Well, for starters, think beyond traditional reception halls and banquet centers. Together with your partner, think about the unique venues that surround the area in which you live. And contemplate how you both can incorporate your special interests, hobbies, and passions into those locations.
So here are some ideas to spark your own thinking about where to plan your unique wedding reception. Beg, borrow, or steal these gems for the ultimate stand-out wedding reception!
"Haunted" Bed and Breakfasts
For those couples who love a little mystery, intrigue, or suspense, why not plan an unusual wedding reception at a haunted bed and breakfast. There are several sites across the United States that claim to have spirits walking through their attics and gracing their elegant parlors. Many haunted bed and breakfasts can accommodate wedding parties of all sizes and even allow couples to rent the entire facility for the night or weekend. With advance notice, innkeepers will even incorporate the lore and intrigue of their inn's haunted past into your special event.
For example, the Notchland Inn, located in the picturesque White Mountains in Hart's Location, NH, boasts of several spirit sightings over the years. The quaint and cozy inn welcomes small wedding parties to experience the magic and mystery of the inn during their unique wedding receptions.
Country Barns
Rustic, rambling barns can serve as wonderful locations for unique wedding receptions. Think country square dancing, apple pie, and fiddles playing late into the night. Most barns have beautiful wood floors that naturally serve as perfect dance floors. Place hay bales all around the dance floor for guests to rest upon when it's time for the bride and groom to take their first dance.
For a different spin on this location, why not create a western-themed reception, especially for those couples who just love everything country! Have guests don those cowboy boots for some good old-fashioned line dancing. Decorate the barn like a saloon, complete with wagon wheels as table centerpieces, sheriff stars as wedding favors, and of course, plenty of whiskey!
Drive-In Movie Theaters
Although not as plentiful as they used to be, drive-in movie theaters can give an air of nostalgia to unique wedding receptions and serve as wonderful reception venues for couples who love old movies and times gone by.
Have guests actually drive their cars "into" the reception. Serve all the classic drive-in foods on car-side trays, and have classic love stories like Casablanca and Gone With the Wind playing on the giant movie screens. Place a dance floor in the middle of all this so that guests can enjoy your romantic blast from the past.
One other special touch to this unusual reception is to feature childhood and courtship home movies of the bride and groom on the giant movie screens. This is a wonderful way to personalize your wedding reception.
Covered Bridge
This natural location is not often considered as a wedding reception location, but it can truly be a wonderful spot for an easy-going, light-hearted affair, especially for smaller weddings in warmer months. Rent several round tables, and adorn them with white tablecloths, fresh flowers, and simple china. Hire a string quartet for dancing.
These are just a few ideas for unique wedding reception locations. Hopefully, they've inspired you to think creatively and imaginatively about your wedding reception location. Of course, you will want to consider factors such as weather, parking, public access, preparation, and any needed permits or permissions before selecting your unique site.
Good luck and – of course – congratulations!
