Wedding Reception Ideas: Fun, Simple, Cheap

Last night I got in super wedding-planning mode, and since it's only two months (March9) away AND the first time I've gotten any motivation to really do it, I took full advantage. 

Maybe it's because I've ordered a dress and booked all the venues we need (important stuff!) that I feel more free to start really planning my favorite part of any party: the details. 

I thought I'd share some of our wedding reception ideas and inspiration, particularly some wedding food ideas that are really affordable and really US. 

This is our vision: a fun, interactive wedding reception. 

When people arrive at a wedding reception and the bride and groom aren't there, people just don't know what to do. Also, they are hungry. I hate that awkward standing around period of receptions! Our solution? Make your own popcorn concoction at our popcorn bar!

We even want our reception food to be a little fun and interactive. The first plan: Make your own sandwich bar. Tons of breads, meats and cheeses to choose from. Maybe even some griddles for panini options…

A sandwich, no matter how cool it is, shouldn't stand alone. But combined with homemade soup, it's pretty awesome, right? We are going to get some of our closest friends and family to make a crockpot of soup, so there will be a lot of variety. We also love the simplicity and homeyness of the idea. There's something comforting about hot soup. 

Instead of just one giant-tiered wedding cake we want a lot of cakes, that look like ones you might see in your home. We are making some and some of our family and friends are joining our efforts. We even want our guests to join in a little with say, painting their own cupcakes or cookies! 

We are also really wanting the reception to be as much like a dinner party as possible. So some people may be eating, some talking, some dancing and others…playing BOARD GAMES! 

These are just our starting ideas. I can't wait to see how this transpires over the next couple months. All of this came from my Pinterest board Future Things. You can also see more wedding inspiration on Tyler Anne's Holli is My Homegirl board. (We are excited over here!) 

Oh yeah and one more thing. In case anyone forgets we want it to be fun, we probably need to have a version of these on the tables.

—Holli Anne