{"id":1234,"date":"2013-09-30T19:03:46","date_gmt":"2013-09-30T19:03:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themanorrestaurant.com\/blog\/?p=1234"},"modified":"2023-01-17T12:15:18","modified_gmt":"2023-01-17T17:15:18","slug":"engage-guests-at-your-wedding-reception","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pleasantdale.com\/blog\/engage-guests-at-your-wedding-reception\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips to Engage Guests at Your Wedding Reception"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_1162\" style=\"width: 460px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pleasantdale.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Should_I_Choose_a_DJ_or_a_Band_for_My_Wedding_Reception_Image.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1162\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1162\" title=\"DJ vs. Band\" src=\"https:\/\/pleasantdale.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Should_I_Choose_a_DJ_or_a_Band_for_My_Wedding_Reception_Image-576x384.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pleasantdale.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Should_I_Choose_a_DJ_or_a_Band_for_My_Wedding_Reception_Image-576x384.jpg 576w, https:\/\/pleasantdale.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Should_I_Choose_a_DJ_or_a_Band_for_My_Wedding_Reception_Image-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pleasantdale.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Should_I_Choose_a_DJ_or_a_Band_for_My_Wedding_Reception_Image-600x399.jpg 600w, https:\/\/pleasantdale.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Should_I_Choose_a_DJ_or_a_Band_for_My_Wedding_Reception_Image.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1162\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">DJ V Band as a Wedding Performer<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span class=\"MsoNormal\">Ways to make your wedding guests feel welcome at your reception<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;\">As a popular NJ wedding reception location, we\u2019ve hosted countless couples and their guests. We\u2019ve helped to create everything from elegant, intimate and sedate wedding celebrations to the most raucous and energetic roof raising parties.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>But regardless of whether you\u2019d like your wedding reception to be more refined or an all-out party, we\u2019ve found that across-the-board, the best wedding receptions and those that are the most fondly remembered after the day have been those that engage and involve as many of the guests in attendance as possible.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>When you can create a shared experience and a sense of participation, along with giving each guest the feeling that they were truly welcomed as part of the celebration, your wedding will leave an extra-special impression with everyone who attends\u2014even those that you might think are a bit harder to please.<!--more--><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;\">Here are a few suggestions:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;\">Get the party started.<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;\"> One of the reasons why we think it\u2019s a great asset to have both an indoor <a title=\"https:\/\/www.themanorrestaurant.com\/wedding_ceremony.html\" href=\"https:\/\/themanorrestaurant.com\/wedding-venues\/\">wedding ceremony<\/a> location and an outdoor wedding ceremony location on the premises is that we\u2019re able to more quickly get all your guests back together after the ceremony. The less fragmented your guests get once you\u2019ve managed to gather them at the outset, the better. After your guest patiently sat through your ceremony, they\u2019re ready to celebrate.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>Get a drink in their hand and some food to enjoy before they start to splinter off.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>This holds true for the cocktail reception as well. Though our guests often tell us that we provide so much to enjoy during the cocktail hour, they wouldn\u2019t miss the dinner, its best not to keep your guests waiting.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>Stick to the timeline to avoid your guests from checking their watches.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s always better to keep the pace up and have them moving on while they\u2019re still happy to be where they are.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;\">Make a point of greeting your guests.<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;\"> As the bride and groom, you\u2019ll certainly be besieged by well-wishers, but there are many guests, particularly those you are not as close with, that won\u2019t be as aggressive to seek you out.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>Though it\u2019s your day to celebrate&#8211;and well you should&#8211;as the party\u2019s hosts it\u2019s also up to you to make your guests feel welcome. <span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0<\/span>Try to make time to seek out as many guests as possible and thank them for coming. If possible, ahead of time as part of your wedding planning process, try to think of a personal anecdote specific to each invitee. This way you\u2019ll be prepared with something more personal to say than just \u201cthank you\u201d to your guests when bustle of the day leaves you with little time to be sincere. Even just a few minutes will go a long way when guests realize you care and have made a personal effort to seek them out specifically; less chance for the skeptical among them to think you invited them just for a present. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\"><span style=\"mso-list: Ignore;\">Enlist your wedding party for help<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;\">. Don\u2019t let the duties as bridesmaids and groomsmen end with the wedding ceremony. <span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0<\/span>Ask your bridal party in advance of your wedding to act as your ambassadors during the reception. Encourage them to introduce friends or family that they may know to each other. Have them strike up conversations with those that may not appear as involved or connected to the rest of the party. Persuade them to invite someone they might not normally connect with to share the dance floor with them.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>You\u2019ll certainly have your hands full on your wedding day\u2014the more individuals you can recruit to spread the positive energy and feeling of inclusion, the more guests you can reach.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\"><span style=\"mso-list: Ignore;\">Set the right tone<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;\">. <strong style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\">Literally<\/strong>.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>You may already have a full list of the wedding music you want to hear played at your reception, but give some thought to incorporating a wider selection of songs that strike a chord with the range of generations in attendance. Talk with you wedding DJ or wedding band about the order of songs as well. For example, by the time an older couple might realize you\u2019re playing a song they can slow dance to and get up to the dance floor, the DJ may already be moving on to another face-paced modern song that will just send back off the dance floor. Try to group and pace music so that you bring more people to the dance floor than send them away. If you can build up to faster paced music the better you can ease everyone into staying dancing for what might not be \u201ctheir music.\u201d<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>Also consider the volume of the music. Try to find a balance between keeping it energetic and still keeping it possible to carry on a conversation without leaving the room.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;\">Consider Group Dances<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;\">. You may squirm at the mere mention of a line dance or the dreaded forbidden \u201cchicken dance\u201d but give some thought to organizing a group dance that you\u2019re comfortable with not being too tacky for your celebration. Group dances create the opportunity to engage guests that are too self-conscious to dance solo. If everyone\u2019s doing it, the less concern there is about appearing foolish. And if guests can share in the awkwardness, it\u2019s just one more thing to get people laughing and enjoying a shared experience\u2014plus you\u2019ll have it for your wedding video for priceless memories after.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;\">At the end of the night, if you can make your guest feel like they were welcomed-in, as the individuals they are, to share your wedding day by your side, the more enjoyable everyone\u2019s experience will be, the more fond the memories, and the more warmhearted their appreciation of you as newly married couple.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ways to make your wedding guests feel welcome at your reception As a popular NJ wedding reception location, we\u2019ve hosted countless couples and their guests. We\u2019ve helped to create everything from elegant, intimate and sedate wedding celebrations to the most raucous and energetic roof raising parties.\u00a0 But regardless of whether you\u2019d like your wedding reception [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,72],"tags":[317,33],"class_list":["post-1234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-style-alert","category-wedding-receptions","tag-wedding-locations","tag-wedding-reception"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pleasantdale.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1234","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pleasantdale.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pleasantdale.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pleasantdale.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pleasantdale.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1234"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pleasantdale.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1234\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pleasantdale.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pleasantdale.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pleasantdale.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}