putting playing cards on reception tables?

[partyjewels]

How do you guys feel about putting playing cards and other card games on the tables at the reception? Would it be tacky? I don''t dance much so at receptions Im usually just sitting at one of the tables talking to people I know cause I never know what to say to my relatives that I don''t see often! My family is big on games at holidays and get togethers, so i thought maybe it would be nice to have some at the tables. The older relatives will dance a bit but otherwise just kinda sit there, so im thinking why not give them something a bit more active to do while they sit, relax and talk? Worst case, no one plays but they take the cards home right? Is this a bad idea or good? Honest opinions please!

If you think its a good idea - should i get custom cards? or just regular ones? what about some other card games like old maid, uno, etc?

 

[MustangFan]

i guess that''s a unique option if you don''t like to dance, but how are you going to hear each other when the music is blaring? Normally you have to be really close to someone at a reception in order to hear them speak and I''m not so sure if playing cards could work unless they are 6 inches away from you.. If you think it could work I would do personalized ones and go all out, it''s your wedding day!

 

[Pandora II]

I have two connecting rooms for my reception and we are putting a poker table in one for those who don''t like to dance.

 

[partyjewels]

MustangFan you''re right! I didn''t consider the noise level... hmmm. I get ahead of myself so easily! Because that certainly makes a difference. Drats.

Well thats nifty Pandora! If we had a connecting room to use that would be such a great idea for our friends and family that get bored with the dancing. I''d do that, but our reception is in a restaurants banquet hall, and its basically just one huge room with its own bar, entrance to the kitchen, and bathrooms, so there are no extra rooms that way.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I think playing cards sound like a good solution.
You sound worried that they are tacky, but how about having them be part of the favors? This website, http://www.customwedding.com/, does all sorts of custom ones that could just be part of the favors.
As for the noise in the receptions, it depends a lot on the type of room. If it is mostly carpeted and does not have brick or stone walls, the sound will not travel really well to the back and it should be quite a bit quieter back there.

 

[largirl]

There are a lot of people who don''t dance in my family and friends, so I''m having Tribond, Trivial Pursuit, and other trivia-type cards at each table. Even if they can''t hear each other during the end of the night, at the very least maybe it will spark some conversations and ice breakers during dinner and such.

 

[Fancy605]

I agree that the cards sound like a nice alternative idea for entertainment instead of dancing. I agree with the people who suggested having them as favors. My husband and I both come from families who LOVE playing group card games. We actually considered doing decks of cards as favors because we knew they''d be used often by our guests (we''re always going through decks of cards in our families). But we completely forgot about ordering them. Anyway, if I were a guest at a wedding, I would be very amused by the cards.

 

[ladyciel]

I think having cards on the tables, as favors, would be great by the sounds of your family. You could even take the idea a little farther and give each table a sheet listing a suggested game along with the rules. I know that FI''s family and mine play some very different variations of the same games (like rummy), and anytime I sit down with a group of new people we end up having to compare rules - either that or we don''t realize we play differently until there''s a disagreement partway into the game! If there are games like that in your families, I think it would be neat to have a card listing the details of the variations, or perhaps even more fun, make up your own mix of the rules from your family traditions to create a new set of "house rules" in honor of your marriage.

 

[Haven]

I love this idea, Partyjewels. I will admit that my immediate reaction to your questions was "Yes, that sounds tacky." But then I thought about it and it really makes perfect sense--there will be so many guests who don''t want to dance that this is a wonderful alternative. We''re going to have an activity area for all the children at our reception (we have a lot of younguns in our social circle)--why not provide alternate entertainment for the adults, as well?

I think I may do this for my own wedding! You could even set up a game table and guests could go and choose their own games and bring them back to their table.

 

[partyjewels]

Thanks for all your replies, I''m feeling more confidant about it now, and my FI liked the idea too when I got to mention it to him the other night.

I was thinking about it as far as the noise level goes, and when I think about it, since our reception location doesn''t have anywhere else (other than out the entrance doors to the room, or up into the restaurant which can be pretty noisy itself), I don''t want our music to be so loud and obnoxious that people can''t talk to each other!

I really like the idea of putting together a list of suggested games/rules, thats a great idea ladyciel! Now to just figure out what kind of cards we want There are so many options out there!

Also, if anyone else checks back on this thread, would you order a deck of cards for EACH guest, or more like half the amount?