Overnight Wedding Reception: Advice
Some brides these days are looking to have long festivities that run through the night and into the morning. If this is you, organizing a few games and activities for those long night time hours is required.
Usually, if an all-night wedding reception is planned, it may go something like this: the wedding takes place in the early evening and reception follows. Around midnight, many of the guests will have left and the group that is left (generally the younger guests, but not always) will carry on to party into the early morning hours. At some point, breakfast will be offered and then everyone will go home.
Why do you need games and activities for such a wedding reception? The answer is simple. You need to keep all the guests entertained through the nighttime hours. You want to provide them with a real party.
For starters, you have to be fairly organized about the games and activities you plan. Discuss with your wedding emcee about these games and activities and leave it to him or her to organize a schedule.
Do not plan to cut the cake late on. That ceremony has to take place during the more traditional evening hours, so
guests not intending to stay all night can leave.
Depending on your guest list, you might delay on the father-daughter waltz until after midnight, or you could save a few toasts for the late night hours. In any event, having some other fun games and activities is a great idea.
The wedding emcee could bring in a piñata, which you can buy in various shapes including a bridal dress, a wedding ring or a champagne flute. It should be filled with some goodies. Candy is always popular, but you could also fill it with silly toys found in party stores. Have the wedding emcee introduce a spirited song and let the guests have a chance at the piñata. Do this on the dance floor and really let the guests have a swing at it. There should be plenty of room. When the piñata bursts, all the guests can enjoy a taste of sweet candy or can receive a silly little carnival toy or game.
Wedding guests who stay for the duration of the celebrations may require a break. Organize a photo show or video viewing. You could have someone who’s familiar with PowerPoint make a photo presentation or get someone put together a dvd of photos. Do this around 2 or 3.45 am and have it last a half hour to 45 minutes. This gives everyone a chance to sit down and relax and also gives the DJ and wedding emcee a chance to sit, have a break and recharge the batteries for the rest of the celebrations.
In that same vein of permitting all the guests some relaxation, one activity that some brides use is a non-activity. If the wedding is outdoors, you could offer inflatable mattresses and have some torches lit. If wedding guests would like to sit down and relax, they can do so on the mattresses but still be part of the activity while resting.
If it’s been a very long day and a guest wants to rest, those reception room chairs are not that comfortable. If the reception is inside, think about providing large pillows for guests to sit on or plan a corner with inflatable mattresses and lots of fabric. This could be a chatting area where people could go to rest but still be part of the fun. They can chat and catch up with other guests and then return for more party fun when they’re recovered.
Learn more about the role of a wedding emcee in these articles
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