Games or Things to Do at a Wedding Reception

Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images

Wedding receptions are traditional parties immediately following wedding ceremonies. These parties allow the guests to celebrate with the newlyweds and can be a great time for the families of the bride and groom to mingle and get to know one another better. Offering games and activities at your wedding reception will help break the ice and keep the reception fun and entertaining for everyone.

Dollar Dances

Hosting a dollar dance will help the new couple make money and will allow all of the guests to have the opportunity to dance with either the bride or groom. Have the DJ or band play several songs and announce that a dollar dance will be held throughout the duration of them. During the dollar dance, have the bride and groom each carry a small bag to collect their dollars. Choose a predetermined length of time that the guests can dance with the bride or groom if they "pay" a dollar to do so.

Gambling

Hire a professional blackjack dealer or set up tables for poker. Instead of gambling for real money, give each guest a predetermined number of chips to gamble. Gambling tables can be rented out for receptions. At the end of the night, you may consider allowing the guests to turn in their chips for prizes.

Garter and Bouquet Toss

The garter and bouquet toss are traditional activities at wedding receptions. During the bouquet toss, the bride throws her bouquet and all of the single women in attendance race to try to catch it. The garter toss works in a similar fashion; the groom removes the garter from the bride's leg and tosses it for the single men to catch. Tradition claims that the woman who catches the bouquet will be the next woman to marry, and the man that catches the garter will be the next male to wed.

Centerpiece Giveaway

If you are not looking forward to figuring out what to do with your reception table centerpieces after the wedding is over, consider hosting a centerpiece giveaway that will enable some lucky guests to walk away with an extra souvenir at the end of the night. Before the guests arrive, tape a gold star underneath one random chair at each table. Toward the end of the reception, have the DJ or bandleader make an announcement telling the guests to look underneath their chairs. If the guest has a gold star under their chair, allow them to take the centerpiece at their table home.

Photobooth

To provide your guests with a one of a kind favor from your wedding and endless hours of entertainment, rent a photobooth and set it up during your reception. During dancing and socialization time, allow the guests to use the photobooth to take photo strips of them at your wedding.

Caricatures

Hire a caricature artist to create portraits of each of your guests. During dancing and socialization time, have your guests visit the artist to have their picture drawn.