covid Friendly Reception ideas

We got married pre-Covid, but we had a trivia game with all of our guests to see how well they knew my husband and I. The last ten people won a prize. It was a lot of fun. You could also do games at each table such as Uno, Yahtzee, etc.

I was actually was worried about this exact thing and that guests would be bored but everyone just talked with each other and had a great time just mingling!

View Quoted Comment There’s a state mandate in place for my state that says there is specifically ‘no mingling allowed’. So I guess it must be different state to state. Your state is lucky

View Quoted Comment My state is California, we’re definitely not a no restrictions state. We were outside, wearing masks and careful to not stay too close even while mingling

My wedding is in early April in a state that doesn't currently allow dancing or mingling of guests, so we're planning to host a game of trivia similar to what Veronica suggested after the dinner portion of the night.

Hi Shelby,


My wedding is planned for mid-April and we’re exactly two months away. What my fiancé and I decided to do is to just have a ceremony then take everyone out to dinner and drinks. We booked a restaurant that can accommodate the number of guests we have. They will be serving plated dinners and open bars for everyone. Since we’ll have some older guests, we were thinking of an after party instead so that our older guests would not be exposed for a long period of time.

Hi Shelby! Not to fear, I worried so much about the same thing for our wedding in August ❤️ We added a toast from my now husband who thanked everyone for us, said some really sweet things about me (Totally did not expect that!!) and asked for all healthcare and essential workers to stand for a round of applause! We added to the significant dances- 1. My groom’s grandparents danced their favorite polka and it was adorable, 2. Me and my brother/Man of Honor danced to a special song of ours (I totally cried!).


Our guests entertained themselves with hellos to people because everyone has been isolated, leaving video messages to us on a static camera our videographer set up, and took their own photos of decor and family. It was really a beautiful night! My cousin who dreads dancing said she was so relieved and loved not having the pressure to get on the dance floor 😂 said it was the best wedding she ever went to!!

Honestly good food & drink is enough! People have fun mingling and celebrating at events all the time. ❤️

There are some good suggestions in this discussion as well: Reception activities other than dancing?

Im planning on doing an I spy game around the venue. Debating on a prize or how the game could be worked into the formal program. If I have extra funds, I was looking to wedding mix which is like a crowd sourced video option using personal camera phones. guests can submit these to be made into a custom video using the wedding hashtag, and I will share it with them after the event. Interested in other ideas from the community here if guests have to be stuck at their seats, what you are all doing for entertainment?