Make sure your wedding is the ultimate party
You've saved and planned for your wedding day for weeks months, some of you even years. Its daunting to think that your big day could be a flop, or worse that your guests will remember it as "Just like every other wedding."
After all that saving, planning and stressing you deserve a party that lasts until you say when. A few simple add-ons could keep your guests going for longer and help ensure that your wedding is the party that everyone's been waiting for. Your wedding is about celebrating you two.
Make sure that everybody truly enjoys themselves with these simple tips.
- Take the kids off their hands:
Kids are super adorable, aren’t they just?! A bored kid, however, is a completely different story, and could be the reason why parents depart your reception early. If you are catering for kids, make sure they have enough entertainment, and even supervision. Hire a nanny or two, jumping castle and other forms of entertainment during the day and set aside an area or room near the reception hall where kids can watch DVDs, play and even nap.
If you don't have the budget for that, make sure that Aunty and Uncle leave the laaities at home. You don't want them leaving early because the kids got tired and ruined their experience. Especially not when you worked so hard and paid so much for it.
- Make drinks available especially in the beginning:
Lets face it, a party doesn't have to have alcohol, but it just helps loosen people up. Kinda like you don't need blitz to make a fire - but it sure does help.
A few ice buckets/baths filled with free bottles of beer, cider, water and juice has all the makings of a good start to a great party.
Having an open bar, however, isn’t always financially viable, but if you can move some budget around, keep the bar open as long as you can. Alternatively, make sure you have ample free wine and sparking wine for each table.
- Keep the snacks and nibbles coming:
While alcohol is the key to keep some party animals going, food is the trick with others. A delicious after ceremony spread of snacks and finger foods is exactly the fuel these hungry guests need. Obviously your reception food will keep the foodies hooked, but don’t let the food stop with dessert or wedding cake. Spread the rumour early on that a midnight feast will be served in the form of pizzas or French fries with dips. Bam! Just like that, you’ve got those foodies in the bag the whole night.
- Be clever with who sits where :
Seating plays an important role in whether your guests have fun or not. You know the personalities of your guests so think long and hard and put people together that will energise and not bore each other.
It could also be very tempting to put everyone who doesn’t really fall in with a specific group at one table. That's usually the table where the photographers and the like sit.
Don’t do it, as everyone knows when they are at the random table and they are often the first to leave too. Instead, place them next to people that will make an effort to chat to them and include them in the festivities.
If all else fails, as a general rule, place family with family. Don't try to mix your 2 families up in the hope that they get to know each other. Chances are all you'll hear will be crickets if you do.
- A kick-ass DJ/playlist:
Even with all of the above in place there is one deciding factor that makes or breaks the party, and that is the music. We’ve all been to weddings where the DJ plays one hit after another; guests completely covered in sweat as they break out with ridiculous moves.
And we’ve all been to weddings where the dance floor is packed one moment and completely empty the next. Get a DJ that knows how to keep the party going or create a play list that is infallible with all the classics and new hits all in one.
Good luck!