Obviously,
lush flowers and a gorgeous venue are some of the elements of a beautiful
wedding, but picture-perfect decor doesn't ensure an epic party. Score a
10 out of 10 for overall experience by following these simple yet effective
tips that will have your guests talking about your wedding for years to come.
1. Ask for Song Requests
To
ensure everyone is having a great time and dancing the night away, have your
guests request a song via the invitation response. Give this list of songs to
your DJ, along with the name of the person who requested each song. That way,
if the dance floor starts to thin out, the DJ can play songs off of the request
list. This pretty much guarantees that the person who requested the song will
get up and dance and encourage others to do so as well.
2. Don't Let Your Friends and Family
Talk Forever
Many
fun events have been driven into the ground by deathly long speeches. To keep
the party popping, ask your speech-givers to keep their toasts short and
sweet.
3. Remember to Thank Your Guests
Speaking
of speeches, it's important to let your guests know how much you personally appreciate
them coming. It's hard to believe how often this simple step is overlooked.
Bite the bullet, make the speech (keep it short, of course) and just
genuinely thank your guests for dropping their lives that day to share it with
you.
4. And Keep Them in the Know
The
best weddings are the ones that are organised and follow a timeline. When the
events of the day unfold in a timely manner, and the bridal party and guests
alike are not left standing around wondering what's next, where they
should go or what they should be doing, the entire day seems flawless.
5. Add in an Element of Surprise
Who
doesn't love a special surprise at a wedding? You could hire a group of singers
or dancers disguised as wait staff to break out into song or dance during
dinner, or you and the groom could perform a practiced dance routine yourselves
for the first dance. A 'wow' factor can be memorable and will ensure your
guests have a blast!
6. Opt for a Short Ceremony
If
possible, try to keep your ceremony simple and short in length. A long,
drawn-out ceremony takes away that guest energy level at the onset, and
sometimes it cannot be recovered for the reception.
7. Give Birthday Shout Outs
Does
your BFF have a birthday on the same day as your big day? Or is it his parents'
anniversary too? Have your MC acknowledge any birthdays and/or anniversaries
with a dedicated song during the reception. People love attention. Plus, it's
just a sweet gesture.
8. Hire a Great Band or DJ
After
all, they can, in fact, make or break a party. Look for a high energy
performer, while being careful not to choose an annoying personality to be your
MC. Great vocals, great dance moves and great spunk will have everyone up on
their feet until it's time to go home. Seamless song transitions and the
ability to read the crowd when they want to hear more of the same sound or a
desire to switch to a different sound is where a DJ's talent also comes
into play.
9. Provide Transportation
If
you're hosting a destination wedding or your wedding is in a remote location,
be sure to provide transportation for guests from their hotel to your wedding
and back. This way people don't have to worry about organising their own Designated Driver,
which guarantees that they can party harder.
10. Allow Your Guests Plenty of Free
Time
This
is particularly important if you have a destination wedding, or a bunch of
guests in from out of town. Back to back activities after a long trip will
run them into the ground. Let them have some time and space to explore and
they'll be refreshed and excited at all of your events.
Many
thanks & full credit to http://www.brides.com/blogs/aisle-say/2014/06/how-to-entertain-wedding-guests.html
