Photography : Michael Ray White Design: J Patrick Designs
For years the bride and groom have invited guests to sit at tables of 10 and gorge themselves for an hour and then get up, have a bit of dancing and say goodbye. In the past few years the after party has gained substantial popularity within the wedding industry. After the main reception the stalwarts adjourn to a smaller space to dance, drink and party on to an early morning breakfast.
What I am seeing now is a blending of the reception and the after party into one.
For this reception I draped a standard ballroom, replaced the standard hotel seating with contemporary sectional seating. I did away with the large tables and replaced them with more intimate seating for six and Hi-boy seating for four.
Instead of full plates of food offer heavy hors d’ouevres stations. People snack their way through the evening and mingle from one end of the space to the other. For additional fun bring in some interactive games, photo booths, caricature artist…Be creative!
If you are the first in your area to try this, you may need to educate the attendees by making it clear, in your invitation, that there will be an “Hors d’ouevres Reception” with dancing. This alerts your guest to the fact that this is a party, Not a Dinner!
I truly believe that this is a trend (not something trendy) that is going to grow substantially in the wedding marketplace. You may be blazing new territory but the rewards are great in seeing your guests have a fantastic time at, what will surely be remembered as, a marvelous party!
What I am seeing now is a blending of the reception and the after party into one.
For this reception I draped a standard ballroom, replaced the standard hotel seating with contemporary sectional seating. I did away with the large tables and replaced them with more intimate seating for six and Hi-boy seating for four.
Instead of full plates of food offer heavy hors d’ouevres stations. People snack their way through the evening and mingle from one end of the space to the other. For additional fun bring in some interactive games, photo booths, caricature artist…Be creative!
If you are the first in your area to try this, you may need to educate the attendees by making it clear, in your invitation, that there will be an “Hors d’ouevres Reception” with dancing. This alerts your guest to the fact that this is a party, Not a Dinner!
I truly believe that this is a trend (not something trendy) that is going to grow substantially in the wedding marketplace. You may be blazing new territory but the rewards are great in seeing your guests have a fantastic time at, what will surely be remembered as, a marvelous party!
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