1. Light Up The Night – A lantern release, instead of sparklers, is more interactive and symbolic for your big reception getaway.
2. Occupy The Kids – The last thing you want is restless children making a scene. Designate an area just for kids with personalized coloring sheets and word search games like these to keep them entertained.
3. Stay Up Late – Even though your venue wants you out by midnight, that doesn’t mean the party has to end. Invite your guests to continue the fun late into the night like this couple did.
4. Take A Gamble – This favor-slash-activity – scratch-off lottery tickets – is no gamble, as there’s a 100-percent chance of winning over your guests.
5. Play Games – Some of your guests don’t (or won’t) dance, so why not offer them other forms of fun? Horseshoes, baggo, bocce ball and croquet are great games for all ages.
6. Let Them Do…Shots? That’s right. Shots. If your groom doesn’t want cake, do a shot station instead. This couple served tequila shots and bypassed a groom’s cake or pie table.
7. Serve Up Some Personality – Serving from tables is so blasé. But serving from canoes? Now, that’s cool. Steal this idea or create your own personalized serving stations using meaningful, multipurpose props.
8. Drive Through – Inject a little personality into the evening by hiring your favorite food cart or truck to come serve their specialty to guests at dinner or as a late-night snack to guests who’ve worked up an appetite on the dance floor.
9. Feed Fido Too – For brides who don’t want to leave out man’s best friend, consider sending snacks home with your guests—personalized snacks for their pooches, that is. And donate would-be favor funds to a local shelter, like this couple did.
10. Sip Creatively – This can be done in a variety of ways depending on your theme, but in this instance, rustic mason jars are decorated by guests with their name using wooden colored pencils.
11. Create Art – Ask guests to leave a special note to you and the groom inside a frame that they can color using a rainbow of hues. You’ll cherish this bright and meaningful memento forever.
12. Kid Around – Set up a workstation just for children, where they can decorate cards to you and your groom. Stock the station with construction paper, markers, crayons and a bulletin board so they can display their work.
13. Display Emotion – Showcase your guests’ kind thoughts within the décor with this bunting guestbook. Have guests clip their notes on pre-hung twine with colorful clothespins.
14. Humor Them – Guests will enjoy filling out a creative Mad Lib card, instead of the traditional guestbook, and you’ll love laughing at their answers long after the wedding day.
15. Warm Up – Have your guests sign pieces of cloth to be sewn into a memory quilt later. Their well wishes will warm your hearts for years to come.