Planning Your Reception: To Theme or Not to Theme
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Weddings are one of society's oldest and most important celebrations. Understandably,
there are purists out there who will not entertain the idea of a theme wedding, but for
those of you who will, theme weddings are a lot of fun. The wedding ceremony itself
should focus on you and your new spouse, but the reception is as much for the guests
as it is for you, and therefore ripe for a good theme.
Why host a theme reception? Why not just put out the food and gather the guests?
Because people enjoy theme parties for the same reason as they enjoy books, movies
and theme parks. Themes allow us to take an imaginative trip to a different time, place,
or location. They satisfy our inner spirit of adventure. They play to our fascination with
the unknown, the mysterious the unimaginably elegant. We love to see colorful
characters in exotic settings, winding their way through the twists and turns of
surprising, inventive plots.
You can have all of these things in a theme reception as well, only one step better. With
a well-planned theme, you can give your guests a chance to place themselves in the
action, in the location, or as characters in the scene.
For a theme party to be successful, you will need three things:
1) to suspend reality for a little while;
2) to satisfy guests' essential needs; and
3) to engage guests in the celebration.
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Success Secret #1 Suspend Reality
In order to suspend reality, you need to do what books and movies do well -- to make
the situation feel real. Good movies make viewers forget that they are sitting in the
movie theater. Good theme celebrations make people forget that they are in a hotel
ballroom. The best themes suspend reality by creating an ambiance that satisfies each of
the senses ... sight, sound, taste, touch and smell ... and they help guests put what they
are experiencing into context. In other words, there should be just enough reality in the
scene to make the setting plausible.
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Success Secret #2 Satisfy Guests' Essential Needs
Let guests know what to expect. Some people are uncertain about how they will fit into
social situations, so use the words and the images in your invitation to convey the
essence of the reception. This will help alleviate any apprehension. Give guests more
than enough information to answer their questions. Tell them what the dress code is so
there will be no worries about showing up over- or under-dressed. For example, most
guests will expect to attend the wedding ceremony in their finest clothes unless you
make it clear that you are planning a theme for the reception and that it is alright for
guests to come to the ceremony in dress that fits the theme. If you would prefer to have
a more formal ceremony where guests would be expected to dress well, you can also
explain to that there will be places to change clothes for those who choose to once
they arrive at the reception.
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Success Secret #3 Engage Guests in the Theme
Use an activity to engage guests in the theme. Play a game, hold a contest, have a
demonstration or teach your guests something about your theme subject. Even if you
are planning more traditional entertainment like music and dancing, plan an activity
that engages everyone in the theme.
So, what will you choose for your theme? Look at all of the interests you and your
future spouse have in common. Do you have a favorite travel destination? Perhaps you
frequent a location like a sidewalk café or a jazz club. You could re-create the ambiance
of your favorite "hot spot" for your guests. Do you enjoy participating in an activity
together such as fly fishing? Maybe you would choose an "On the River" theme. Or
maybe you both have an interest in a time period such as the Old West or the
Renaissance or the 1950s. Perhaps you share a favorite holiday such as Christmas, or a
favorite movie, or you participate in collecting a certain object. No matter what the
theme, if you can apply each of the three theme-party success secrets for your theme
reception, you will have a hit on your hands.
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Dina C. Carson is the author of Celebration Solutions: 101 Themes and Decorating Ideas
for Reunions, Parties, Fund Raisers, Holiday Celebrations, Anniversaries and Every
Other Get-Togethers.
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