Top party tips

Top tips for the wedding reception

Here we’ve gathered some tips from our readers. As part of a competition here on brollopsguiden.se, many members sent in their best party tips. We’re publishing some of these tips here!

A message for the bride and groom

Inside each envelope, place a small envelope and a blank card. Guests should then write a message of their choice for the future. On the outside of the envelope, they can write, for example, ‘To be opened on your honeymoon’, ‘To be opened when/if you move house’, ‘if you win a million’, and so on; then they write a message they’d like to convey on the occasion they’ve chosen. Then have, sort of, a book-style calendar so they can slot it in there if there’s a specific date, or else at the back where they can keep their own little record of when each one is to be opened, to make it a bit easier. It’s great fun to have – we’re still reading ours. Haven’t opened the one with the million yet, unfortunately… =)

Reception chairs

If the head table is long and the envelopes are only placed on one side, you can put a few empty chairs on the other side. All the guests can then sit down from time to time and chat with those at the head table. It can actually get a bit lonely there sometimes, as you usually don’t have anyone sitting opposite you. What’s more, everyone gets the chance to chat and congratulate the couple and the others throughout the evening.

Red-carpet photo session

A mate and I were the photographers at a wedding; before the guests sat down at their tables, we organised a ‘red carpet photo session’ first. It gave the start of the party a festive, slightly ‘celebrity’ feel, and all the guests got to feel a bit special. There was less crowding at the tables as the photo session took a little time. If you also have a few people who look like bodyguards in suits and black sunglasses, it adds a bit of fun to the whole thing.

Place cards

Order napkins with the guests’ names on them and use them instead of place cards! It’s both cheaper and fun.

Competition

Buy a nice gift or prize that someone can win in the wedding reception’s games and competitions, and mention it briefly on the invitation to encourage more ‘yes’ replies.

More photographers

Buy at least one disposable digital camera for every two guests and place one in a bowl on each table. This will result in loads of fun photos, and it won’t cost more than perhaps 30:- per guest.

Planned break

Ask the toastmaster to schedule a break between the main course and dessert, and make sure they inform the guests about this break! This is to avoid people rushing about during dinner, which can disrupt speeches and similar events.

Rotate the guests

To give guests time to chat with and meet as many people as possible, organise a ‘seating reshuffle’ before dessert! You can do this by taping new place cards to an envelope and placing it under each guest’s chair; guests can then take it out and place it at their new seat. The envelope should also contain a new seating plan so that guests can easily find their new seat. A much-appreciated little trick that helps to ‘shuffle things up a bit’!

Spice up the speeches

The toastmaster introduces all the speakers with a “revelation” about the bride and groom, accompanied by a photo they’ve submitted in advance. This is incorporated into a newspaper-style headline, which might read, for example: “Expressen reveals – The bride’s fear of cockroaches”, accompanied by a funny picture. This is projected onto a screen, after which the speaker who submitted the story is introduced.

Introduce the guests

The guests might not know each other? Spend a few evenings writing a few sentences about each of the guests, including which of you they’ve known the longest and, ideally, a few amusing quirks. Put them together into a small booklet to be placed next to each plate.

Take photos for the thank-you cards

Have a photographer take a photo of the guests as they arrive at the party. It’s lovely to then burn these onto a CD along with other wedding photos when you send out your thank-you letters. Let the CD be your thank-you letter! The possibilities are endless!

Group the guests

Make a small blue bow for the groom’s friends and a small pink bow for the bride’s friends. Feel free to choose other colours if you’ve gone for a colour theme! This makes it easier for guests to mingle before, during and after dinner.

Swap seats

Do you have round tables, and would you like to give guests the chance to chat with more people in a relaxed atmosphere, as well as encourage them to get to know one another better? Swap seats between courses. Make it a fun activity!

Everyone should dance

Organise a simple dance, such as ‘Do the Hustle’, and let a keen dancer lead the way. It’s great fun when everyone joins in.

Music everyone likes

Add your friends’ absolute favourite songs to the playlist. That way, there’s guaranteed to always be someone on the dance floor.

Party starters

Have a karaoke session. It’s something that suits all ages. It’ll definitely get the party going!

Avoid stiff clothes

Make sure you’ve got comfy shoes and comfortable clothes for the party. That way you can really let your hair down!

Get some help

Make sure you get some help! Splash out on hired staff – this is your day and you should just enjoy it, not worry about the practicalities.

“We really wanted our wedding to be a PARTY, so we focused on boosting the atmosphere by”

Changing the seating plan

Change the seating plan halfway through dinner. After the main course, our guests had to look under their chairs, where we’d placed a NEW seating plan. It really lightened the mood; the guests had the chance to move around during a short break, and it also gave them some variety and the opportunity to get to know more people.

Competition

Hold a competition during the dinner with a prize that reflects the bride and groom. We included a competition in the programme and people were asked to put their answers in a basket; during dinner, the winner was announced and asked to come up (in our case, there was a… lectern(!) in the room) to receive a bottle of Bloody Mary (the bride’s father is Polish). The guests could always chat about the competition questions if things got a bit quiet around the table.

Funny drink names

Dare to be playful! After dinner, guests could order well-known drinks which we’d, of course, renamed with completely crazy names. E.g.: ‘I’d like a “Clone of Jenny (the bride)”‘/’A Flirt Tonight’ etc.

Information map

A seating plan with a ‘map’ showing who everyone is and their relationship to the bride and groom.

Avoid a drunken brawl

A bartender to ensure things don’t get too out of hand.

Choice of toastmaster

A toastmaster who puts everyone at ease and makes everyone laugh; ideally, they should perform a sketch or something similar about the bride and groom to lighten the mood.

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