Right, so COVID continues to touch our lives with its dirty virus laden hands and it is still turning wedding plans on their head.
My heart breaks for all couples who’s wedding plans are up-in-the-air/all-over-the-shop/unrecognisable.
I am talking to lots of people, trying to help them brainstorm and switch gears. Everything is under the wedding microscope. From ceremony format to guest numbers to reception ideas.
So let’s talk post ceremony ideas. Let’s not call it a reception but the PCG (post ceremony gathering). It doesn’t have to be a big blow out party but a gathering of family and friends sounds a lot more apt these days.
I know, we are currently still under the ‘Footloose rules’ (remember the movie with no dancing or having a good time) but that doesn’t mean your guests can’t have a great time or celebrate the ceremony they have just witnessed.
We just have to re-define what a good time looks like and I have a tonne of ideas of how you can still have fun with your guests while the sit down.
Let us remember why everyone is there – to witness and celebrate two best friends choosing each other’s company, exclusively, for the rest of their lives. This right of passage is the reason so let’s put the focus on that, on you two, and not doing the Nutbush or lining up for the Grease Lightening medley or the Macarena.
So here are some ideas on ways to entertain your guests and keep the focus on why everyone is there.
If you hire a great MC (I mean a really good professional who) they should be able to really get your guests to engage and have fun but safely and at your table.
Here are some fun ideas to engage your guests;
• The Shoe Game – this is a popular game at wedding receptions where the wedding couple sit back to back and answer questions about the other. BUT instead they have to give the answer their partner would have given.
• Wedding couple trivia - see how well your guests know you as a couple or how well they were listening during the ceremony. You can have little prizes for your guests or shout them cocktails, wine or shots.
• Wedding day bingo - everyone has to listen out for key wedding speech phrases and tick them off on a bingo sheet. Winner yells BINGO and have prizes for your guests)
• Hire an entertainer/drag queen/magician – they can do a cabaret/comedy performance
• Get a great band or musician – they can perform and listen like a concert or give them a list of songs they may be asked to perform by guests then they take requests on the night.
• Rock, paper, scissors - at each table play ‘rock, paper, scissors’ then have table play offs (no one has to be leave their table)
• Crosswords or 'find-a-word' – put together puzzles to be done at the table with clues and questions about the couple
• Live interaction with your guests - Use a large screen and do live polling and interactive live chat. The MC could rove around the audience interviewing guests. People can give marriage tips, their wishes or perform a song or poem.
• Create a #hashtag and use it – let your guests make videos and well wishes to leave on your page. You could even put that up on a screen and scroll through later in the night
• Who’s been married/together the longest – have everyone stand, ask single people to sit (tell them to take a good look around, those sitting are those they should be flirting with – using your eyes only). Then ask couples to sit as you go up (sit down if you have been married one, year, two years, five years”) till the last ones standing are those who have been married the longest. Then ask them to share their greatest tips for staying together (set this up beforehand so it doesn’t catch them unaware).
So you see, just because you can’t have the rockin dance floor or flitter between tables doesn’t mean it won’t be fun or a night to remember. Just change the way you at things AND hire a professional MC (like me or I can recommend others) to ensure the night is a blast.
By all means let's chat about your PCG if you need some help or have any concerns. I got ya back. And ya front.
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