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Wedding Reception Forum
Knottie1452192868
member
Venue without Dancefloor, need fun ideas!
Hi all! my first post- yay!
We are getting hitched May 19, 2017 at a beautiful venue/resort overlooking mountain views. It is a destination wedding and my fiance and his family are from Germany. (just a little background). The venue had a ballroom option or a smaller (more beautiful) main floor reception option. Due to many factors (size - 50 people, intimacy, price! my 2nd wedding/his 1st, yadda yadda) we went for the beautiful yet smaller room option.
Our restrictions are stressing me a little bit. We can not have a loud DJ and dance floor b/c it has a small restaurant running in the venue as well..
We have hired a wonderful guitarist / DJ / announcer, and we are allowed to dance, just no amplified music. However, the dance "area" will be small. So, we might just have a few special dances ie: first dance, parent etc... But, we are fun upbeat people who usually get down at typical weddings.
So- we wanted to think of fun ideas for everyone to also join in - the room is not that huge, we could have like games, or call up special couples and dedicate a song for them... Likely the best thing is to have a itinerary of how we want the night to go: Toasts, dances, etc. Right? And give it to our musician/dj. He is really really good- and we are very excited that we found him- it was the missing link.
Please - I would love some ideas so that we can include others.... we dont just want to have a dinner. There are fun German customs as well- that i think we can incorporate.
Thank you!! so much
We are getting hitched May 19, 2017 at a beautiful venue/resort overlooking mountain views. It is a destination wedding and my fiance and his family are from Germany. (just a little background). The venue had a ballroom option or a smaller (more beautiful) main floor reception option. Due to many factors (size - 50 people, intimacy, price! my 2nd wedding/his 1st, yadda yadda) we went for the beautiful yet smaller room option.
Our restrictions are stressing me a little bit. We can not have a loud DJ and dance floor b/c it has a small restaurant running in the venue as well..
We have hired a wonderful guitarist / DJ / announcer, and we are allowed to dance, just no amplified music. However, the dance "area" will be small. So, we might just have a few special dances ie: first dance, parent etc... But, we are fun upbeat people who usually get down at typical weddings.
So- we wanted to think of fun ideas for everyone to also join in - the room is not that huge, we could have like games, or call up special couples and dedicate a song for them... Likely the best thing is to have a itinerary of how we want the night to go: Toasts, dances, etc. Right? And give it to our musician/dj. He is really really good- and we are very excited that we found him- it was the missing link.
Please - I would love some ideas so that we can include others.... we dont just want to have a dinner. There are fun German customs as well- that i think we can incorporate.
Thank you!! so much
Re: Venue without Dancefloor, need fun ideas!
However, if there really is only room for one or two couples at the time, this is likely to be really awkward. I love dancing at weddings, but even I would find it weird if you called up a few "special couples" and dedicate a song to them, while they're the only ones dancing (plus my H would never do that).
I'm not a fan of "games" at indoor, evening weddings. Outdoor, backyard, wedding, with tons of space and an option to participate is fine by me; but indoors, during the evening, with that being the main thing would feel odd to me.
With a small guest list, good food, and drinks people are likely to mingle, talk to one another, and socializing like they would at any other event.
I think as a guest it would be suuuuper awkward to be called up to dance in front of everybody. I love to dance at weddings, but I absolutely do not want to do that with no one else participating and all eyes on me! I dance in groups, not as an exhibition, and unless your guests are all trained dance performers they probably feel the same way. Not to mention that the rest of the guests are unlikely to enjoy watching watching random people who aren't the bride and groom dance for them.
If dancing is important to you and there is no room for more than a few of your guests to dance at once, I think that may be a very good indication that this particular arrangement at this particular venue isn't a good fit for what you want your wedding reception to be.
I also agree no games, particularly when space is an issue. Games won't take the place of dancing for anyone who was hoping to dance and overall I think they generally feel forced.
As for "fun ideas," I would skip games. In my experience, wedding guests don't like them. Just have plenty of good food and conversation, and you should be fine. You don't need to "program" the wedding with more activities than dinner for your guests to have a good time.
Either have a venue where people can dance the night away, if that's what you want, or have your venue where dancing isn't really an option, in which case you'd be looking at a lovely but probably much shorter reception. People will talk and mingle for a while, but without music I would picture your night ending not more than an hour after dinner. From your post, it sounds like you and FI are big dancers, so why not switch to the larger area where dancing is okay?
As for games- I think it is fine for games to be available should guests want to play, but they shouldn't be required or forced to. I enjoy dancing, but I would not get up on the dance floor for a "spotlight" dance of my own.
so, i guess i should have also mentioned these details! and after the nice dinner, we will invite for after party on the back overlooking the lawn, under the heat lamps for cigars and whiskey - if we are allowed.
I think it will be fabulous, with a little planning and organization
The venue doesn't seem perfect if it means foregoing something you want (dancing) or deciding to do something that might affect your guests (excluding them from dancing).
Also, please don't ask your bridesmaids to help. Ask them privately for their budget, respect that when choosing a dress or give them a color, and then tell them what time to be at the venue for the ceremony. If they offer to help with wedding things you can take them up on that offer, but being in the bridal party shouldn't be a job or a task. I would *hate* if I was asked to be guest entertainment.
You can't have dances and performances in front of your guests and then not allow them to dance, particularly if you know they are a crowd that enjoys dancing. Would you gather everybody around to watch you eat a big juicy steak in front of them and then not give them any food? Of course not! This is the same sort of thing. Either you make it possible for your guests to dance or you cut dancing all together. To do otherwise is rude.
And I would not help you with this if I were your bridesmaid.
I think you really need to rethink this before you alienate your guests.
OP, a first dance opens the dance floor. Without a dance floor there's no reason to do a first dance except to put on a performance and forcing your guests to be your captive audience. And please don't force your bridal party into a skit or help, that's so awkward and is a great way to have your wedding talked about (and not in a good way).
The reception is technically a "reception dinner", with a musician.. The wedding he attended (only 1) in Germany, the bride and groom danced around the room to the cinderella song, it was really cute, and romantic, and simple. I think he sees this as happening for our day..
We were told by our venue that there has been some dancing / dances in the room, in the area near the fireplace where our sweet heart table will be.
As for the other, fiances sister would like to do something nice, I dont know what it is yet- fiance said skit, but i dont think he knows exactly what that means. Like i said, im waiting to hear from his sister. My sisters- one is making the cake (a baker). I am all about getting everyone involved.. My dad is making the Arch that we will be married under.
I was married before 10 years ago, we did a dance and all of that while everyone watched, and swayed along, and clapped at the end. Thats not what we are looking to do. I think he kind of wants to coordinate something so we go to the tables, joke around, maybe have one of my brothers or someone else spin me around... make it kind of lighthearted.
We both- do not like these crazy loud DJ and such. That to him and his family will be the weird and over the top thing to do. This will be rather personal in nature. And, we are not asking anyone to participate who doesn't offer !
You mentioned earlier that there would be room for dancing where your sweetheart table is. That's an incredibly easy fix. Ditch the sweetheart table, and sit with other guests, and bam, room for dancing.