You can’t have a wedding without a reception!
Well, technically, you can.
But let’s be real, you’re not going to do that.
And you know what goes great with wedding receptions?
That’s right, fun wedding reception activities to get everyone engaged and excited.
You want people to have fun and mingle, so create excuses for them to do that.
If you want some ideas to help get your imagination going, just keep reading…
1. Lawn Games
This is really only for outdoor wedding receptions, but if you’re having yours outside, it’s definitely worth considering.
Lawn games of all kinds have been beloved by people of all ages for centuries, and for good reason.
They’re usually not too strenuous or messy, so that no one will ruin their nice clothes.
And they generally don’t have complicated rules or take too long to play.
So, you can pretty quickly cycle through rounds and ensure that everyone gets a chance to play.
Best of all, they are, as we hinted, appropriate for all ages and, in many cases, designed to be played by several members of a family at once.
This obviously makes them ideal for a wedding reception where it is very likely there will be guests from at least 3 or 4 different generations.
2. Rediscover the Ancient Art of Toasting
Yes, we’re actually being serious.
Aside from being one of the fun wedding reception activities you should include at your event, it also has a much longer and more storied history than most people realize.
In fact, it goes all the way back to the ancient Egyptians, and probably even farther back than that.
For as long as people have been gathering to share food and beverages, there has been toasting.
Of course, we have no way of knowing, but the art and practice of toasting may even precede the invention of alcohol.
Humans were presumably already sharing food before they figured out how to distill alcohol.
Whatever the case, it’s a tradition found in some form in nearly every corner of the world, making it one of the few customs shared by almost all cultures.
This places it in rare company with other universal or semi-universal traditions like naming children, believing in some kind of religion, and waging war over lands and women.
And if you want to learn how to become a master toaster or “toastmaster,” there just so happens to be a whole organization called “Toastmasters” focused on teaching those skills that has chapters in almost every part of the world.
Additionally, if you want to spice things up a little, you could adopt one of the many specific toasting customs still practiced in another part of the world.
If you want to be really eccentric, you can use an ale horn, like the Vikings did.
3. Bouquet Toss
Another classic staple of American weddings has always been the bouquet toss.
This is when the newly married bride turns her back to the crowd of all the unmarried female guests and throws the bouquet over her head behind her.
Traditionally, it’s said that the one who catches the bouquet will be the next to get married.
Whether that’s true or not, it’s still been one of the most anticipated and fun wedding reception activities by bridesmaids, friends, and cousins alike for ages.
More specifically, it’s been a thing since the British brought the custom over here from England, where it has been practiced since medieval times.
But that’s not even the whole story.
Actually, as with so many other Western things, the tradition of throwing the bouquet can be traced at least as far back as ancient Rome.
So, like with toasting, when you choose to make it part of your reception, you’re choosing to be the latest carrier of a cultural flame that has been passed down for thousands of years.
How cool is that?
Just look at all those grasping hands. Those ladies want to get hitched yesterday.
4. Live Entertainment
Hire a dungeon master (for Dungeons and Dragons).
No, seriously, do that.
A dungeon master (or some other professional entertainer, like a storyteller or master of ceremonies) is someone who can, for a probably very agreeable price, bring some extra wonder and magic to your wedding reception.
Essentially, their whole job is to get everyone engaged and wrapped in a fantastical narrative story where you all play some role.
Sounds almost like a wedding, doesn’t it?
That’s why we’re suggesting it, especially since we know full well that a lot of you out there reading this are nerds who grew up on such things.
Why not bring some of the things you enjoy into your big day as fun wedding reception activities?
Also, something like Dungeons and Dragons works because it’s not technically competitive and is more about just funnin’ around and imagining wacky things.
Yea, Verily, and Forsooth… 🧙
Thus, we reach the end of our little article, and we must close things out for now.
We know, we know.
You want to hear more about ancient Roman bouquet tosses and the proper ways to utilize an ale horn during a game of DnD.
Who wouldn’t?
But fear not, for we post articles every month, just like this one.
Well, maybe not exactly like this one.
They’re not all about fun wedding reception activities.
Most of them are about other stuff.
But they’re all helpful, and you should check them out to help you with your wedding planning.
Good luck and congratulations on your engagement! 💐
