Vegas Theme Wedding Reception

Ding, ding, ding! “Vegas Party Theme at a wedding? We have a winnerrrr!”

I short time ago, I DJ’ed a wedding reception at The Western Turnpike Golf Club in Guilderland, NY that had a “Las Vegas theme.” The bride said that it was the only way she could get the groom to buy into having a hand in the planning. All in all, she was right. By the end of the night, the guests had a blast and it was a very different and memorable party for all.

Thinking of planning something similar? You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Here are some ideas that they used, as well as a few others I have seen…

The shuffling of the cards. The rolling of the dice. The spinning of a silly roulette wheel. Aside from the obvious playing of must-have lounge lizard music like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Louis Prima and other Italian American oldies, decor will be your key. The visual plays an enormous role part in getting over the theme and in this case, you don’t have to spend a lot to get that sweet cheesy Vegas feel.

If you really want to sell the idea to your guests, buy a bunch of playing cards and poker chips from the dollar store. Then, go nuts. At this reception, they scattered the loose cards and chips everywhere around table centerpieces, by the guest book, on the gift table and on pretty much any flat surface available. A special colored poker chip can also be taped underneath one chair at each table to signify who gets to bring home whatever casino-related centerpiece you can dream up.

As far as clothing is concerned, black felt gangster hats and jeweled tiaras are also a must to keep in hand! Maybe even get a Money Boa for the bride. Another idea is to put a bunch of cheap black sunglasses on the tables. Because a number of people will be wearing tuxedos, a lot of the pictures will end up having that monkey suit and sun glasses combination that The Rat Pack made famous.

Another great idea this group had was to make massive eight-foot cardboard cut-outs of playing card suits and put them in the corners of the room. The diamonds and clubs and spades were all made out of painted cardboard with a cross section in the back of each to help them stand. The heart was right near the head table. Each fixture was outlined and finished in glowing white Christmas lights.

For invitations that scream Las Vegas, attach the actual invitation to a playing deck of cards, poker chips, or dice. If you are really creative, a custom caricature, kind of like the walls at Delmonico’s Steakhouse on Central Ave might be fun. Portrait the bride and groom as casino dealers or mafia, or a lounge singer and a showgirl. The couple could also be the King of Diamonds or the Queen of Spades!

This party opted for a massive candy table. Have you ever seen these? The colors really got over the feel of the party and there were loads of packets of bogus bills and dice beads mixed throughout to keep them in the Vegas mindset! During the dancing, it was funny to see guests throwing the money around and “make it rain in the club” to various hip hop songs later in the night.

The decorations really turned the hall into the Vegas strip! Aside from the playing card suits, they hung slot machine backdrops and a big Las Welcome to Vegas sign on the wall.

For Vegas themed favors, you can get custom printed poker chips, or make dice out of card stock and fill them with goodies.

Last but not least, someone had secured two HUGE appliance boxes and wrapped them in white paper, then painted black dots on them. They created a gigantic pair of dice that sat off to the right of my DJ set up. It was great!

Have fun with it and don’t be afraid to be different!