The evening wedding reception can be so important as this is when everybody comes together to really celebrate your big day. This is the moment where you can bring in your wider group of friends who maybe haven’t been part of the day as a whole, work colleagues, family members who are maybe more on the periphery, and really throw a party to remember!
Now there are many reasons why you would want to do this at your wedding. Of course it’s going to be a lot of fun for you and your guests and is a great way to end the night. However, one of the overlooked aspects of this is the importance of really making your mark and having that incredible defining moment for everyone to witness!
Live Music
Having a big party at the end of the night is a great statement and will really imprint a memory for your guests so they will never forget you or your celebration. To get the party started there are many styles of wedding entertainment you can look at depending on what atmosphere you want to create. At the very least there has to be music of some kind! Whether that’s via a professional DJ, a jazz band, a party band… there needs to be something there that people can enjoy listening to and dancing to.
Children’s Entertainment
Further to this, if you know that there will be plenty of children at the evening reception it can be a good idea to have something in the early part of the night to keep them entertained. Whether this is a face painter, a balloon modeller or something along those lines, it can be really helpful to have some children’s entertainment so your guests can mingle and chat amongst themselves. After all, there may be a few who haven’t seen each other in a while and could do with a good catch up!
Break The Ice
On the other hand, there may be guests who have never met each other before and it can be really helpful to hire some kind of wedding entertainment that will help break the ice and set the tone for a great party as the night goes on. Entertainers such as magicians and caricaturists can be really useful for this as they create a buzz. They get a small crowd involved and watching that gets people laughing together and helps them get acquainted.
Get Unique
There are also more unique ideas available that work really well such as fire performers, dancers, paparazzi photographers, LED musicians, celebrity lookalikes… anything really that fits your theme or that you feel will give everyone a party to remember. This is your chance to push the boat out and really end your wedding in style! Don’t be afraid to go for something a little different that people may not have seen before, a little bravery when booking and thinking outside the box can go an awful long way.
Dance floor tips
One of the biggest worries that couples have at this part of the day is if the dance floor is going to be full or not! But fear not, here are some tips and things to consider that will ensure your dance floor will be packed.
- Book the right size band for the venue. You don’t want an acoustic duo on a massive stage, and in the same way a 12 piece band on a tiny stage!
- Make sure you have designated dance floor. This sounds super obvious but you need to make it clear to guests where the dancing will occur! Also the size of the dance floor is important. Nothing too big to scare guests away!
- If possible, have the bar in the same room. This goes a really long way as people will be back and forth grabbing drinks and can easily find their way back to the dancefloor!
- Keep the lights low and watch the mayhem unfold. The brighter the lights on the dance floor, the more guests tend to stay away out of fear of being seen throwing crazy shapes!
- Check your band’s setlist and see if the song choices are a good mix for everyone to sing along and get involved.
- Lastly you need to lead by example! If you really want a full dance floor then round a couple of your best friends and drag them up there. Even recruit your own dancing posse of friends to help coerce people up! It’s guaranteed that once you get the ball rolling, there will have been plenty of others chomping at the bit ready to get up and cut some rug themselves! They just need that little nudge to not be the first…
