Wedding reception tips and ideas: this is what this wedding blog is all about. After the series of three blogs on the typical Italian wedding reception, I thought sharing my 15-year experience in planning destination wedding receptions in Rome could be of some interest.
Enjoy my reception wedding tips then, and don’t forget to take a look at my previous blogs on the traditional Italian wedding reception: the wedding reception cocktail hour, the wedding dinner, the wedding open bar.
Wedding reception tips for the wedding cocktail hour
Wedding reception tips for the perfect wedding cocktail hour set-up: choose a wedding reception venue where the area dedicated to the wedding reception cocktail hour, whether indoor or outdoor, is well separated from the wedding dinner area. This way you won’t lose the “wow” factor when your guests will be invited to dinner and will take their first look at the set-up of the beautifully decorated dinner space.
Wedding reception tips on food and drinks to be served at the wedding cocktail hour: add some special food stations that will make the wedding reception cocktail hour very rich and entertaining as well. After all, delicious food is what guests always expect from a destination wedding in Rome. My favourite station is the fried food station where you’ll have a chef cooking fried food, such as vegetables (the very typical Roman courgette flower should be a must!) or small mozzarellas, right in front of you. Do not offer hard liqueurs at the welcome cocktail hour if you don’t want your guests to be already drunk by the time they sit down for dinner. Follow the Italian tradition and go for some good Italian Prosecco and some beer of maybe some famous Italian brands. Flavoured waters are also a good idea for summer destination weddings in Rome when the weather can be pretty warm!
Finally, don’t forget to include some activities for the guests, such as a caricaturist, or a particular guestbook to sign which will become a wonderful souvenir for you in the years to come.
Wedding reception tips for the wedding dinner
Wedding reception tips for the perfect wedding dinner set-up: everyone should be able to see the newlyweds during the wedding reception dinner. So you could opt for a sweetheart table or, if you prefer the more popular top table, consider having you two and the guests seated only on one side of the long table. For the guests, remember that long tables are beautiful, but they only allow people to speak to the persons they have on their sides, while round tables are easier to have everyone chatting. You might want to decide where everyone is going to be seated. Definitely have a seating chart, either a classic big chart, or escort cards beautifully set up on a table. Don’t forget table numbers (or names). And then you’ll have the option of either let everyone choose their own seat at their assigned table, or you can assign everyone a specific seat, using seating cards or a present, such as a small bottle of Limocello, with a name card tied on it. Remember seating cards also make it easier for the catering staff to know where someone with a particular allergy or food request is seated.
Wedding reception tips on food to be served at the wedding dinner: Italian food is hard to beat, so try and have something very typical your guests will be talking about for years. For a varied wedding dinner menu, opt for a simple pasta as the first course, followed by either a filled pasta, such as ravioli, or risotto, or even gnocchi (potato dumplings).
Some final wedding reception tips on the wedding dinner: the wedding reception dinner is the time when you have all the guests in the same space and all seated. Taking advantage of this, I had newlyweds showing fun videos of themselves or a best man planning a surprise for the wedding couple putting together a touching video with messages of dear people who couldn’t make it to the destination wedding. Once a very talented groom surprised his bride by playing a beautiful song with his guitar. And I’ll never forget that beautiful bride with an amazing voice who sung a surprise song, leaving her husband and all the guests completely speechless.
Wedding reception tips for the wedding open bar
Wedding reception tips for the perfect open bar set-up: a bar counter, some couches, small tables, cocktail tables and stools are all you need for the wedding open bar. Opt for a special bar counter, there are some stunning ones around! And why not doing something unique and ask the barman to create your own signature cocktail?
Some more wedding reception tips about the wedding open bar: this is that part of the wedding reception where you can plan all sorts of fun activities, apart from dancing of course. Have confetti shot in the air during the cutting of the wedding cake. Arrange for a photobooth where guests can take fun pictures, a wonderful souvenir of the day. Throw the bridal bouquet to the single women, throw the garter to the single men. Arrange for a chocolate or rum tasting corner, or a corner with all sorts of different coffees. And don’t forget to set up a nice gift box.
And in the end, ask your wedding planner who’ll be able to give you some good wedding reception tips. Having planned destination weddings for more than 15 years, Dolce Vita Weddings will surely be able to give you some wedding reception tips and creative ideas on how to organise your amazing destination wedding in Rome.