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Reception Entertainment!! HELP!!!

lpaoli2341lpaoli2341
First Comment
in Wedding Reception Forum
Okay, so, I am in a bit of a dilemma. The Church we are renting for our wedding does NOT allow dancing in the reception hall. I am at a loss for what to do about entertainment. I DONT want people just sitting there and being bored. I was thinking about maybe doing a mad libs sheet. Or something like that. Because the Church doesnt allow dancing I need something to keep our guests entertained. Ideas?
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Re: Reception Entertainment!! HELP!!!

  • NOLAbridealmostNOLAbridealmost member
    5 Love Its Name Dropper Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited May 2013
    Most grown adults can mingle, chat, and entertain themselves by enjoying the company of the people around them.  There's no need to do Mad Libs or any other types of "ice breakers" or "games."  Just have good food, plenty of drinks, and some nice background music and the entertainment should take care of itself.

    That said, I find that photo booths (or even just having the photographer bring props and offer to take silly portraits of the guests without a "booth" per se) are extremely popular and tend to entertain me at weddings.

    ETA:  You might want to have your wedding in the afternoon and prepare for the fact that it most likely will simply not last as long as a late-night, open bar, dance party type of reception.  That's just the nature of the beast.   I would expect most guests will stay 2.5-3 hours tops.

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  • lpaoli2341lpaoli2341
    First Comment
    Well, we are on a very small budget, and younger so we cannot drink nor does the church allow alcohol. My family is very VERY opinionated and they tend to judge things very harshly and I think we might have some bg music but I am not sure. I just dont want everyone to be standing around doing nothing. We are having between 100 and 125 guests. 
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  • allispainallispain member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its First Answer
    You can hook up an iPod to some speakers and play something low key as background music - nothing loud or pumped up enough to promote dancing, but just something pleasant to listen to.

    I don't think you need to "entertain" your guests, per se, but I can see why you would want to do something fun for them. I know some people really enjoy playing games at weddings, but lots of people don't, so you really have to judge what kind of crowd yours will be. That being said, things like "Mad Libs" can get pretty raunchy - even when there's no alcohol involved - so I would be careful with that if you think it might upset other guests.
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  • JoanE2012JoanE2012 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    lpaoli2341 said:
    Well, we are on a very small budget, and younger so we cannot drink nor does the church allow alcohol. My family is very VERY opinionated and they tend to judge things very harshly and I think we might have some bg music but I am not sure. I just dont want everyone to be standing around doing nothing. We are having between 100 and 125 guests. 
    What have other weddings in your family been like?  Can you use that as a guide?
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  • lpaoli2341lpaoli2341
    First Comment
    I havent been to very many weddings. My aunt had dancing and the most recent marriage was my sister and she didnt have a wedding. 
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  • alithebridealithebride member
    Name Dropper 5 Love Its First Anniversary First Answer

    why are you having the wedding this way? you dont sound like it's what you want at all.

    how old are you? why are you in a hurry to get married especially in one that you're not excited about.

     

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  • lpaoli2341lpaoli2341
    First Comment
    We are having the wedding this way because 1. We want too, and 2. Even if we were old enough to have ALCOHOL , We wouldnt want it anyways. I am only concerned with not having it too cheesy or tacky. Thats all. I am excited about our wedding. I never sounded like I wasnt or anything. Besides, there are barely any young family members that would dance anyways so, I am not really concerned with dancing or anything like that. I think that being a younger couple has NOTHING to do with Entertainment. 
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  • libby2483libby2483 member
    5 Love Its First Anniversary Name Dropper First Comment
    Ditto NOLA.  Also, it is perfectly fine not to have alcohol or dancing at a wedding, but realize that most people probably won't stay for a long time without these components.  If you are not having dancing or alcohol, your wedding will not a party-type vibe, which is fine as long as you realize it and don't expect guests to stay late into the evening.  
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  • manateehuggermanateehugger member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    Whew! Just breath. I don't think anyone was trying to comment on your age necessarily; they were just trying to say to save up if you're not getting what you want from this wedding.

    But, since you say you are, don't worry about entertainment. Cake, punch, and good company make for a perfectly lovely reception. These receptions aren't tacky at all and are far more traditional than big giant evening affairs. 
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  • lpaoli2341lpaoli2341
    First Comment
    Thanks. I know I just get a little defensive. I think we are not going to have our reception for long because we have to drive a little bit to our honeymoon anyways. 
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