Memorable Ways to End Your Wedding Reception
When the lights go down and the music turns up you can bet that things are about to get FUN at your wedding reception! At the end of the night, you may want to consider adding a few surprise or fun elements to engage your wedding guests and end the night on a high note. We’ve compiled a list of the best ways to end your night after the wedding!
Top 6 Ways to End Your Wedding Reception
Above: Abigail Derrick Photography
Late-Night Wedding Reception Snacks
The dance floor is hopping and your guests are getting a second wind! Having a late-night snack available to munch on is the perfect way to entertain your guests while filling their stomachs. Maybe a late-night nacho bar set out by your caterers, pizza delivery from your favorite pizzeria, a food truck offering salty or sweet treats, boxed-up wedding cake, cookies, or donuts for guests to enjoy right then or take home as a treat.
Some of the most famous late-night hits we’ve seen were a hot pretzel bar with beer cheese, a self-help popcorn bar with multiple flavors, tortilla chips with a variety of salsa dips, charcuterie or grazing tables, and ice cream sundaes!
Food expresses your personality while also being fun! A late-night snack at the wedding reception is always well received by wedding guests and it also helps to absorb alcohol. Other wedding “favors” may get left behind, but the food is a popular treat enjoyed by guests of all ages.
Make sure to account for the fact that some of your guests will leave before you serve this second helping. Our recommendation when ordering late-night food or snacks is to cut your guest count by at least 50% when you place an order. Be creative with your snack choice and have fun!
Vendors featured above: Maddie Stringfellow Photography, Coal Miner’s Daughter, Noland’s Catering, Hillary & Grant Photography, Koch’s General Store, Morgan Lee Photography, Lilly Wilson Photography
2. Exciting Wedding Reception Send-Offs
Everyone loves a sparkler exit! We have seen everything from sparklers, to glow sticks, bubbles, flower petals, and confetti cannons. Here are a few tips when deciding on the perfect wedding reception exit.
Remember what time your photographer is scheduled to leave. If you want a picture-perfect shot of the exit make sure to hire a photographer that will add on extra coverage time if need be.
Plan a “faux” exit if you want a photo but your photographer has to leave earlier than your reception ends. We often call these celebration photos. Gather your wedding party and a few key family members and let them celebrate you as newlyweds while your photographer snaps away.
Ask your DJ to make the announcement about when, where, and how the exit will take place. Make sure your wedding planner or coordinator is up to date on how you want the planned exit to happen so they can help with navigating everyone for you.
Check with your venue about sparkler policies before purchasing. If you get the approval, be sure to purchase the long wedding sparklers for duration and safety. Do a dry run beforehand making sure you and your dress are out of reach of sparks. Have buckets of water nearby to extinguish sparklers. Most venues will deduct from your damage deposit if there are sparklers that have burnt walkways from being dropped or left behind in the grass.
Glow sticks look great and are a fun favor for kids to take home!
If you’re thinking of a confetti cannon, contact your venue for permission. Many venues don’t allow confetti at all and others have strict policies in place to keep their properties looking beautiful from one wedding to the next. If a confetti cannon is approved, at the very least, have two people designated to stay after and sweep up the debris. Make sure to mention to your venue if your confetti cannon idea will play out inside or outside of the venue.
Above: Sheara Jennings Photography, Kelsi Kliethermes Photography, Ashley Ice Photography, Plan It Terra, SW Productions Fireworks
3. Wedding Guest Group Photo at the Reception
At the end of the night, it’s a great idea to gather up your friends for a photo! You will love looking back at these pictures to see who all was there to celebrate with you and the joy you shared. Pick a photo op spot and get all of your wedding guests together for a big group picture. Or gather up all the guys, gals, your sorority friends, or all of your childhood besties and snap a few photos together. A celebration photo at the reception with your people will be something you cherish forever and doesn’t add any extra time or money!
Above: Maddie Stringfellow Photography, Morgan Lee Photography, Kelsi Kliethermes Photography
4. DJ Wedding Reception Dance Party with Special Surprise
While everyone is out on the floor partying you can surprise them with something special! We have brides change into different reception dresses, change their hairstyle or shoes, and even one bride that got her hair cut mid-reception! Others have opted for glow sticks on the dance floor, cold sparks, or even a CO2 gun to fog up the space and add to the atmosphere.
A fun game, dance-off, flash mob, special serenade, or a surprise choreographed dance are also inexpensive ways to personalize your dance party!
Hiring a professional DJ company that offers added effects like uplighting, photo booth, fog machine, or cold sparks will enhance the dance floor vibe for sure!
Vendors featured above: Ashley Ice Photography, Abigail Derrick Photography, Lighter Focus Photography, Abell DJ Company, High Class DJs, Mike Howerton Entertainment, Plan It Terra
5. Nightcap or Specialty Reception Drinks
Many couples choose bar service for cocktail hour and dinner drinks, but what about a special nightcap cocktail? Renting an outdoor bar is a great way to break up the night and get some fresh air. We loved these pina coladas in the cocktail caravan! Or you can ask your bartender beforehand to create a signature late-night drink. Something fruity and fun or warm and filling - choose something that fits the season!
Enhancing the bar area with neon signs, bar menu signage, string lights (for outside), or props like pineapple cups and leis will add a layer of interest to your photos and be an area where guests will gravitate towards all night!
Vendors featured above: Kelsi Kliethermes Photography, Case N’ Keg, Hillary and Grant Photography, Cocktail Caravan, D-Zines Weddings, Maddie Stringfellow Photography
6. Getaway Wedding Car
Another fun way to end the wedding day is to have a getaway car! You can take photos with it in the daylight to capture your special ride and then slip away in it later that evening. (Or take a quick drive away as newlyweds and then come back for the reception!) We have had couples choose a family member or friend’s car or their own personal vehicle. Choose a vintage car, limo, truck, or some fun transportation parked out front with your honeymoon bags prepacked and ready to take off!
Wedding party tip: Be sure to tie cans to the bumper to send them off with a celebration. Add in their luggage and a couple of bottles of water before they head out!
Vendors featured above: Kendra Langford Photography, Lighter Focus Photography, Lainie Arnold Photography, Rebecca Allen Photography
7. After Dark Photo of the Newlyweds
While the party continues inside, slip away with your photographer for an intimate, late-night photoshoot with your new spouse. These romantic nighttime wedding photos look beautiful with a spotlight, string lights, or just the moonlight! It’s like giving your bride or groom a secret goodnight kiss while all your friends and family celebrate you inside. Low light wedding photography is a special skill so choose a photographer who can deliver if you want results like these.
Above: Morgan Lee Photography, eGolden Photography, Lighter Focus Photography, Trent Broglin Photography
8. Last Dance for the Newlyweds
A newer trend at the end of the reception leaves the couple alone with a special song while everyone else waits outside to send them off. We have seen a few couples do this now and it is such a sweet and intimate way to end the night on your wedding day. Tell your DJ what time you want to have your last dance and make an announcement for the guests to please go outside. You can have the guests out on the back patio for your late-night snack or drink, or waiting outside with sparklers, glow sticks, or cheering to do an exit. Even your DJ and photographer can leave if you really want it to be a private moment!
We’re all about soaking in the joy of the wedding weekend and ending with a time for just the two of you is perfect for this! Every couple will tell you that their wedding day flew by, but at Emerson Fields we give you a full weekend rental to make the most of it!
Above: eGolden Photography
9. Wedding Fireworks at Night
A fireworks show at the end of the night will really wow your wedding guests! The countryside at Emerson Fields allows you to see the stars at night, unlike most big city wedding venues. It also means that you have plenty of skyscape for fireworks. Fireworks on our property are shot from the far west side of the dam and really sparkle above the lake! If you want photos of the display be sure to talk with your photographer ahead of time so they are all set and ready to capture the moment! [Photos after dark in low-light do take some preparation ahead of time.]
At Emerson Fields, we do allow fireworks by a licensed and insured pyrotechnic professional and with prior approval. Our approval can be dependent on weather, including dry spells, and final approval isn’t given until 2 weeks prior to the wedding day.
These stunning displays can be private or can be a special surprise for the guests who are there at the end of the reception. If you’re planning for a big surprise show ask your DJ to drop teasers throughout the reception and let guests know they won’t want to miss the end of the night!
Above: Ashley Ice Photography, SW Productions Fireworks, Trent Broglin Photography, Abigail Derrick Photography
The best way to end your wedding night is on a high note. We hope this blog about the top ways to end a wedding reception has sparked some ideas for your own big day. If you’re looking for other ways to enhance your wedding guests’ experience, check out our other blog “The Best Wedding Guest Experience.”
07/28/2022 - Gabrielle Isom
