Wedding reception options

There are several ways to personalize your wedding reception to your individual tastes and provide your guests with memorable moments. They have proven popular practically everywhere. So whether you have a Chicago DJ, a New York DJ, or a London DJ, he will be able to guide you and your guests through some of the most memorable moments of your big night. Here are some options for your consideration.

Children activities

If you’re going to have a lot of kids at your reception, set up a separate room with kid-friendly activities like board games, crafts, coloring books, a clown / balloon / face painting artist, or even a movie. That way, the kids won’t be wandering around the main dining room, dropping things and tripping over their adult guests. Make sure you have adult supervision for children.

Love songs for the bride and groom

Typically, the reception guests will clink their glasses together for the two of you to kiss. Instead, some couples ask their DJ to make an announcement that anyone who wants the bride and groom to kiss should sing them a line or two of a song with the word “love.” The entire guest table gets up and sings. Sometimes they come up with some very creative songs that make everyone laugh.

Karaoke

Karaoke can be a huge hit or miss at a wedding reception. It depends on how well you know your guests. It requires a completely separate sound system (and an additional cost), a video screen to display the lyrics of each song, and a separate library of Karaoke instrumentals to support your guests as they take turns singing popular songs. A DJ who brings a Karaoke setup generally has a library of thousands of songs to choose from.

But beware. If Karaoke doesn’t work, you’ll get lots of howls and laughter for the first performer, some applause for the second, a polite applause for the third, then total boredom and impatience from your guests because your Karaoke performances are cutting off. your dance time.

Disposable cameras

Place a camera on each table and let the guests take their own photos. Have someone from the wedding party collect all the cameras at the end of the night. It will end with some very memorable candid images.

Video or slideshow

Some couples like to produce and show a video of themselves individually as children and later as a couple dating. Another option is a computerized slide show or Power Point presentation. You will probably need to rent a video projector. They can be found online by searching for “Party Rentals” in your community. Ideally, your banquet room will have light colored walls and you can project your presentation on a wall instead of a small screen, so that everyone in the room can see it.

If your presentation includes your own music, you can connect your computer to your DJ’s sound system. Ask about the types of plugs you will need and get a long enough patch cord with a plug on one end for your computer outlet, and another plug (either 1/8 “mini plug or dual RCA plugs) to connect your DJ sound system.

Centerpiece giveaway

You can coordinate this with the banquet facilities. Put a small sticker on the bottom of a chair on each table. The guest with the sticker takes home the centerpiece. Another way to do this is to have guests compare birthdays. The one at each table with the closest birthday to their wedding date gets the centerpiece.

Choreograph your first dance

If you have the time and the will, you may want to take ballroom dancing lessons together and dazzle your guests with a rehearsed performance. Make sure the wedding dress is cut to fit such a dance. Begin your lessons about 3 months before your wedding. Keep the song to 3 minutes or less if you can. Make sure your DJ has the correct version of the song; and tell him in advance how you will let him know that it is time to start the song. Your signal can be something as simple as a shake of the head.

Dollar dance

The bride and groom begin a slow dance together, then guests are invited to step in and dance briefly with the bride or groom, for a dollar (although a smart DJ will remind guests that there is nothing wrong with 10 or 20). Sometimes it takes two or three songs for everyone to have a chance to dance with the bride or groom. People can pin their money on the bride’s dress if someone provides pins, or the best man and bridesmaid can collect the money. It’s a great way to give the newlyweds some money while they head on their honeymoon.

Anniversary dance

All married couples are invited to join the bride and groom on the dance floor. A slow song begins. After a few seconds, the DJ asks all couples who have been married less than 5 years to leave the dance floor. A few seconds later, all married couples 10 and under must leave. Finally, the longest-married couple was left alone on the dance floor, and a standing ovation rises when the DJ tells the newlyweds, “Here are your role models.”

“Train of the soul”

Two parallel lines of dancers form on opposite sides of the dance floor, and couples take turns dancing in the middle, just as they did on “Soul Train.” It’s a great way to get everyone involved in the dance.

Conga line

The bride and groom lead the way, and the line forms behind them, with each person putting their hands on the waist of the person in front of them. Popular songs for a Conga line include “Hot Hot Hot”, “Party Train”, “C’mon & Ride It” and, of course, “Conga”. Always a good photoshoot.

Online dances

People love the dances they know. And there are many dances online that we have all seen a million times: “Electric Slide”, “Cha Cha Slide”, “Macarena”, “YMCA”, “Chicken Dance”, “Cupid Shuffle”, etc. Even if you absolutely hate every single one of them, don’t spoil it for your guests. Even if they don’t normally like to dance, they will be on the dance floor for line dances, and their inhibitions and spirits will be lifted. Remember, your reception is a party that you throw for your friends. Let them have a good time too. You can always tell your DJ not to play any line dance unless someone requests it. But putting them off limits denies your guests some wonderful bonding moments.