Pamper Your Wedding Guests - Reception Lounge Ideas

Give your guests a chance to relax and get a break from the dancing and high energy of your reception by providing an area reserved for peace and quiet!

For the younger generation, weddings are all about the reception—the food, music, and dancing. But for the elderly guests, the party can be exhausting! Babies and toddlers, too, can get worn out from the party and no one wants to be around a fussy baby.

The lounge will also provide a place for the guests to mingle with others and catch up with old friends and family members. Even just a small space can help all of your guests enjoy the day to its fullest.

If you’re hosting your own reception, place a couple of chairs and couches with a small table in a room close enough to the dancing that your guests will still feel included, but far enough away so that they can rest.

If you’re renting a venue, ask if they have a room or even a hallway where you could set up a few chairs.

If your reception is outside, find an area that gets plenty of shade. If shade is not an option, you might want to get a small tent.

Be sure to offer various types of seating so everyone can find somewhere comfortable to sit. Think about how long your guest list is, too. Plan accordingly to provide adequate seating. With the furniture, you might want to include a few photo albums and games. It’s also a good idea to provide some light snacks, ice water, and coffee.

If you’re not worried about guests being tired, you can use the lounge for lots of other things.

• Add a few ashtrays and make it a smoking lounge.

• Have a build-your-own drink station and provide multiple mixers and alcohols as well as different glasses and stirrers.

• Set up a photo booth next to the chairs so guests can sit and wait for their turn to take a picture or just watch everyone else pose.

• The lounge would also be a good place for a caricature artist to set up. You could set up board games or other games such as cornhole, ladder golf, or any other game that requires a lot of space.

• If you and your partner are sports fans, you could set up a television and turn on the game.

• Another option with a TV is to hook up a gaming system and have games like Just Dance or Temple Run, so multiple people can play together at one time. Make sure you have extra controllers and batteries!

There are, of course, many more ways to use a reception lounge. Comment below and share your ideas with us!

Image Credits:  Pink and gold theme outdoor reception lounge area, Wedding reception lounge with TV, Outdoor coffee table lounge, Contemporary outdoor wedding reception lounge with zebra print rug

Elizabeth Grace

Elizabeth is an undergraduate at Ohio Northern University with a double major in professional writing and creative writing and a minor in psychology. Liz writes My Wedding Reception Ideas as well as create multi-modal writing projects for Re:Media, an Ohio Northern University online publication.

Autumn Apple Inspiration Board

Fall is that exciting time of year when there is a sense of electricity in the air that seems to radiate around everything.  The air is crisp, the leaves are changing colors, the weather is getting cooler and there is nothing better than curling up with a warm mug of apple cider.  Of course we couldn't help but put together this darling apple inspiration board in celebration of the season.  Chop full of charming details, how cute would your wedding reception be if it was hosted at an apple orchard?  Hand out personalized apple bags and allow guests to pick their own apples to take home as fall wedding favors.  Love it.

 

Image Credits: Apple butter, Couple with apples, Apple with Rings, and Pies via Style Me Pretty, Apple Slice Favors, Couple on picnic blanket via Polka Dot Bride, Apple garland via Snippet and Ink, Monogrammed burlap favor bags, Mason jar lighting, Apple cider favors, DIY apple pie favor kits, Pick your own apple favors via Gabriel Boone Photography

Top 5 Flowers In Season For Your Fall Wedding

Fall weddings are characterized by rich shades of red and orange that give an added romantic flair and warmth to this already special event. Picking the flowers that you'd like to use during your reception and ceremony can be an especially exciting challenge, as this flora will play a big part in dictating the overall aesthetic of your nuptials. For fall weddings, you should go about choosing seasonal varieties that will be at their peak during the autumn months, featuring hues that are characteristic of the season.

Here are five flowers that are in season during the fall - they're our top picks for your big day:

• Asiatic lily - This beautiful flower can give your bouquet a cascading effect as you walk down the aisle. With long, curved petals, the buds appear to burst from the stem. In a light orange tone, the Asiatic lily could be the perfect flower for your centerpieces as well.

• Celosia - Few flowers make more of a statement in a bouquet than celosia. Whether you choose the plumed type, which produces impressive spires, or the crested variety with its striking twisted form, you can't go wrong using this flower in your wedding.

• Gerbera - This kind of daisy is the perfect flower for a harvest wedding, as it has a very basic shape and petal structure, but blooms in amazing shades of red and orange, making it a wonderful statement piece.

• Queen Anne's Lace - This is perhaps the ultimate filler flower, as it has enough thickness to fill a bouquet out completely without taking away from the statement made with more vibrant flora used in the array.

• Rose - This may seem overdone, but richly colored roses can give the perfect air of class and comfort when used as a decoration at your wedding. Small arrangements at every table will be tasteful and timeless - they are a standard for a reason.

There are numerous varieties of flowers that peak during the autumn months that will make your nuptials absolutely gorgeous. You can never have too much flora at your wedding, after all, so choose several different species to incorporate into your reception and ceremony. Combined with seasonal fall wedding decorations on every table, these arrangements will help your venue burst with color and make your big day an event that no one will soon forget.

Image Credits: Bridal Bouquet, Fall Celosia and Gerbera Daisies Flower Arrangements