Silence the Clinking Glasses at Your Wedding Reception

You’ve said, “I do” and now you’re at your reception, enjoying your first few hours as husband and wife. Just as you begin to eat your meal, it begins: the clinking of the glasses to get you and your new spouse to kiss. This tradition, while annoying to many couples today, goes back to when people believed the noise would scare away evil spirits.

If you dread hearing that sound over and over again during your reception, you could just ask the DJ or emcee to announce that you request that they don’t. But you could also have a little fun. Here are some creative ways for your guests to ask you to kiss.

If you don’t mind hearing a sound continuously through your reception – just not that clinking sound – pick a sound you like! Many couples hand out small bells as wedding favors that can be used to summon a kiss.

If your guests want you to get physical, fine. But they have to perform first! Some couples invoke a rule that if you want them to kiss, the asking couple has to kiss first. A slight twist – you have to kiss the exact way the couple kisses.

Ask your guests to get physical in another way. Hula hooping can be an entertaining way for guests to ask for a kiss from the couple. Just make sure there is plenty of room – knocking over a candle centerpiece could be disasterous!

If golf is a favored sport among you and your guests, set up a putting area. You will kiss if someone gets a hole in one!

It’s a day of love, so require your guests to serenade you with a song with the word “love” in it. It’s interesting to hear the songs guests come up with. At our wedding, a group of guests sang us the Hee Haw Theme Song, because of this lyric: “I searched the world over and thought I’d found true love.” You could also require songs with the word “kiss.”

Ask your guests to share a special memory about you. They’ll need to take the microphone and share in front of everyone. This is a great way to involve your guests in reminiscing during your big day. Have them write their memory down so you can cherish it after the reception.

Play a trivia game. Write up a bunch of questions about you and your spouse-to-be prior to the big day. Put them all in a fishbowl. To get you to kiss, the guest will need to choose a trivia question from the bowl and answer it correctly in front of everyone.

Have guests offer words of advice to you in order to get a kiss. Have guests write them down and then read them in front of everyone. This way, you’ll have a record of it after the reception.

Guests must recite a poem with the word “love” or “kiss” in it.

Collect money for each kiss. Donate the money to charity.

For the best results, choose one of these ideas that fits your personality as a couple. Or use these ideas as a starting point to come up with a new one on your own.

While there’s no guarantee your guests won’t continue to clink glasses, the guests at the weddings I’ve been to are respectful enough to abide by the happy couple’s wishes. Ask your DJ or emcee to explain and enforce the kissing rules.

Even if you don’t mind the clinking glasses, using one of these ideas may just add some memorable moments to your reception.