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Interactive Reception Decor and Festive Activities are definitely continuing to trend in to 2023. -Now that we're all gathering together more comfortably after the long quarantines of covid, just about everyone on your guest list will be eager to get social and celebrate your fabulous occasion with playfulness & heart. Have fun planning unique ways to incorporate a little whimsy and creative flair in to Your Day!
- Vintage Musical Selections - In honoring your heritage, or the combined style you and your partner are creating with your new life together... remember to chat with your DJ or Emcee about how to incorporate unique and classic melodies into the evening's playlist.
- Hire a Caricature Artist so guests take home a truly unique keepsake -Check out our friend Krandel's work at https://www.buttsketch.com/ - he's exhibited many times at RWN's signature LGBTQ+ Wedding Expos!
- Consider setting aside an hour for Karaoke - depending on the crowd you're inviting to the reception... this one can be a big hit!
- Interactive Food & Beverage Stations are not new... but quiz your caterer and bartender about trending options. They'll likely have exciting ideas that may tempt you!
- The Happy Couple's Trivia or Bingo Game: Provide your Emcee with lively questions about the Newlyweds... Add a unique way to keep track of which table comes up with the correct answers (Bingo cards / decorative tally board up on the stage / A/V screen to post ongoing results / decorative chalkboards as part of each table's centerpiece ...) There are endless variations to this idea but it's an upbeat, casual way to get all your guests involved, and to let them in on some of the lesser known details about you and your partner and your relationship: "Where did we meet for the first time?..." "What are our middle names? What will our last name be now that we're married?..." "Where did we go on our first date?..." "Who proposed?..." Games like this are often thought of for Engagement Parties, but they're a fit for many couples' Receptions as well!
- Flash Mob? If you have a group of friends who are cool enough to pull it off... Ask them to coordinate a flash mob idea and incorporate it in to your reception, especially toward the early hours to really help the other guests' get inspired and up off their feet to join in the fun of dancing the night away!
- Legos at each reception table... Just to give everyone a chance to get creative and playful. Great ice breaker! (see if you can find lego sets with rainbow colors!)
- Don't forget the Mega-sized Board Games, such as Giant Connect Four (with circular pieces customized with the wedding colors and first names/letters of the newlyweds... Even for an indoor reception, a game board can fill an empty corner and provide an easy way for guests to interact and enjoy themselves... It might just make your introverted guests feel more at ease :)
- I Spy Game: Print up table signs with scavenger-hunt style scenes you'd like guests to take a picture of... Make each table sign a little different so that you end up with an incredible variety of pictures at the end of your celebration! Be sure to provide a hashtag and specific directions about how pictures should be uploaded or shared (or, if you have a vintage wedding theme, of course go with disposable cameras) Starter Ideas: "A person laughing..." "A favorite decoration..." "Photo of the Newlyweds..." "Photo of guests who are not in the wedding party..." "A silly moment..." "An unforgettable dance move!"
- Nostalgic Reception Table Placecards: Table Markers may not be necessary... but they add a little extra polish and FUN to your fesitivities! If you're having a Theme Wedding, table names will be a cinch to come up with... but if not, take a moment to consider making nostalgic Table Markers: Brainstorm in advance with your fiancee about places (cities, streets, locations) that hold fond memories for each of you, or are an important part of your story as a couple. For instance: "Pine Street Bridge - we walked across this special bridge on our trip to New England, and it was in that moment Ben was sure that Eric was "The One!"" Each Table Marker will spotlight a fond memory, serving as a conversation starter and simply a joyful little addition for all the guests who join your celebration. To make the Table Markers, search online for ideas using cardstock pre-cuts, or mini chalkboard signs. These can be an extremely cost-effective way to add one more accent to Your Day!
- LOTS OF WEDDING GUESTS who are not famliar with each other?? Plan an interactive Wedding Game! Here's an easy one: On the back of each guest's seating card, write one half of a famous duo (such as "Peanut Butter / Jelly... Salt / Pepper...." Or, more LGBTQ+ specific duos such as "Ellen / Portia... Mitchell / Cameron... Poison Ivy / Harley Quinn..." Or, if you don't have seating cards, just add a colorful, eye-catching basket or vase at your entry table - in it dump the collection of cards with the half-names of famous duos. Post a quick note with directions for all to see: "Pick a Name! During the evening, please take a moment to find your "Other Half", and introduce yourself! Tell them where you're from, and how you know the Happy Couple. Please take a selfie together and post it using our Wedding Hashtag! We appreciate you taking time to bring all our Guests together in friendship and fun!" -By the end of the party, you'll have a room full of chatting friends, not strangers... and your Wedding Photo Album will be full of outrageously silly selfies!
- Sacred Stones - the heartbeat of Mother Earth, stone decor also brings in grounding energy and adds a rustic touch. Consider making this an interactive piece: With a vase full of permanent markers, arrange various rocks in a basket or on a table and ask guests to write a short saying or prayer on a stone of their choice, as a beautiful and heartfelt message for your future together. Then you'll have a collection of stones to take with you - for home decor, garden decor, or to set about the corners of your home: foundational keepsakes for your new life together!
- Conversation Starter Centerpieces! -Consider varied centerpieces to spotlight your diverse interests or goals as a couple - Love Travel, Cooking and Classic Movies? Take time throughout the months leading up to your wedding to go thrifting, and make it a fun scavenger hunt! Seek out various items that match your hobbies and build unique centerpieces to make each table at your reception different and interesting. Travel books, a small globe, a map, faux passports, decoratives such as the Eiffel Tower or a flag of your favorite country, a mini-basket filled with little beach balls and sunny colored "towels..." Cooking books,a canister set as vases (filled of course with florals mixed with kitchen utensils), doilies or stacked kitchen towels, a crystal bowl of sugar cubes... Film reels, a tower of DVDs, mini movie posters on easels or in a frame, an autograph book set for all guests to sign in their most flamboyant style... With each of your hobbies you can easily find fun ways to incorporate trinkets or keepsake items for your guests to take home with them... but before they do these unique little trinkets will inspire whimsical conversations all around the reception tables! (Don't forget to check out dollhouse accessories for some unique options, if you need a few extras - everything from tiny kitchenware to seasonal accents)
- Keeping the Send-Off Interactive & Eco-friendly - Sure, sparklers and rainbow-colored smoke bombs are all the rage for your final appearance as you leave your reception festivities... but if you're striving to include natural elements you might consider a more traditional approach. Instead of a rice toss, however, provide your guests with dried lavender, rose petals, or other botanicals. These can easily be presented in several baskets for guests to take freely as they await your grand exit. Happy Honeymooning!
