Creative Reception Ideas - From Landon Donovan and Bianca Kajlich

Your wedding reception is one of the most expensive parts of your big day. When you're shelling out thousands of dollars for a huge party, you're probably hoping that it's going to be fun and memorable for your guests and for you. Unfortunately, too many receptions fall flat because they're just like every other reception your guests have ever been to – catered meal, DJ playing the same songs, champagne toast, etc.

A Boring Reception?
Even celebrity couples are often guilty of having boring receptions, but not all of them.

On New Year's Eve, Landon Donovan – a member of the Los Angeles Galaxy hockey team and the 2000 U. S. Olympic Hockey team – and Bianca Kajlich – an actress who has appeared on Dawson's Creek and Boston Public and who played the injured cheerleader Carver in Bring It On – were married in Santa Barbara, California.

Will a Later Time Do For You?
The couple held a late evening wedding, so they could ring in the New Year with a champagne toast with all of their guests, but that wasn't the only thing that set their reception apart from all the others. As 2007 started, Landon and Bianca rolled out a surprise meal: In-N-Out Burgers for all their guests. Although In-N-Out Burgers are all the rage among the California elite, such as Paris Hilton who was busted for speeding by the police which she was supposedly rushing to grab a late night burger snack, it's not your traditional wedding reception fare.

But that wasn't the only surprise awaiting guests. For reception entertainment, the couple brought in a karaoke machine so the guests could be the entertainment.

Needless to say, a midnight wedding with hamburgers and karaoke isn't what you normally think of when you imagine a celebrity wedding. But it's definitely a good time for guests.

So what can you learn from Landon and Bianca?

More Celebrity Wedding Tips
The biggest thing you can learn is that a little creativity when it comes to your reception might be a good thing. You don't have to have the standard, formal reception. Of course, you don't have to serve hamburgers and use karaoke for entertainment either.

Think of all the different types of food you can serve: you could have a barbecue pit, a taco/burrito buffet, a sundae bar, snack foods, cheese trays, comfort foods, fair food (cotton candy, corn dogs, candy apples, etc.), picnic foods (fried chicken, cole slaw, hot dogs, etc.), cold cut trays, and more. Just try to match your food with your wedding's theme or tone and with your and your guests' food preferences.

Entertainment doesn't have to be limited to bands or deejays either. If you want music, rent a jukebox and fill it with your favorite compact discs. If you want additional entertainment, you could hire a magician or show a movie or a slide show of your life together so far. You could also have a game reception where every table gets to play board games or your reception hall gets converted into a miniature casino. If you have an outdoor wedding, you could play volleyball, horseshoes, baseball, golf, or other outside activities as part of the reception.

Of course, you could always stick with the tried and true when it comes to your reception, but you might want to at least consider some ideas that will allow you to make your part something special.