Post # 1
Member
2785 posts
Sugar bee
Hi Bees, due to the nature of our potential venue and the size of our guest list (less than 70), my fiancé and I have made the decision not to have dancing at our reception. We don’t dance at all, so we won’t miss it. We’re looking forward to having our ceremony in the presence of our loved ones and hosting them for a beautiful dinner at the venue afterward.
We’re planning on having dinner music in the background, just not a dance floor or anything loud enough to inhibit conversation.
What else have you done/seen at receptions to keep guests engaged and enjoying themselves? Dinner and conversation is enough for most nice dinner parties, but since it is a wedding reception, I’d like to do a little something extra. The open bar is a given, of course.
Post # 2
Member
2043 posts
Buzzing bee
I included a game table for those who didn’t want to dance. It was just a table filled with mostly nostalgia games and things that can be played quickly.
Post # 3
Member
2785 posts
Sugar bee
sablescorpion22 : That’s a good idea! I’m sure we could create a cozy corner or two to hang out, play games, and chat. I was also thinking a caricature artist or a photo booth might be fun.
Post # 4
Member
505 posts
Busy bee
We got married on a ranch in the desert, so our wedding was a bit more casual. We had corn hole for people to play (bean bag toss game.)
Post # 5
Member
7800 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
We had dancing but also a lounge type area where people could sit and mingle. No one stayed at their table once dancing opened, so they either moved to the lounge area or the dance floor.
Post # 6
Member
220 posts
Helper bee
- Wedding: October 2021 - Concord, Ontario
Neither of us are dancers either and we are having a caricature artist and a photo booth with props
Post # 7
Member
86 posts
Worker bee
- Wedding: October 2019 - City, State
We had dancing at our wedding, but we also had a lounge area with tables/chairs, and hired a slow-motion video booth that had props, etc. People LOVED that and it’s been so much fun watching the little clips that we’ve been sent from the company after the wedding!
Post # 8
Member
437 posts
Helper bee
- Wedding: May 2019 - York, ME
We just had a dinner and we didn’t feel like we were missing anything. We only had 35 people there though, so dancing or other things may have felt out of place. For those that wanted to hang out later, we hosted people at our large rental house to mingle and chat for a few hours after the dinner.
Post # 9
Member
25 posts
Newbee
My husband is a huge video game nerd so we had Tetris and Super Mario Bros set up for people to play – there was a Tetris challenge, the person with the highest score got a prize (which, incidentally, was a table top Tetris arcade game. Not my idea 🙂
Post # 10
Member
1551 posts
Bumble bee
bouviebee : Booze. Lots of booze.
JK, in all seriousness usually some light music and maybe a photo booth is good to keep people talking and enjoying themselves.
Also, booze. 
Post # 11
Member
7800 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
gabycheesecake : What do you mean you had tetris & SMB ‘set up’? Did you have like a tv+ console or something? I feel like this is something my husband would have loved at our wedding haha
Post # 12
Member
2785 posts
Sugar bee
missmollybee : We are going premium open bar the entire evening. No worries there! 😁
Post # 13
Member
1551 posts
Bumble bee
bouviebee : Ohhh I’m sure your guests will have a BLAST anyhow!! That’s entertainment in itself.
Post # 14
Member
37 posts
Newbee
I’d say maybe treat it like you would a “rehearsal dinner”? Do a slideshow with photos and videos from your childhood, have an open mic for people to say a few words or give speeches, do a cocktail hour, etc.