Wedding reception ideas: bride and groom dancing while confetti rains down around them

It’s your big day, your special moment, your once-in-a-lifetime evening. And while you’ll remember your wedding day for the rest of your life, you want it to be equally memorable for everyone on your guest list. You want all eyes on you at the wedding ceremony, but come the reception, you want each guest having the time of their life. You’re on the hunt for fun wedding reception ideas for all to enjoy, whether that means tweaking the cocktail hour, offering activities beyond the dance floor, or getting really creative with table settings.

Your wedding reception should be a blend of you and your partner’s personalities. Now is the time to take a good hard look at your wedding reception venue, and find ways to put your unique touch on the decor, menu, and party favors.

12 Wedding Reception Ideas for Your Special Day

Wedding reception ideas: champagne tower at a wedding reception

Every happy couple wants their wedding reception to be the most memorable one of the year. Whether you’re searching for party favors your guests will truly enjoy or want to arrange out-of-the-box entertainment, here are eight ways to make your reception one to remember.

1. Have an Outfit Change

If Clark Kent managed to change into Superman in a phone booth, you can maneuver out of your wedding dress and into outfit number two at the reception.

If you’d be more comfortable having your first dance in a wedding romper than a wedding dress, we see no reason why it can’t make an appearance as your second act. If the guys can remove their ties, the women can certainly don a shorter dress or swap out their mermaid-style gown for something more dance floor-ready.

2. Lean Into Cultural Traditions

Wedding reception ideas: Confetti Burst Invitation

Design: Signature Greenvelope

Make the reception extra special by including cultural traditions guests likely haven’t seen anywhere else. You can draw from your own cultures to find a tradition to incorporate or pay tribute to the location of your wedding by using some of the local traditions. 

If you’re Hungarian, pay tribute to the menyecske tuha (new wife’s dress) tradition and slip into a red dress for the reception. For a fun Peruvian idea, do a cake pulling activity where charms attached to ribbons are buried in a large cake. Guests pull on a ribbon to pull out the charm — the person who gets one that looks like a fake ring is the next to be married! Henna and money dances are other great ideas celebrated in several cultures.

Don’t forget to include cultural traditions in your reception wedding decor. Latino couples will love adding papel picado lanterns to set the tone and pairing them with brightly colored table runners that mimic the look of traditional textiles. 

3. Feature a Late-Night Menu 

What’s the best part of wedding planning? Easy: taste-testing the wedding cake. Devising the menu is a close second. But sometimes, we get so caught up in constructing the menu (with dietary modifications for everyone on the guest list) that we forget about late-night munchies.

Also known as the most important meal of the day, the munchies consist of snacks and apps guests can enjoy after sipping a few cocktails or busting some moves on the dance floor. 

Consider setting up a Candyland-themed dessert table, designing a craft food station, hiring a food truck, passing around dozens of donuts, or having 56 pizzas delivered to your reception hall (hey, we’ve seen it happen). For a summer wedding, a popsicle display or gelato cart are sure to be a hit.

4. Create Signature Cocktails

Wedding reception ideas: bride and groom drinking cocktails

Spark conversation by serving up signature cocktails that reflect your names or style. Work with a mixologist to pair your favorite spirits with bitters and mixers for a creative wedding touch. You can even match the cocktails with your wedding theme.

For a tropical destination wedding, create craft cocktails in pineapples or using locally produced spirits. Alternatively, use colorful additions to make drinks look like the crystal blue ocean water or pink hues of the sunset. Guests will love making toasts with the festive drinks.

For an outdoor wedding in a National Park, dream up cocktails named after the local attractions like an Old Faithful Shooter or a Denali spiced cider. This distillery has a great list of National Park cocktail ideas to get you started.

5. Offer Onsite Childcare

And by childcare, we mean activities that will keep the kiddos occupied into the evening.

Let’s face facts: Wedding receptions are tailored to adults. Adults-only beverages, adult dancing, and (most likely) an adult menu. If you want your adult friends to truly enjoy their evening, they can’t be constantly worried about the younger ones in their family.

To make it a family-friendly wedding — and ensure those 16 and under still have the time of their lives — consider setting up a few kid-friendly activities. Take away a few reception tables and create an arts and crafts station, pass out bottles of bubbles (while the adults enjoy their bubbly beverages), and give the kids goodie bags of activities upon entrance (not exit) so they can enjoy all night long.

6. Forget the Floral Arrangements

Starry Border Invitation

Design: Claudia Owen

Flowers may be beautiful, but those centerpieces are taking up prime real estate in front of each place setting. For a memorable wedding reception idea, consider losing the flower arrangements for something more interactive.

There’s no limit to the items (and activities) you can place at the center of each table. Consider creating a pyramid of disposable cameras, transforming every guest into a human photo booth. Or, create a printout of a questionnaire about the happy couple (bonus: give prizes to guests who get the most answers right at the end of the night). 

Lastly, ditch the seven-tiered wedding cake in favor of one tier per table number, all in different flavors. That way, guests will be encouraged to travel to different tables (and mingle with other guests) to find their preferred slice.

7. Hire a Special DJ or Performer

Ditch the traditional wedding approach of hiring a formal band and hire a fun DJ or performer instead. They’ll curate a playlist or performance your guests are sure to go crazy over. For a fun idea, open up the reception with a dance troupe of ballet performers. Sporty couples dreaming of the perfect wedding reception can consider hiring performers who do special basketball tricks, breakdance moves, or fire dancing.

8. Rethink Your Escort Cards 

When devising your wedding seating chart, you’ll eventually come to the stark realization that your wedding venue has a finite amount of space. And you’ll be on a personal mission to use every square inch of it.

Your wedding place cards are an often overlooked element of the reception, but they can double as unique wedding favors for guests. Rather than simply writing guests’ names on a piece of paper, consider staking their names in a succulent or small potted plant. 

For escort card ideas at a more rustic wedding, place it in a mini mason jar with a single floral arrangement. Or, handwrite the guest’s names on cow bells for a farm-inspired wedding. Guests can take the bells to their wedding tables and ring them when you make your big entrance.

Stake your wedding guests’ names in a gold-foil wrapped piece of chocolate, giving them a sweet taste of the events to come. For sneaker lovers, hang a pair of sneakers with each guest’s name on it on a large graffiti wall.

9. Dream Up a Custom Guestbook

Simple Foliage Invitation

Design: Signature Greenvelope

Whether you’re planning a small wedding or a big reception bash, a guestbook is the perfect way for the newlyweds to capture special sentiments on the big day. Create a custom guestbook that matches your wedding theme and set out calligraphy pens for guests to sign. Display the book at the entrance to the reception venue or on a special table near the snack station.

For a travel-inspired affair, consider a themed book based on the one in the Pixar movie “Up” and add a custom wedding photo on the front. For a down-to-earth forest theme, a guestbook with a hardwood cover featuring your engraved initials and greenery is sure to stand out. For an extra special touch, choose woodgrain-inspired pages to continue the theme inside the book.

Sporty couples can consider setting out things like baseballs for guests to sign. After the wedding, you can display these on a special shelf in your home to reminisce on your big day. Couples may also love the idea of a DIY quilted guestbook. Lay out quilt squares in various colors and have guests write a sweet message on the square. After the reception, you can sew them together into a keepsake quilt you’ll cherish for years.

10. Think “Backyard BBQ” as Much as Dance Floor 

We have no doubt your wedding party will result in a mighty fine rendition of the chicken dance, led by your capable bridesmaids and groomsmen. That being said, dancing isn’t for everyone. Some guests will be looking forward to the wonderful opportunity to catch up with people they haven’t seen in years.

To help spark the conversation, draw inspiration from backyard weddings and set up lawn games like cornhole at your reception. Larger-than-life Jenga blocks, chess, or tic-tac-toe can be fun ways for guests to collaborate. Looking for a few 21+ ideas? Return to your college days and set up beer pong.

11. Serve Your Teenage Self’s Favorite Foods at Cocktail Hour 

Guests eating snacks at a wedding reception

Your 30-year-old friends can enjoy their mini quiches and salmon puffs elsewhere — because at your cocktail hour, you’re keeping it old school.

Give your cocktail hour a personal touch by passing out retro wedding food. Work with your caterer to think of after-school snacks you once enjoyed, like Pizza Rolls, Cheetos, and pigs in a blanket. Save the cupcakes for the formal reception, and pass out Double Stuf Oreos and Muddy Buddies at the cocktail hour.

12. Get Really Practical About Your Wedding Favors 

If you spend time carefully selecting — not to mention, paying for — custom keepsakes to send home with guests, you don’t want them ending up stuffed in a drawer.

As a fun wedding idea for the reception, offer your guests something they can use. Lay out pairs of white sandals so your guests can ditch the heels and dress shoes and keep shimmying on the dance floor. For a garden wedding, colorful umbrellas, sun shades, and fans are great favors they can use during the reception.

If you know your guests will be out late (and have a slight caffeine addiction) give out custom bags of luxurious ground coffee. Consider sending them home with a nightcap, wrapping up individual bottles of champagne or wine with ribbon in your wedding colors. Or, give them individually wrapped desserts, like cupcakes, caramel apples, or donuts.

Your Wedding Reception Should Fit Your Personality 

Family and friends throwing confetti at an outdoor reception

This is your wedding reception — so don’t hold back. Have fun with it. Find ways to weave your personality and love story into various aspects of the evening, from your online wedding invitations to your party favors to the menu and table settings.

Depending on your wedding theme, you can find tons of unique ways to add a little flare by coming up with a few unique wedding reception ideas. Do a retro menu, think beyond flowers for centerpieces, add activities beyond dancing, and customize every last bit of reception decor (down to the escort cards).

From all of us at Greenvelope, we’re sure your reception is going to be one party to remember. Now, get brainstorming, and get that party started.