image of a reception table with champagne glass and flowers

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.

Guests at a Cocktail-Style Wedding Reception
How to Plan a Cocktail-Style Wedding Reception
Bride and Groom Laugh in Response to a Wedding Speech
13 Tips for Giving an Amazing Wedding Speech, According to Public Speaking Experts
A Bride's Parents Give a Wedding Toast With a Microphone
Everything You Need to Know About Wedding Toasts
Bride and groom doing the money dance
Everything You Need to Know About the Money Dance Wedding Tradition
Man giving a wedding speech
People With These Zodiac Signs Give the Best Wedding Speeches, According to an Astrologer
Bride and groom kissing beneath sparklers that guests are holding at night
45 Unique Wedding Send-Off Ideas for an Unforgettable Exit
Bride and Groom During Their Wedding Entrance With Bride Spreading Her Tulle Sleeves
33 Creative Wedding Entrance Ideas for Any Reception Style
Head Table at a Wedding With Place Settings, Greenery, and Taper Candles, Surrounded by Round Tables
Who Sits at the Head Table at a Wedding Reception?
Round Wedding Tables With Mix-and-Match Linens and Moss Garland
Round Wedding Tables Are Trending Again: Here's How to Arrange, Group, and Decorate Them
Ideas for a bohemian wedding ceremony with rugs and pampas grass
55 Boho Wedding Ideas That Are Organic and Ethereal
Groom giving a speech at this wedding reception with his wife
How to Write the Perfect Groom Speech
maid of honor wedding reception speech
How to Write and Deliver an Incredible Maid of Honor Speech
Bride, Groom, and Wedding Guests Toasting With Champagne Flutes
The Wedding Speech Order You Should Follow at Your Reception
Groom in Blue Suit and Bride in Gold Gown Posing for Wedding Portrait at Sunset
The Best Timeline for Your Wedding Day
Two Brides in Floral-Filled Wedding Reception Laughing at Funny Wedding Toast
39 Funny Wedding Toasts and Speeches That'll Get the Whole Room Laughing
Wooden banquet table with pink flower table arrangements and matching wooden chairs
How to Create the Ultimate Wedding Seating Chart
bride and groom in colorful attire walking next to pool with monogram
15 Pool Decoration Ideas for Your Wedding
two men giving wedding speeches
Should You Hire a Wedding MC for Your Reception?
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
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
Wedding Reception Plate With Butterfly Pattern and Menu Card With Blue Ribbon on Top
Fine China May Be Out on Your Registry, but It's in on Reception Tabletops—Here's What You Need to Know About This Colorful Wedding Trend
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
Hotel wedding reception
How to Plan a Hotel Wedding Reception
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
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
Close Up of Guest Book and Polaroid Camera
How to Set Up a Polaroid Guest Book at Your Wedding—Plus, 13 Ideas That Prove How Fun This Interactive Trend Really Is
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
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
Bride and groom kissing on velvet green couch surrounded by flowers and greenery
25 DIY Wedding Photo Booth Ideas Guaranteed to Entertain Your Guests
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
Best Wedding Table Decorations
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
Wedding Guest Books
21 Best Wedding Guest Books for Every Wedding Style and Theme
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