Receptions have easily become one of our favorite parts of a wedding day to photograph. It’s finally the time in the night when the bride and groom get to see all their loved ones and celebrate! Toasts, dancing, well-wishes, amazing food and company.

We’ve partied late into the night with so many couples, so we’ve got a few ideas for a fun, high-energy wedding reception to share.

A live band.

A live band can make a wedding reception come to life. It may not be for everyone, but not a lot beats the vibe of reception band. We love live bands because they play songs for everyone. Grandma and Grandpa, your friends from college, and that extended cousin Sally you’ve only met once can all boogie down.

Specialty cocktail or personalized bar.

In addition to having a great bar with beer, wine, and/or liquor, include a specialty cocktail at cocktail hour. If you and your partner have a favorite drink or bar you visit a lot, replicate that vibe in a personalized bar or signature drink. One of our couples decided to include a bourbon bar with a putting green beside the dance hall at their reception. We love that it added a personal touch to their day!

Glow sticks, party poppers, hats, tambourines..

Give the people what they want: break out the props! About midway into dancing, bring out something fun for your guests. Think.. bring-the-photo-booth-to-the-dance-floor vibe. Bringing out some props midway through dancing keeps your guests entertained and excited for the second half of dancing, and adds so much excitement to the dance floors. (It’s super fun in pics, too!)

Flip flops for the dance floor.

This is especially nice for those who want to party a little longer, but in some comfier shoes. If you’re planning to have a good bit of dancing, make your guests feel super taken care of with some flip flops!

Late night snacks.

Bring out the McDonald’s, the Chick-Fil-A, the Krystals! After so much dancing (and uhh drinking ;), guests will be so excited for a late night snack.

Confetti shower for last song.

You know how epic confetti send-off photos are? Well, think of the same effect.. just on the dance floor with everyone surrounding the bride and groom during the last song of the night. MAGIC.

And now you may be wondering, how do I end the night with an epic send off? We’ve got some ideas for that, too. Check out our blog 5 Wedding Send-Off Ideas to the perfect plan for your reception.

Erin Fox Photo is a husband and wife photography team based in Nashville, Tennessee photographing weddings and families. Available for travel in Middle Tennessee and beyond. At the heart of our work is people – the couples, the families, their stories. We are passionate about storytelling and exist to leave you memories that bring back moments and feelings through timeless and organic imagery. Get in touch!