Here are few of my own personal Wedding Reception Tips...

Autographs on your engagement portrait!

Set up a framed copy of your engagement portrait with a large
matted border on an easel or on a table and invite your guests
to leave their autographs on the matting for a keepsake!

You can buy these extended matted borders at your local
Walmart located near the poster frames!


Are you giving your centerpieces away?

An easy way to do this is to put a sticker under one of the
chairs on all the tables and have your DJ/MC announce whoever
has the sticker under their chair wins the centerpiece!
Just be sure to check all the chairs for stickers
from previous events!


When will you have your first dance together?

A popular choice for couples is to have your first dance together
immediately following your 'Grand Entrance'.  Spacing apart your
'special dances' will allow for a quicker transition after the meal
from the formalities to the 'open dancing' party time!!!


When should you do your cake cutting?

I believe the Cake Cutting Ceremony is best done after the
meal to kick off the party with a fun and often hilarious event!
But... if you are serving your Wedding Cake as part of the
dessert for the meal, and/or depending on your particular reception
venue's policies, you may have to cut your cake sooner than expected
or wanted.  A way around this situation is to provide an additional
sheet cake that the catering/venue staff can have prepared for
your dessert and/or if you are handing out pieces of cake for your
'Dollar Dance'.  This way, you should be able to cut your
"display cake" during the reception whenever you want without
holding up your caterer or venue staff.  ***Check with your
venue to see what their cake cutting procedures are and share this
information with your reception coordinator and/or DJ/MC to
avoid any last minute surprises or disappointments.


The Cake Cutting Sneak Attack!!!

Invite your Best Man and Maid of Honor to join you for your
Cake Cutting because you would like them to be in the photos
with you.  This of course is a ruse to get them into position
for what you really have in mind!  Just as you are about to feed
each other your slices of Wedding Cake, turn and smash the cake
in their faces instead!  Your DJ/MC and photographer should
be informed of this in advance so they can help you pull it off.


Bouquet Toss & Garter Throw

Add a little incentive to participate in these events by giving away
gift cards to the catchers and have your DJ/MC announce this to
your guests.  For example, a 'Victoria's Secret' gift card for
the girl who catches the bouquet, and a 'Best Buy' card
for the guy who catches the garter.


Speaking of your 'Dollar Dance'!!!

A very fun and interactive way of starting off this part of your
reception is to "hold an auction" and have your guests "bid"
on the coveted opportunity to have the first dance with the Bride!
(The more guests you have, the more fun this is!!!)
*Some of my favorite memories from past Wedding receptions
are from doing the "Dollar Dance Auction".   :)


An idea for your 'Bridal Party Dance'...

A comical way to kick off the 'open dancing' time at your reception is
to play a dirty trick on your Bridal Party... especially if they are
not the "dancing type"...

Start off the 'Bridal Party Dance' with
a traditional slow song (as expected), then about half way
through the song, have your DJ experience a "technical difficulty".
After a few moments of awkward silence, switch the song to
a popular dance track!

(A good example is: from Bon Jovi's 'Always',
switch the song to Sir Mix-ALot's 'Jump On It'!)

You can choose to inform your Bridal Party about the switch
ahead of time, or not!  (Depending on if you want to play a joke
on your Bridal Party or just surprise your other guests!)


'The Couples Dance'

If you happen to have more married couples at your reception rather
than single ones, 'The Couples Dance' is a nice alternative to the 
traditional Bouquet Toss and Garter Throw.  Your DJ will invite
all of the married couples to the dance floor for a slow dance.
Then after a period of time the DJ will ask all the couples who have
been married for less than five years to take their seats, then less
than ten years, fifteen, and so on until only the longest married couple
remains on the dance floor.  This couple is then awarded the
bouquet and garter by the Bride and Groom.