 Unique wedding reception ideas are best when they come from you. Here’s a way to find them that will make you look like a pro.
But there's an easy way to make a big difference with the small details when it comes to wedding reception decoration ideas. It doesn't come from looking at someone else's ideas - at least not at first. It comes from you.
Stay with us here. We know your time is limited and you don't feel that creative but this is easy. You're just going to do something almost no one else does. You're going to plan by seeing things from a different angle. Doing this will make your own unique wedding reception ideas come naturally.
Specifically we're going to show you how to create a picture in your mind of your theme's setting that you can communicate to your guests in terms of the five senses. Once you do that, unique wedding reception ideas will come naturally.
To understand how to do this, try an exercise with us. For your theme, think of some setting that describes best why you like it.
We'll use a Hawaiian theme for our example since we love Hawaii.
 From the moment you get on the plane, anticipation builds. The music system on the plane plays Hawaiian guitar music. Movies of waterfalls and Hawaiian scenery play on the movie screens. Fellow passengers are wearing floral shirts and leis.
When you get there, at first, it's sensory overload. Incredible jagged mountains jut up from the earth only to be embraced by billowy clouds hugging them tightly. Fields of sugar cane as far as you can see stand taller than you and sway in unison at the beckoning of the ever present tradewinds.
You pass by a fruit stand where someone strums a guitar, singing island songs to no one in particular. Donning one of the flower leis he has for sale, you breathe in the fragrance of paradise and sip sweet sugar cane juice from a cup made of pineapple.
Are you getting the feeling of being in Hawaii? This little picture made with words is how you'll start coming up with your own unique wedding reception ideas.
What we just did here to create this picture in your mind was this... We described this peaceful setting in terms of the five senses so that you'd be able to see what we see when we think about Hawaii. And we did it so we'd be able to come up with unique wedding reception ideas that would communicate our love for Hawaii to our guests.
By knowing what, in terms of sight, sound, smell, and taste will communicate the vision you have in your mind, you'll be able to impress your guests in ways they never expected. The best theme parks do this, with very good reason - it works.
So, instead of putting the cart before the horse by looking for decorations without a plan, do this...
If you've got the theme decided already, imagine it in terms of a place. In other words, for a fairy tale wedding, are you at the ball or in a castle? For the beach, are you on the boardwalk or an island? For a garden theme, are you in a fragrant garden or on a tropical island? In our mind, we're in the picture below, watching the sunset on Maui's Kaanapali beach. There's a beautiful hotel behind us with lit torches, manicured lawns, island music, and a perfect environment for an outdoor beach wedding reception.  Now imagine the path your guests will take as they walk into your reception. Unique wedding reception ideas will come more easily if you see things from their perspective. Intrigue them before they enter with lighting or decorations on the way in that pique interest and create anticipation. Wow them at the entrance with pictures, fragrant candles, music, flowers, or lighting that lets them know that for the next few hours, normal life is suspended so that they can relax in a great setting.
Think about where they'll go - the gift table, their table, the buffet table, the bar, the wedding cake, the bathroom.
With our Hawaiian scenario, we might create anticipation by:
With just those little details, the guests will:
For more unique wedding reception ideas that are broken down by theme or item, go to our unique wedding reception ideas page.
|
On the horizon, a brilliant rainbow draws your eyes to the sea, where whales frolic in the distance, sea turtles bob in the surf, and locals cast their cares to the sea by doing as their ancestors did, riding the gently curling waves slowly and surely to shore, over and over again.
