ERI LA Socio-Political Blog

A number of brides wish to have long festivities that continue through the night and into the morning. If this is you, organizing some activities for those long night time hours is required.

Usually, if an all-night celebration is planned, it goes something like this: the wedding is held in the early evening and reception follows. By about midnight, many of the wedding guests will have departed and the group that is remaining (generally the younger guests, but not always) will continue to dance and party and revel into the early morning hours. At some point, breakfast will be offered and then everyone head home.

So why do you need activities for this type of reception? The answer is simple. You need to keep all the guests entertained through the long night. You need to provide them with a real party.

First, you have to be really organized about the activities you plan. Get together with your wedding master of ceremonies about these activities and leave it to him or her to work out a schedule.

Do not arrange to cut the cake late at night. That ceremony has to be held during the more traditional evening hours, so
guests not intending to stay all night can still these see this very special moment.

Depending on the wedding guest list, you could hold off on the father-daughter dance until after midnight, or you could save some toasts for the late night hours. In any event, having some other fun activities is a good idea.

The wedding master of ceremonies could bring in a piñata, which you can buy in various shapes including a champagne flute, a wedding gown or a wedding ring. It should be filled with a variety of goodies. Candy is always popular, but you could also fill it with silly toys found in party stores. Have the wedding master of ceremonies introduce a spirited song and let all the guests have a go at the piñata. Do this on the dance floor and really let everyone have a swing at it. There should be plenty of space. Once the piñata breaks, everyone can enjoy a taste of sweet candy or can get a silly little carnival game or toy.

Guests who stay for the duration of the wedding are going to require a rest. Organize a photo presentation or video viewing. You could have someone who’s familiar with PowerPoint make a photo presentation or get someone put together a dvd of photos. Do this around 2.30 or 3 am and it should last 30 to 40 minutes. This gives all the guests a chance to sit down and relax and also gives the DJ and wedding MC on opportunity to sit, have a rest and rejuvenate for the rest of the festivities.

In that same vein of giving all the guests a little relaxation, one activity that some brides employ is a non-activity. If the wedding is outdoors, you can provide inflatable mattresses and have some torches lit. If guests want to sit down and relax, they can do so on the mattresses and still be part of the activity while relaxing.

If it’s been a very long day and a guest wants to rest, those reception room chairs are not the most comfortable. If the reception is indoors, think about providing large pillows for guests to sit on or organize a corner with inflatable mattresses and lots of fabric. This can be a chatting area where people can go to relax but still be part of the fun. They can chat and catch up with other guests and then return for more party fun when they’re rejuvenated.

Learn more about the role of a wedding master of ceremonies in these articles
Wedding mc duties
Wedding master of ceremonies
Wedding mc