1. If you are having more than 50 guests, skip the receiving line. It takes a ton of time, and no one enjoys waiting in lines. Instead, stop by every table and chat for a few minutes after everyone has sat down at the wedding reception.
2. Streamline the bar…stick to red and white wine and maybe a signature cocktail. This should be plenty, and less sloppy drunks to deal with.
3. Consider setting up a comfort station for the ladies…stash inexpensive slippers near the dance floor. The female guests will have happy feet, and they will keep the party hopping…a wedding reception that has a full dance floor is memorable for all the right reasons.
4. Tame the Toast makers…nothing kills a reception quicker than the best man rambling on about Daytona Spring Break 2008. Schedule toast early during the reception, before the toast masters have gone to the bar.
5. Restrain Yourselves…wanna kill your party, start a 30 minute video montage dedicated to your love life. Try a cute little quiz instead. Ask questions about you and your new spouse, and the guest that gets the most correct, wins a little prize.
6. Less is more…I don’t care what you saw on David Tutera’s show, yes a hour long firework presentation is cool. But it keeps people off the dance floor and outside of the reception hall. Do a simple sparkler arrival or departure. They are quick, pretty and inexpensive.
7. Get a good DJ…they are usually less expensive than a band. DJ’s are experts at keeping things on schedule.
8. Don’t nix every cliche wedding song out there. There is a reason that Celebration and YMCA are played at a ton of weddings…they get people on the dance floor. A reception isn’t the time to show your love for obscure Norwegian Death Metal bands.
9. Speaking of dance floors, small is better than big. This creates the illusion that the dance floor is crowded. People loosen up when they aren’t the only people on the dance floor.
10. Save cake cutting for later in the reception because guests sometimes take their cake retrieval as a time to leave !