Once you finalize the details of your ceremony, it's time to turn your attention to the party—your wedding reception! Our budget tips, décor ideas, and practical advice on everything from seating charts and food service to signature cocktails and speeches will help you plan the perfect wedding reception.

two men giving wedding speeches
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tablescape
Here's What You Should and Shouldn't Rent for Your Wedding
A wedding ceremony arch with greenery and wooden chairs for guest seating.
The Ultimate Wedding-Planning Checklist and Timeline
wedding guest standing in an open field with a mountainous backdrop
Planning a Potluck Wedding Reception? Here's Everything You Need to Know
bride, groom, and wedding guests raising wine glasses while seated at tables during sunset wedding reception
What Is a Wedding Reception? Here's Everything You Need to Know About Planning a Party No One Will Ever Forget
best neon signs
The 10 Best Neon Wedding Signs You Can Buy Online
An white bar outside decorated with a neon sign displaying the couple's hashtag
How to Create a Wedding Hashtag—Plus, 45 Ideas to Inspire Your Own
wide shot of wedding guests standing at an outdoor reception
How to Host a Modern Cake and Punch Reception
A bride and group pouring rose champagne over a champagne tower as an alternative to the first dance during their indoor wedding reception.
10 Unique Alternatives to the Traditional First Dance at Your Wedding
bride and groom playing the wedding shoe game
How to Play the Wedding Shoe Game—and 50 Questions to Ask
Bride and groom kissing while their guests form a tunnel with lit sparklers outside
Want to Use Sparklers at Your Wedding? Here's What You Need to Know
Wedding Reception Tablescape with Fresh Flowers and Ribbed Glassware
How to Choose Glassware for Your Wedding
Champagne glass escort card display with round red and white cards on a greenery wall
17 Boozy Wedding Escort Card Ideas to Get the Party Started
Wedding Ice Sculpture with "A&J" Monogram
Everything to Know About Having an Ice Sculpture at Your Wedding
old-fashioned van photo booth
A Simple Guide to Wedding Photo Booths
Naomi Biden and Peter Neil with Joe and Jill Biden on her wedding day
We Finally Know What Naomi Biden's White House Wedding Reception Looked Like
Joi and DeAngelo holding hands at their ballroom reception
20 Ballroom Wedding Reception Ideas Guaranteed to Elevate Any Space
A bride and maid of honor cheers with champagne.
Our Favorite Unique Maid of Honor Speech Ideas
bride and groom make wedding reception entrance in front of guests seated at tables
30 Wedding Entrance Ideas for Any Reception Style
Hotel wedding reception
How to Plan a Hotel Wedding Reception
Ethereal Wedding Gift Welcome Wedding Sign on a white background
The 17 Best Wedding Welcome Signs in 2024
custom dance floor with florals and monogram with floral installation overhead
How to Create a Custom Dance Floor for Your Wedding Reception
Man playing the piano
How to Have Dueling Pianos at Your Wedding Reception
Bougainvillea Wedding Bouquet
Pantone's Color of the Year 2023 Is Viva Magenta—Here's How to Use It in Your Wedding Design
Wedding reception
21 Special Ways to Personalize Your Wedding Reception
table runner idea
25 Eye-Catching Table Runner Ideas for Your Wedding Reception
kids at a wedding
13 Fun Things for Kids to Do at Weddings
wedding table setting with olive oil
20 Table Setting Ideas for a Food-Focused Wedding
Place settings with white etched chargers, ribbed glassware, white florals, and candles
45 Lovely Table Settings for Weddings to Inspire Your Reception
how to make your first dance go viral
How to Make Your First Dance Go Viral (& Have Fun With It, Too)
bride and groom dancing
23 Wedding Dance Floor Ideas to Kick Up Your Feet
Two Brides in Floral-Filled Wedding Reception Laughing at Funny Wedding Toast
36 Funny Wedding Toasts and Speeches That'll Get the Whole Room Laughing
large green tree centerpieces and votive candles in an all white venue with floor to ceiling windows
25 Tree Centerpieces to Bring Your Reception to Life
husband and wife on tik tok video
20 Wedding Ideas We’re Stealing from TikTok
groom laughing while listening to speech
How to Write a Father-of-the-Groom Speech
polaroid guest book
How to Set Up a Polaroid Guest Book Table at Your Wedding
bride and groom kissing
How to Plan an Anniversary Reception: Tips and Etiquette
bridgerton
Exclusive: Here's Why the 'Bridgerton' Wedding Was So Low-Key, and How to Recreate the Intimate Ceremony
Groom giving a speech during wedding reception looking at bride
Everything to Know About Your Groom Speech: Tips, Advice, and Examples
a young woman dressed in burgundy giving a wedding speech
How to Write a Sister-of-the-Groom Speech
A round wedding reception table with white table cloth, pastel flowers, glassware, wooden chairs, and upholstered high-back booth seating.
How to Choose the Right Wedding Reception Tables
colorful bouquet with peach and white roses
Everything You Need to Know About the Bouquet Toss
couple
How to Celebrate the Money Dance Tradition on Your Wedding Day
Large sign that says "PHOTOS" on top of photo booth van at a wedding
30 DIY Photo Booth Ideas Your Guests Will Love
Bride and groom celebrating while guests wave sparklers in the air as they leave their barn reception venue
35 Unforgettable and Unique Wedding Send-Off Ideas
Jewish Hora Dance
What to Know About the Jewish Hora Dance
winter wedding tablescapes
25 Dreamy Tablescapes for a Winter Wedding
Members of a wedding celebration playing croquet on the lawn during a wedding reception in front of a large home on a sunny, summer day.
30 Fun Wedding Reception Games and Activities
Commerce Photo Composite
The 11 Best Wedding Table Decorations That Will Brighten Up Your Reception
Bride in floral embroidered white gown and groom in tuxedo on steps with colorful butterfly installation
55 Colorful Wedding Ideas to Make Your Big Day Pop
Best Wedding Guest Books
28 Best Wedding Guest Books For Every Style and Theme
Wedding seating charts surrounded by candles and plants displayed on wood table on stone patio
The 13 Best Seating Charts for the Design-Oriented Couple
Collage of a Wedding Table Number on a grey background with white designs
The 18 Best Wedding Table Numbers of 2024 Perfect For Any Type of Wedding
Tables set for an outdoor event dinner
The 19 Best Wedding Decorations To Fit Every Style
Bride in white wedding gown cutting three-tier wedding cake with groom wearing a white formal jacket, surrounded by white flowers.
The Ultimate Wedding Reception Timeline
Bride and Groom Taking Portraits in a Rustic Field After Wedding Ceremony
The Best Timeline for Your Wedding Day
Modern wedding table decor with black glassware, candles, a runner, and florals
The 15 Best Modern Wedding Decor Items of 2024
Dining tables and chairs set up for a wedding reception with string lights
5 Free Digital Wedding Seating Chart Templates to Simplify Planning
A bride and groom holding hands and dancing beneath string lights and star pendants
25 Celestial Wedding Ideas That Are Out of This World
maid of honor wedding reception speech
How to Write a Maid of Honor Speech
An outdoor wedding reception with guests seated at a long dinner table with flowers and candles, raising wine glasses
12 Tips for Designing the Ultimate Wedding Reception Seating Chart
a guide to wedding reception toasts
Who Gives a Speech at the Wedding Reception?
bride and groom wedding reception toast
60 Wedding Toast Quotes for Every Speech
Mother of the bride in an orange dress giving a speech at an indoor wedding ceremony.
Mother-of-the-Bride Speech Examples and Writing Tips