15 Fun Wedding Reception Ideas

These are some great suggestions for a fun wedding reception!  They will surely have your guests going home thinking "that was the most fun reception ever!" And, more importantly, so will you.
This article is reprinted from:
bridalguide.com and written by Elena Donovan Mauer

Forget stuffy. Be sure your guests let loose and truly enjoy your wedding with these entertaining ideas — straight from the pros!

1. Walk Down Memory Lane
Make the guest feel like integral parts of the day by incorporating them into the decor—in a gallery of meaningful photos. "We do something we like to call 'memory lane,'" says Northern California event planner Sasha Souza. "We hang pictures of the bride and groom with friends and family along the walk from the ceremony to the reception. It's a fun cocktail party conversation starter." As guests take a leisurely stroll and find pictures of themselves with you, they can reminisce and socialize.

2. Break the Ice Creatively
When you enter your reception for the first time as husband and wife, don't just take a conventional arm-in-arm stroll. "Run. Skip. Dance. Swoop in on a rope swing!" suggests Alyssa Brown of AE Planning+Design in San Francisco. Brainstorm with your groom about the most creative, appropriate way to make a big impression. This is a great way to break the ice and set up for a fun vibe for the rest of the event.

3. Play Party Games
"We did a wedding where the menus were puzzles, so each person got one piece of the puzzle at their place setting, then everyone had to put the pieces together to get the full menu description," says Brown. "Crossword puzzles are fun for the back of a program or if you have guests going on a long bus ride to get to the reception venue."

4. Surprise 'em!
"Pablo Neruda is the world's most romantic poet," sats Bussen. "And a modern, pretty paperback edition of his love poems makes a wonderful, lasting guest favor that's much more meaningful that a bag of Jordan almonds! If you buy in bulk, you might get a discount—contact your bookseller directly. And don't forget to add a personalized bookmark thanking your friends and family for sharing your big day with you."

5. Be Entertaining
Guests always love the energy of a live band but tend to want to hear the original artist sing their favorite tunes. As a compromise, a bride may hire a dance band but also play DJ'ed music during the breaks, or she'll arrange to have live music during some parts of the event and recorded music during others. Souza suggests combining the best of both worlds—at the same time. "We've worked with a band called The Infusion Experience," says Souza. "The DJ plays the original music while the percussion players play live. It's a huge crowd pleaser!"

6. Be More Entertaining
"Consider unexpected, untraditional entertainments like tarot card readers, magicians and flip book stations (booths where guests create quick movies and make mini books)," says Marcy Blum, an event planner in New York City. She advises asking yourselves what sorts of activities the two of you like to do. You can use your shared interests as surefire wedding inspiration. (Did you meet at a comedy club? You may want to hire a stand-up comic.) Or you can use your heritage as inspiration: "I've had couples surprise their guests with ethnic dancers or musicians who share a set with the band," says Blum. "You can hire square dance instructors," adds Blum. "Have them teach guests to do a line dance—they'll have a blast."

7. Offer a Dessert Buffet
You can assume most people have a sweet tooth, so have guest get involved in creating their very own dessert. "A cupcake-making station is a reinvention of the popular hot fudge station," says New York City event planner Shawn Rabideau. "Have abundant trays of different flavors and colors: a guest might pile crushed Oreos on a chocolate buttercream cupcake or top a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese." This sort of do-it-yourself treat is absolutely guaranteed to bring out the kid in everyone!

If you're planning a warm-weather wedding, feel free to get really playful with refreshments. Consider serving up a nostalgic and fun Sno-Cone station. "It's easy to rent a shaved-ice machine from the caterer or a party rental company," says Bussen. "Add a choice of colorful syrups and even your favorite apres-dinner liqueurs. Think frozen White Russians, Orange Shaved Ice with Grand Marnier, or Ruby Port and Berry. This will be the hit of the party."

Your Ideal Wedding Size - Small and Intimate or Large Gathering?

Here are some great tips on figuring out how many guests to have at your wedding and how you should tailor the guest list to fit your needs!

Reprinted From: Yahoo! Contributor Network/Yahoo voices/Jennifer Drake

As anyone who has been involved in the planning of a wedding surely knows, there are countless decisions to be made about that special day. One of the most important decisions to be made about your wedding is its size, or how many guests you will invite. The size of your wedding affects so many other factors that this must be figured out in the early stages of planning.

Consider what type of feeling or mood you want present at your wedding ceremony as size is an essential part of creating this. A few hundred guests automatically creates a different atmosphere than standing in front of thirty family members. Do you want a very formal, traditional ceremony, a large party atmosphere, or an intimate celebration of your love? How have you imagined you wedding in your mind? A smaller guest list may make it easier to personalize the wedding ceremony to reflect your relationship and unique personalities. It may also simplify the planning process and lead to a less stressed couple on wedding day to have a smaller size wedding. However, a gregarious and outgoing couple may love the idea of having a huge crowd and being the center of attention.

Do you already have a location picked out? If so, this may provide you with some limitations as to how many guests you are able to invite to your wedding. Decide whether the guest list or the venue is more important. If you want a destination wedding, you probably won't be able to fly three hundred of your closest friends to a Caribbean beach or a chateau in France. You simply may not be able to fit that many people into a beautiful but small local church, either. Likewise, it would seem silly to rent a huge space for your wedding, then only fill it with twenty guests. In other words, if you already have a favorite location picked out, you may have plan your guest list and wedding size according to those surroundings. This can be used as a great excuse if someone is pressuring you to invite more people: "I'm sorry, we're set on having the wedding ceremony here, and they just won't fit."

Another important consideration when deciding on the size of your wedding is the budget. More guests means more invitations, more favors, more food, and possibly a more expensive location. If you feel bad about not inviting a distant relative or old friend, keep in mind that you probably wouldn't care if someone you barely knew didn't invite you to their small wedding. Focusing on the people who matter most to you now, at you present stage in life, will help you have a joyful wedding ceremony without stressing as much about the budget. When money is the issue, one method is to start by writing your dream guest list of everyone you wish you could invite to your wedding. Once you figure out how much it will cost per person for food, etc., begin cutting people out until you are within budget. If someone else is paying for the wedding, it is only fair that you take into consideration their wishes for the size of the wedding. Traditionally, the bride's parents controlled the budget and told the groom's family how many guests they could invite. However, if the bride and groom are paying, they should have complete control of the guest list.

Compromise: invite only a small number of guests to your wedding ceremony, but plan a large reception afterward. This can be a great solution to the wedding size issue for many people. It's a good option if you have a long guest list but are on a tight budget, or the bride and groom disagree about an ideal wedding size. If you are planning a destination wedding, you can have a big party with your extended family and friends when you return home. Also, families with small children on your guest list may appreciate the option to be part of you wedding day without having to sit through the actual ceremony. Simply send everyone on your guest list an invitation to the reception, and enclose another card for those you want to invite to the wedding ceremony.

Like the rest of your wedding planning, try not to make decisions about your guest list or ceremony size based on what will please others. If you strongly want an intimate wedding with just the two of you present, everyone else may have to deal with just attending the reception. Don't get carried away with size and break your budget by inviting everyone from old high school friends to third cousins you've never met, if that's not what you really want. More than anything, the size of your ceremony should reflect your personality so that you are comfortable with your guest list on the big day.

Finding Wedding Professionals In Your Area

Planning a wedding can certainly be a stressful thing. Planning a location wedding can be even more so-finding photographers, florists, caterers, officiant and DJ, etc. are all vendors that  have to be arranged. Since you don't live in the area where you are planning the wedding of course this can be problematic. While the internet provides a good resource for searching, finding vetted professionals can still be challenging. I would encourage not only paying attention to reviews, but also researching  the local wedding association.  

Here on the Central Coast of California we are fortunate enough to host  two local wedding organizations.  CCWP (Central Coast of California Wedding Professionals) supports our wedding community. CCWP recently celebrated it's 20th anniversary of service and offers an annual bridal faire as well as maintaining a website (http://ccwp.com) that features vetted professionals for your every wedding event need.

The other wedding organization on the Central Coast is Central Coast Bride (http:/centralcoastbride.com) Central Coast Bride features local vendors, planning tools and it's own schedule of Central Coast Bride bridal fairs. Additionally,  Central Coast Bride is a foundation.  The Central Coast Bride Foundation contributes to causes locally, nationally and internationally.

To find out more about associations in the area you are planning your wedding initiate searches containing words like "wedding association, " "wedding professionals" and "wedding organizations.

Out Of The Wild Blue (Sky)-A 50th Wedding Anniversary!

The Dodds skydive for their 50th wedding anniversary!

I saw this article a few months ago and saved it. It always delights me to learn of couples who never lose that zest for life, desire for reaffirmation and ability to try and fulfill each other's dreams. This 50th anniversary was not only special because of the marriage's longevity, but also for the couple's validation of all of the above. Congratulations to Alan and Pat Dodd!

Reprinted from UPI.com

PORTALES, N.M., Nov. 16 (UPI) -- A New Mexico man said he was delighted to convince his wife to go skydiving in celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary.

Alan Dodd, 69, of Portales, said he took him weeks to talk his wife, Pat, 71, into taking a tandem jump from nearly 14,000 feet for their anniversary in October, KRWE-TV, Albuquerque, reported Wednesday.

"He just suggested 'let's go do a skydive,' and I said no way, I'm not going to," Pat said.

However, Alan was eventually able to change her mind and Pat now says she might be open to Alan's idea of repeating the feat for their 75th anniversary.

"We've been retired for three years, and we love it, we do everything together," Pat said.

Alan said retirement has given them time to "do crazy things."

Wedding Toasts Tips For the Wise Bride!

Wedding Toast drawing via Wikipedia

The "Bitchless Bride" is one of Huffingtonpost.com regular contributors. The following is a great article on how to choose your "toasters"  and when to schedule them. After being privy to countess wedding toasts (and having to supervise, sometimes censor and delicately interrupt lengthy monologues) the "Bitchless Bride" offers great advice on who to chose, how to chose them and who and how to exclude the ones who really shouldn't take the mic at all!

The Who, What, When, Where, and Why of Toasting Etiquette

"Simplicity is the glory of expression" said the great American poet, Walt Whitman and after a long, Labor Day weekend of weddings, rehearsal dinners and the "morning after" brunches, I couldn't agree more. I mean, I've been thinking about some of the fabulous toasts I felt lucky enough to witness, and some of the insanely boring, rambling and completely inappropriate toasts I had to endure. And while the guests certainly appreciated the eloquent speakers who treated the "audience" to a wonderful tale of the bride and groom, sadly we all became innocent bystanders of some poor judgment and plain old bad taste.

Brideys, allow me to transport you back to grade school for just a moment. Remember these: Who? What? When? Where? (And) Why? Use these simple questions as a guideline when determining the following... Who gets to toast? What is the general content of the toast? When during the course of the evening will they toast? Where (at the wedding or the rehearsal dinner) will they toast? And of course... WHY have they been chosen to offer a toast? Because honoring the happy couple is absolutely one of the formalities and joy of any wedding and rehearsal dinner, but it's how you do it that counts. Allow me to break it down a bit:

1. Who is this person? Are they a close friend or somebody who asked you if they could say a few words in your honor? Because if it's the latter, and you feel somewhat obligated to oblige, then just say "no thank you, we have narrowed down our list of those who will be speaking, and we don't want it to get too long." I mean... if you aren't super thrilled to hear how they are going to "honor" the two of you, then neither are your guests. So let the pity toast go.

2. What is the general content of the toast? You don't have to ruin it for yourselves, but have an idea as to some of what will be mentioned. Because after this past weekend, nothing surprises me anymore... Seriously, picture your grandma digesting the wet T-shirt contest story or the one about how you were so drunk that you passed out and woke up with your face painted, but OMG thank GOD you met your fiancé because he really turned you around. Yeah, relive those moments during your bachelorette weekend!

One more somewhat nit picky item regarding the general content of the toast... be sure that your speaker doesn't ONLY speak about you or the groom based on how they fit into the mix. BOTH of you are getting married, and while it's okay to take up about 60 percent of the airtime speaking about the person they know the best, it's important that they don't forget to talk about the bride and groom as a couple! I mean that IS why they are speaking after all, right?

3. When are they going to toast? If your friend is a superb speaker, then it might be nice to have them toast the happy couple somewhere in the middle, particularly if this is during your rehearsal dinner when the toasts/roasts typically happen one after the other.... Because if the evening begins a bit rough (with long, boring private jokes and anecdotes), then your friend can help revive the atmosphere, and set the tone for those to follow.

4. Where are the majority of the toasts going to take place? The rehearsal dinner or the wedding? The answer... the rehearsal dinner. Just remember to remind everybody who is speaking to be brief, entertaining and as appropriate as possible (see #2). The reason it's best to have the majority of the toasts take place at the rehearsal dinner is because everybody is sitting, everybody is focused (because they know to expect somewhat of a long evening of toasting/roasting), and they are hopefully enjoying some delicious food.

Toasts at the wedding should also be brief with a limited amount of speakers, but more then that, it's nice to get through the formalities quickly so that you can celebrate.

5. Why are they "the chosen ones"? If you can't answer this question easily, then very simply... Don't let them take the mic! The people speaking should know you inside and out, and convey you and your soon-to-be-husband in the best possible way. If you are at all concerned that they will embarrass you (sometimes even by accident), then don't let them take the floor.

After planning, orchestrating and listening to millions of rehearsal dinner and wedding toasts, you gotta trust me! Take my advice and run with this one! Because if you do, I promise that you'll be able to fully relax throughout the wedding weekend!

Got it? Good!

The Times They ARE A-Changing

I found this article (written last year) to be very interesting, and also made a lot of sense!  Toward the end of the article the tip on hitchswitch.com is a great one. Check out the site if you are needing help with a name change! On a personal note, Karen's nephew was recently given an "engagement ring" by his girlfriend. He was delighted! They will be married this spring, as far as I know they are both keeping their names, but I have a hunch he would have no problem hyphenating his. Either way they love and respect each other and they will have a wonderful union, no matter who is wearing what ring or what name they share, if any!

From Galtime.com

More Men Taking Their WIVES' Last Name

By Mary Schwager, Consumer Watchdog

If you’re one of the 2 million people who will get hitched this year, listen up-- some of the traditonal aspects of marriage are changing quickly!

First we told you how a growing number of men are starting to wear “mangagement rings” (male engagement rings.) Now we’ve learned there's a new trend on the rise: Men in the US are taking their wife’s last name, or hyphenating it with their own. 

Taking the Name Change Plunge 

Mark Tyler is "man enough" to admit to GalTime that he actually did all of the above. Mark wore a mangagement ring during his engagement, and soon after he and his bride Carol Tyler got married last January, Mark took his wife's last name. He started the ceremony as Mark Harper and ended it as Mark Tyler. The minister even announced, “Here come the Tylers” as they made their way down the aisle.

Mark says he’s proud. “Shortly before the wedding I decided to make the change. She (Carol) was stunned. Actually, she asked me to reconsider, that it was cool with her for me not to change. But I told her it was too late, and then she said GREAT!”

The couple started talking about it before they got married and decided it was important they both have the same last name so their children would as well.  According to Mark, Carol said, "If we all have the same last name, why can't it be mine?"

She said it as a joke, but I told her that I'd think about it seriously. So I did. And then I found myself in the position of the typical female. Hyphenate? Too bulky. Keep my name? But then we'd have different family names. Take her name? Yowww. Big blow to the male ego.”

In the end Mark says he thought about Carol’s career. “She is well established in her career and I am not. Our plan is for her to be the primary breadwinner and me to be the primary parent. So, "Carol Tyler" is a well established professional while "Carol Harper" is who? I don't have the same dynamic going from Harper to Tyler.”

Gayle Brandeis and her husband did the name swap for the same reasons when they got married: Kids and career. “It is a second marriage for both of us. I had kept my name with my first marriage as well, and my kids from my first marriage have long hyphenated last names. I was pregnant when my current husband and I married, and we liked the idea of everyone in the family having the same last name. I had already established myself as an author with my name, and he felt no particular loyalty to his father's last name, so now my hudband is a Brandeis, as is our son.”

How Many Are Doing The Reverse Name Swap?

The Centers for Disease Control and the Social Security Administration says it doesn’t track these types of name swaps. But an up and coming company called Hitchswitch, which offers newlyweds “a one stop shopping name changing service for a fee” has some interesting numbers.

CEO Jake Wolff says they’ve helped about two thousand couples change their names since June 2011-- and 5 percent of those clients have been men. Out of that five percent about three percent of men take their wife’s last name and the remaining two percent create a hybrid or hyphenate their last name.

Jake says he’s seeing this trend increase. “Even though Q1 of 2012 has just started, we have seen an increase in the number of males taking a hybrid name.”

Jake polled his male name changing clients for GalTime on why they went against the name grain and they all told him, “The overwhelming majority told me that their wives did not understand why they had to follow the ‘age-old’ tradition of changing their name to the name of their groom, and asked their groom to change his name.”

Mark says when he told people about his untraditional name change a majority of the responses were actually negative. “As for the man card issue, I get it. I guess that in many ways I have turned in my man card. Of course, I treat the whole man card thing as a joke in the first place. It's a satirical term that, to me, describes a physically grown man who has the mind and interests of an adolescent.”

Happily Ever After

The Tylers and the Brandeis' all report they’re still very happy with their choices. Their kids have the same last name, and all is well in nameville. Mark gushes, “I'm so proud to be a Tyler. My wife absolutely rocks and our family is the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me.”

Jake Brandeis sums it all up quite nicely from his informal customer poll of men who handed in their man card with class. “The grooms told me that they did this because the couple was starting a new life together, and their new name was their new identity. They saw it as a great compromise.”