band or a troupe of belly dancers.
Going back to formal matters, make sure you arrange seats thoughtfully. The last thing you want is to sit people next to each other who don’t get on. Pick people you know would have a lot in common or great chemistry and build up based on that. That way you’ll have a great ambience at the wedding.
And last but not least, order food that isn’t formal or stuffy. You want the wedding to be fun, so go for what you would eat. If you fancy something exotic then go for Spanish tapas or Mexican. Be creative and everyone will have a great time! If you prepare a wedding thoughtfully and creatively, you’ll find people will have the time of their life and talk about it for the rest of it.
