Some brides these days are creating long festivities that continue through the night and into the morning. If this is you, planning some games and activities for those long night time hours is required.
Generally, if an all-night reception is planned, it probably goes something like this: the wedding takes place in the early evening and reception follows. By about midnight, some of the wedding guests will have departed and the group that is left (usually the younger guests, but not always) will continue to dance and party and revel 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 this type of reception? The answer is simple. You want to keep people entertained through the nighttime hours. You need to provide them with a real party.
For starters, you need to be well organized about the games and activities you plan. Discuss with your wedding MC about these games and activities and leave it to him or her to work out a schedule.
Do not arrange to have the cake cutting ceremony late at night. That activity should be held during the more traditional evening hours, so
guests not planning to stay all night can leave.
Depending on the wedding guest list, you could hold off on the father-daughter waltz until after midnight, or you could save some toasts for the late night hours. In any event, having some other fun games and activities is a great idea.
The wedding MC could bring in a piñata, which is available shaped like a wedding ring, a wedding gown or a champagne glass. It should be filled with a variety of goodies. Candy is always popular, but you could also fill it with silly toys found in party stores. Have the wedding MC introduce a spirited song and let the guests have a chance at the piñata. Do this on the dance floor and really let everyone have a swing at it. There should be lots of room. When the piñata breaks open, everyone can enjoy a taste of sweet candy or can receive a silly little carnival game or toy.
Guests who stay for the duration of the wedding may require a rest. Plan a photo presentation or video viewing. You could have someone who’san expert with PowerPoint create a photo presentation or have someone put together a dvd of photos. Do this around 2 or 3.30 am and it should last 30 to 40 minutes. This gives all the guests an opportunity to sit down and relax and also gives the DJ and wedding MC some time to sit, have a rest and recharge the batteries for the reaminder of the celebrations.
In that same vein of allowing 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 guests would like to sit down and relax, they can do so on the mattresses and still be part of the activity while resting.
If it’s been a long day and someone needs to rest, those formal room chairs don’t seem the most comfortable. If the reception is indoors, 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 head back for more partying when they’re recovered.
Learn more about the role of a wedding MC in these articles
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