Dinner party instead of reception. How to pull this off!?

Question

Im having a very small wedding, with perhaps 20-25 people total. I dont want to do a whole typical reception with so few people, but would like to do SOMETHING to of course thank everyone for coming to the ceremony, etc. I was thinking of a dinner party type of thing, a nice sit down at one long table or some table arrangement where everyone's close...but Im not sure what goes on at a typical dinner party. We dont want dancing or anything, MAYBE a cake, unless we think of somthing else creative for dessert....I really dont want this to feel like a 'wedding' reception, but more like a fun dinner party type feel. Any tips? Thanks!

Answer 1

Have a theme something fun like a  hawaiian lua from your table decor to the food you and your guests can even change into different outfits make the atmoshpere more dinner party like

Answer 2

Many hotels and restaurants have rooms that can be made private for the day, have a look around and find one that suits you. They may also be able to suggest something instead of cake or visit local bakeries they will have different things you could have instead.

Answer 3

I had a very small wedding(about 50). This was the second marriage for both of us and we had been living together for a few years so we did not want to have a big reception. We chose a nice restaurant close to the ceremony site and reserved a banquet room. It turned out really nice and because we saved so much by not having a reception we were able to give some really nice favors to our guest.

Answer 4

This may sound incredibly dumb, but why not write a simple letter and tell your guest list the truth -- help them to understand what you want. Most guests will (A) thank you for giving them the "heads up" and (B) be glad to help make your wedding day special for you ... some of them might even have some great ideas too.

To prevent the whole "reception feel" the first thing is to ensure that there is no deejay or emcee in the room. That is a must.

Answer 5

In your case... its all about the restaurant and food. Choose somewhere unique, or a place people dont usually splurge on. Once you select your place, you can draw ideas from that.

Answer 6

First of all, and most importantly, you need to find a small banquet room at either a hotel or banquet facility or catering hall or country inn.  Why?  Because you will want some privacy.

You can treat this like a big Thanksgiving dinner or a small family reunion or just a formal gathering of friends and relatives.  

If you wish to make this easy on yourself, order the SAME MEAL for everyone.  For example:  everyone gets a roast beef dinner with mashed potatoes, green beans, and a salad.

And then ask if the staff can prepare you a wedding cake or will you have to order one from a local bakery.  And if you don't want a wedding cake then order "a buffet of desserts" so everyone can have what they want.  

I have done this type of event many times . . and the key to its success is keeping it SIMPLE.  Yes, you can order a centerpiece for the dinner table.  Yes, you can order the same meal for everyone.  Yes, you can ask for some nice music to be playing in the background.  Yes, you can put a nice selection of chocolates on the dining table.

Answered by:  A Certified wedding specialist / A Professional bridal consultant / A Wedding ceremony officiant