The Wow! Factor ~ making your reception the most memorable
Your wedding reception may well consume the largest part of your wedding day budget and the biggest block of time. Thus, you want it to be memorable and very special ~ for yourselves and your guests. You want that kind of Wow! Factor that takes the event from memorable to marvelously monumental.
Your entry into the reception is one moment to make a big impression. Nothing else spells r-o-y-a-l-t-y like a red carpet. Add a few potted flowers along the sides or at the final point where you enter the reception hall. Some newly married couples have this at the end of the dance floor, so they step right on to it and perform a cool dance routine they have invented and practiced in advance. into the reception is one moment to make a big impression. Nothing else spells r-o-y-a-l-t-y like a red carpet. Add a few potted flowers along the sides or at the final point where you enter the reception hall. Some newly married couples have this at the end of the dance floor, so they step right on to it and perform a cool dance routine they have invented and practiced in advance.
Lighting can be used to highlight the cake, your table, the dance floor, and it is effective in reverse to keep the coat rack and other service areas quiet and almost unseen. Color lights, strobe lights, spot lights, flashing lights and a sparkling, turning, glitter or disco ball will transform the most mundane room into an extravaganza of excitement and energy. Candlelight after dark brings in the romance and tranquility.
Floral arrangements that match the colors and bouquets of the day can be placed anywhere for enhanced accents, and often flowers from the church or ceremony are moved to the reception area. Garlands, fresh edible flowers around your cake or cupcakes and elegant, single stems in thin vases enhance your reception space.
Dishes and utensils speak volumes in terms of class and elegance, and you can rent gold or silver-rimmed china with lovely silverware and stemware to make every place setting exquisite. From crystal accent pieces to rustic jars and ribbons, the table arrangements can wow every guest. Superior Party Rentals and South Party Rentals are just two places to check out.
Draping entryways and areas behind focal points like the cake and gift tables can lend a whimsical, elegant or rustic aura depending on the fabric. Chiffon is always fun, velvet evokes richness, and red checkered gingham is perfect for farm and country folk.
Dancing can be intimidating for some people. A few break dancers or belly dancers or fashionable Dancing With The Stars couples can take to the floor and get things started, even pulling guests on to the dance space with willingness to teach a few moves.
Easy chairs, loveseats and a couch or two provide a casual space of relaxation between dancing, eating, checking out the photo booth and chatting with friends, old and new. Easy to rent with coffee tables and end tables to set things on, it gives everyone a warm, living-room kind of feel and space.
Food trucks are awesome for being where you need them, which could be right outside your reception at midnight. You and your guests cannot dance into the wee hours of the morning on empty stomachs, so plan ahead for this kind of late night catering from a rolling enterprise like Curbside Gourmet, Ps561 or Spring In Roll Out.
Parting treats give guests a little piece of your wedding day to take home and use or treasure. Matchbooks and cocktail napkins of yesteryear have given way to personalized Hershey kisses and candy wrappers, small soaps, candles, local wine, crafted beer, handmade chocolates and specialty cheeses or jams from your region. A jar of sand from your favorite Florida beach might fit the bill for your out- of- state guests.
Whether you are getting married at Fontainebleau, Carlin Park or your grandmother's backyard, you can have the most spectacular reception with small touches that create The Wow! Factor.