A wedding reception is a party usually held after the completion of a marriage ceremony as hospitality for those who have attended the wedding, hence the name reception: the couple receives society, in the form of family and friends, for the first time as a married couple.

Your wedding reception is the most important part of your wedding day, it’s your lifetime party. Having the proper timeline and arrangement will make sure your wedding runs smoothly. Here are some guides and ideas from me about how to arrange your Bali wedding reception.

Bali Wedding Reception Guides

Set The Good Table Layout

The table layout of a wedding reception can be challenging to plan, but a good table set up for a wedding encourages mingling, conversation, and celebration of your family and all guests. Check this link to find out more about how to arrange your Bali wedding reception table layout.

Bali Wedding Reception Guides

Lighting Setup

Recently there is a trend of using an RGB color LED to add visual effect on the dinner reception setup. Even though it looks pleasing on the eyes those lighting are not camera-friendly for photo and video. My suggestion is to only use those lights during the dance and after-party, keep the whole reception only using one neutral light color, for example, warm white. You can also consider adding fairy lights as decoration.

Bali Wedding Reception Guides

The Bar

For me, the bar will be the most important element for your wedding reception. If guests are boozed-up the wedding will be more fun and festive, it will be great for the photographer too as people won’t be shy when I am taking their photos.

Bali Wedding Bar

Most of the famous bar style for Bali wedding reception is an open bar. An open bar usually includes wine, beer, champagne, and liquor, guests can order as many drinks as they want. Make sure the bar located within hand reach and always stocked and staffed.

Wedding Speech

Bali Wedding Reception Guides

If you wanted to do the speech during the course, make sure to wait for the guests to finish their meal before starting the speech. By this, people will put their full attention to the speaker. Try not to wipe your tears too often during the speech so the photographer can capture your expression.

Entertain the Guest

Bali Wedding Reception Guides

Adding an entertain during the reception is a good idea! The most popular one in Bali is the fire dances. What a great eye-catching addition to your night’s entertainment, with the choice of fire spinning, with the dancer swinging the rope with the fireball at the end through the air, or a fire finger show with the dancer attaching the fire tool to their fingers dancing to the beat of the music.

Wedding Games

Bali Wedding Reception Guides

Make your wedding reception a fun and festive affair by adding wedding games into your night. I will guarantee the guest will giggle the whole night. One famous game that giving extra fun to the Bali wedding reception is to play the Wedding Shoe Game.

Bring The DJ

Bali Wedding Reception Guides

From party anthems to rock ballads, oldies to country classics, make sure you choose the great song that would make the guests dance the night away! Go for the songs that span genres and generations, you’ll want everyone from kids to your grandmother showing off their best moves.

Cake Cutting

Bali Wedding Reception Guides

Try not to skip the cake cutting as this would be a great opportunity for a photo! From smashing the cake in the face to cutting the cake with a giant sword, it’s something that your future generations will look back at in your wedding album and appreciate.

Bali Wedding Reception Guides

Fireworks

Wedding fireworks can add a lot of excitement and fun to your big day. The good thing in Bali you can have wedding fireworks at any season. You can have a fantastic fireworks display in 5 to 15 minutes as long as you focus on quality over quantity. Consult with your wedding planner and venue about having fireworks at your wedding reception.

Bali Wedding Reception Guides

Hi, my name is Gusmank,
your Bali photographer.
gusmank photography profile

I am a professional Bali photographer, born and risen with the warm and spiritual culture of Bali.

With over 10 years of professional experience, I’m providing a wide range of Bali photographer services such as wedding photojournalism, pre-wedding or engagement, honeymoon, and travel photography.

Let’s plan your Bali photography session!

Can we be best friends already? Let’s start planning your best day in Bali!