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These days some brides are creating long celebrations that continue through the night and into the morning. If this is you, organizing some activities for those long night time hours is essential.

Usually, if an all-night wedding reception is planned, it will probably go something like this: the wedding is held in the early evening and reception follows. By about midnight, some of the guests will have left and the group that is left (usually the younger guests, but not always) will carry on to dance and party and revel into the early morning hours. At some point, breakfast will be provided and then all the remaining guests will go home.

Why do you need activities for such a 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 fairly organized about the activities you plan. Consult with your wedding master of ceremonies about these activities and leave it to him or her to organize a schedule.

Do not arrange to cut the cake in the middle of the night. That ceremony should take place during the more traditional evening hours, so
those not planning to stay all night can leave.

Depending on the guest list, you could delay on the father-daughter waltz 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 is available in various styles including a bridal dress, a wedding ring or a champagne flute. It should be filled with a variety of goodies. Candy is always popular, but you could also fill it with soft toys found in party stores. Have the wedding master of ceremonies introduce a spirited song and let wedding guests have a go at the piñata. Do this on the dance floor and really let people have a swing at it. There should be plenty of space. Once the piñata breaks, all the guests can enjoy a taste of sweet candy or can get a silly little carnival toy or game.

Wedding guests who stay for the duration of the wedding are likely to require a break. Organize a photo presentation or video viewing. You could have someone who’s familiar with PowerPoint make a photo presentation or have someone put together a video of photos. Do this around 2.15 or 3.45 am and it should last a half hour to 45 minutes. This gives the guests a chance to sit down and relax and also gives the DJ and wedding master of ceremonies on opportunity to sit, have a break and recharge the batteries for the rest of the celebrations.

In that same vein of permitting all the guests some relaxation, one activity that some brides use is a non-activity. If the wedding is outside, you can offer inflatable mattresses and have some torches lit. If any guests would like to sit down and relax, they can do so on the mattresses but still be part of the activity while relaxing.

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

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