Author: Olga Pomeransky

Olga is manager at Best for Bride since 2005. Currently Best for Bride operates 4 bridal stores in Canada (Toronto, Etobicoke, Hamilton and Barrie). Best for Bride sells wedding, bridesmaids, mob dresses and more. https://www.bestforbride.com/
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Fun Games for Wedding Receptions

ringtoss
ringtoss

Couples are embracing the fun by including games at their wedding receptions. Games can break the ice and help guests relax. Wedding reception games are designed to get the group involved. Some fun games for wedding receptions can get the group laughing. If you’re looking for ways to make your wedding more fun, you may want to include a wedding reception game.

When should you play a game at a reception? One DJ recommends that there is a game early in the reception. Getting people to laugh towards the beginning of the reception helps to set the mood for the whole reception. It’s important to get guests to feel engaged and have a good time.

The shoe game is becoming a fast favorite among wedding reception activities. For the shoe game, two chairs are placed back to back on the dance floor or other area where they are visible to all the guests. The newlyweds sit on the chair and take off their shoes. They trade one shoe with their spouse so that they each have one shoe belonging to themselves and one of their spouse’s shoes.

A designated speaker or audience ask questions to the couple. It’s fun to see if the answers match of if there is some discrepancy. If you are having a designated speaker, you might want to ask the audience to write suggestions for questions first. The speaker also can have a set of questions ready.

Sample questions include:

Who is the better cook?

Who is smarter?

Who is the better kisser?

Who will be in control of the TV remote?

Another wedding game uses a large wheel that the guests spin. On the wheel, there are activities that the guest needs to do if the wheel stops on that space. The activities are usually silly actions. Musical chairs can be a fun wedding reception game.

Carnival games can be great activities for outdoor receptions. The couple can set up a squirt gun spraying game or ball toss.  Balloon darts can be easily set up by stapling the ends of partially blown up balloons to a white board. Croquet, bean bag tosses, and hola hoops are common outdoor wedding reception activities.

Wedding mad libs can be used at the reception or even before the reception starts. Some couples create RSVP cards that contain mad libs for their wedding invitations. One couple used mad libs for their guest book entries. As for the reception, the mad libs can be a fun activity, but often mad libs are done individually. These can be great for helping people fill in any lag in activities like waiting to be served.

For more ways to include more fun in your wedding reception, please browse the Best for Bride blog. There you will find many great tips including funny ideas for weddings.

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Fun Wedding Photo Ideas

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The wedding photos do not have to be the same joyless shots of the bridal party arranged like a class picture. People are getting creative with the wedding photos. These fun wedding photo ideas can be used to create keepsakes that will be treasured forever.

One bride had a modest heart cutout of the back of each of her bridesmaids’ dresses. For one great photo, the bride and bridesmaids faced away from the camera with the bride in the center. Having their arms around each other or holding hands would be a sentimental touch.

The newlyweds can take have a photo taken of them holding their parents’ wedding photos. Couples can create a special moment to be part of the wedding photos by placing a word made with large white letters in the grass within the photo. “Love” or “forever” are some good options for the word.

Involve your guests. Have an outline of a heart drawn on the pavement and have guests stand on the outline with the bride and groom standing inside the heart. With everyone facing the photographer, the photo is an excellent way to remember all the friends and family that were at the wedding. Also, it helps the guests feel more involved rather than being sent off to the reception and wait for the photos to be finished.

Creative bride and groom photos can be wonderful keepsakes to be framed and cherished for years to come. One romantic pose is of the bride facing away from the camera with the groom’s arms around her waist. With his hands, he can make a heart shape by having the thumb and index finger of one hand touching the thumb and index finger of the other hand.

Due to the tradition of the groom not seeing the bride before the big day, many couples miss out on touching photo opportunities before the ceremony. Some people have found ways to keep the tradition and still have a wedding photograph of the couple before the wedding. A common strategy is to keep a door between the bride and groom. A partially open door serves as a partition between the couple. A sentimental twist to this wedding photo pose is for the couple to exchange love letters and read them while the photographer takes pictures of the bride and groom’s reactions to the letters.

Sparklers can be great props for a fun wedding photo. The couple could be inside a heart made from sparklers. Some couples get the bridal party and guests involved in holding sparklers for fun wedding photos. If planning to use sparklers, the couple should check to be sure the use of sparklers won’t break the rules of the venue. An alternative location could be used for some sparkler photos or other fun props can be planned if the sparkers aren’t acceptable for the chosen venue.

For more great tips about adding fun to your special day, browse the Best for Bride blog. From planning to the reception, the bride and groom can have an enjoyable experience.

 

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Guide to Barn Weddings

Barn weddings are becoming increasingly popular. As couples embrace the rustic chic style, barns and other country settings are in big demand as wedding venues. Though much of the process of using a barn for a wedding venue is the same as using any other type of venue, there are a few differences. What should you know when planning a barn wedding?

When planning the layout for the wedding or reception inside a barn, know the shape and dimensions of the building as well as any interior obstacles and the locations of the doors. It may help you to draw a diagram to plan out the seating arrangements and locations of tables and other items that you’ll be bringing into the space.

The barn offers protection in rain, but what is it like in sweltering heat. What could the weather mean for your wedding and guests? Barns typically aren’t climate controlled. Winter weddings may require you to bring in heaters. Summer wedding may require fans. If you are having a winter or summer barn wedding, you may want to call different barn venues and ask if they have the necessary heating or cooling.

Will you need to spray for mosquitoes the day before the wedding? Ask the owner what weather or insect issues there may be for you and plan accordingly. Barns may or may not have finished floors. Some barns that are rented for weddings have natural dirt floors. This can be a problem if your guests are dressed in formal attire such as long dresses.

Many other types of wedding venues have a kitchen space. Barns, even those regularly rented for weddings, rarely have kitchens. Make sure the barn will have the necessary space and equipment that you or the caterer will need. Some caterers require a working kitchen. Therefore, the availability of the kitchen also may affect your choice of caterer.

Is there ample parking close to the barn? May some guests need to walk farther than others? If so, you may want to have older adults park close and ask others to park farther from the barn. Check with the venue management to see if there will be enough restrooms for your guests. In some cases, couples need to rent bathrooms for their barn weddings.

Know where the electrical outlets are. If possible, plan your reception set up for the best use of the outlets. Don’t overload an outlet or you may end up in the dark. A common way to plan the use of outlets is to dedicate each outlet needed for one particular use. For example, if an outlet is used for coffee, don’t let the band use it. The band’s outlet should only be used for the band.

For more information about how to plan select the perfect venue for your wedding, take a look at the Best for Bride blog.

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Start a Wedding Website

kissing couple newlyweds

kissing couple

A wedding website is a great way to keep your friends and family informed about the wedding plans. Wedding websites share important information regarding the ceremony and reception locations, driving directions, bridal party biographies, and bridal registry. The website can be used to share photographs of the ceremony, reception, and honeymoon with family and friends after the wedding. A simple blog is sufficient for a wedding website. The couple can start a wedding website easily with these helpful tips.

Free blogs are a way to have a wedding website without paying any fees for hosting or a domain name. Some couples may want a domain name to make the website address easier for the guests to remember. Free blogs are available through Blogger, Weebly, WordPress, and other blog networks. The networks can be found by typing “free blog” into a search engine. There also are free wedding blog networks such as weddingwire.com. These wedding blog networks are like the free blog networks but with a wedding theme and related applications.

A domain name is a personalized website address. It can be purchased through a domain name registrar such as GoDaddy.com. The domain name is not necessary for a free blog. However, some couples like to get a domain name for their wedding websites to make it easier to remember. The website address can be shared through social media like Facebook. The address also can be printed on the wedding invitation and save the date cards.

The proper way to share the bridal registry information is on the website. Nothing about the bridal registry should appear on the wedding invitation or save the date cards. The couple may tell people where they are registered when asked about gifts.

A wedding Facebook page is an alternative to a wedding website. The advantage of using a Facebook page is that it is easy to set up and share with the guests who use Facebook. Couples can share their wedding photos on the Facebook page set up for the wedding. Disadvantages of using Facebook are that the design of the page cannot be personalized, information added to the page can only be done in the form of status posts, and guests who don’t use Facebook may feel slighted.

Free blogs have design templates. The couple can choose their colors and style for the wedding blog. They may want the blog colors to match the wedding colors. Important information such as the location, date, and time of the wedding can be added to the home page or in the side bar of each page. If the bridal registry is for an online retailer, the website can have a direct link to the  registry retailer.

There are no strict rules about when to put up and take down the wedding website. Many couples take down their wedding websites several months after the wedding. Browse the Best for Bride blog for more helpful advice about planning a wedding.