How to Keep your Wedding Party Going (Without Hangovers)

When my husband and I got married, we had already been together for 9 years. We each lived abroad for more than a decade and resided in different cities and countries. Naturally, we developed strong friendships with people that live all over. Six out of seven continents were represented at our wedding. As my husband wrote in our speech, ‘we didn’t know any penguins to invite’.

Getting married was very important to us and our families. However, it was even more important to bring our families and friends together for the first time. It was a great opportunity to have all the important people in our lives at the same place. Because of that, we approached the whole wedding planning as a chance to have a big, get-together party.

Being Greek, I know a thing or two about parties. The key is to keep the party going for hours. This turns it into a gathering that no one wants to leave. It naturally evolves into an all night celebration. And that’s exactly what we wanted to turn our wedding celebration into – a long, engaging, and memorable celebration.

And we managed to achieve that. Below are some things we paid attention to and which contributed significantly to the evening:

Lower alcohol shots

When someone says ‘Shots!’, the first thing that comes to mind is hangover. We’ve been there, done that, and let’s face it, we are no longer spring chickens. However, we didn’t want to exclude shots from our celebration either, so we decided to change the rules!

One of the national drinks of Greece is mastiha. It is made from the resin of the mastic tree. That tree grows around the Mediterranean, but Chios is where the resin has been harvested for centuries, and the name Chios Mastiha is protected across the EU the same way Champagne is. Does the word ‘masticate’ ring a bell? That’s because it comes from the word mastiha!

The bottle we served, Mastic Tears Classic, is 24% alcohol. A standard vodka, whisky, ouzo or raki shot is around 40%. That makes mastiha a good deal gentler, and a great substitute for regular, hardcore shots. Our group of friends loves their shots – so serving shots was a ‘must’ for us. Although we had other alternatives as well, those, ultimately, were not even considered! We and our guests only requested mastiha shots. We had 250 shots in total, on top of the open bar options. Our guests avoided the hangover!

Tip: if you choose to have cocktails at your reception, ask your drink catering vendor to prepare a mastiha mojito. You won’t regret it!

Alcohol-free options

One thing we got to learn as we’ve grown up, is to take turns between alcohol-free and regular drinks. Thank you past hangovers, at least you served a purpose!

We were very thoughtful and careful to curate our cocktail selection with their mocktail equivalent. Next to our regular open bar options, we made sure to also offer a wide selection of alcohol-free options. It turned out that curating an alcohol-free bar selection carefully was a great decision. It was one of the best decisions we made for the evening!

And the best part? I haven’t seen so many people being so happy to temporarily switch between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Needless to say, our guests were very thankful the morning after our wedding.

Keep the dance floor alive

It’s an obvious and basic rule, yet it can often be overlooked. I have been in situations where I thought providing a considerate guest experience was enough. I also believed that playing nice music would suffice. But we were very close to dropping the ball during our wedding celebrations. The dance floor was getting empty, an early warning sign the party is dying out. However, our designated party-endurance guardian angels helped us to keep the party on track.

At some point during the night, my husband and I had been dancing nonstop for 2 hours. We then decided separately to take a break and sit at our table. To our surprise, a few minutes later, our guests also started leaving the dance floor one after the other. However, we had left our designated party squad behind! My best man came over and started pulling me and my husband back to the dance floor. We were both exhausted, but also determined to not let the party die.

As soon as we hit the floor, again, the guests started coming back.

It sounds exhausting. But…for your guests to engage in the celebrations and party all night, you need to put in the extra effort. At the end of the day, it’s your wedding celebration, and they came to honor you.

Hire a DJ who can ‘read the crowd’ and adapt

Music is one of the most important elements at a wedding. In my post The 5 Greek Wedding Dances and the Music: 138 Songs, Hour by Hour, I explained the significance of music at Greek weddings specifically.

Your party crowd naturally goes through mood swings. The phase of the celebration can impact these swings. Most importantly, party music plays a crucial role.

To keep the mood high or recover from a bad track decision, hire a DJ who can ‘read the crowd’. The DJ should understand what music keeps your guests going. This keeps the party alive at all times.

In our case, we created a Spotify playlist. It included songs that meant a lot to both of us. These songs also meant a lot to our guests. Not all songs were played, however those were also a good introduction and an important handrail for our DJ. The DJ we chose had an extensive knowledge of songs. He knew songs from different countries. His day job is DJing at a radio station so he already had vast experience DJing for parties.

We wanted to ensure we were making the right choice. So, we joined a party at a local bar where he was playing music. After that evening, we immediately made the decision to hire him.

Play a lot of well known ‘bangers’

You know those songs. As soon as you hear them on the speakers, they just make you unconsciously move. There’s ‘Smells like teen spirit’, ‘Mr. Brightside’, and for some ‘Macarena’…

Whatever the bangers, make sure, with your DJ, to tailor those to the audience. Include lots of hits in their playlist. This will get the groove going and make it irresistible for your guests to stay on the dance floor.

Choose the right time (for Greek music)

We’ve all been to parties, and we know that timing is very important. How often have you danced with all your heart to a song you love? Then a ballad plays and lets you down.

To avoid such a let-down, find the right time. If you’re interested in incorporating Greek music into your celebration, then timing is key.

Greek traditional music typically opens the festivities. If your guests are predominantly from abroad, introducing Greek music at the right time is very important.

In our case, we opened the party with some (non-Greek) bangers. Most of our guests weren’t Greek. We thought it was better to get everyone on the dance floor first. This approach helps to get the party going. Then we brought in the Greek music. Once everyone is already dancing, especially early into the festivities, then it’s difficult to return to their seat.

We found most guests were excited to partake in the traditional group Greek dances. These include dances like the Kalamatiano, where you all dance in a circle hand-in-hand. To ensure this came to life seamlessly, we made sure that the Greeks in our party were more than happy. They were willing to help the non-Greeks with simple guidance on the right steps. We were surprised. Our non-Greek friends picked up the moves quickly! They gave their all to the Greek dances. In fact, when dancing Kalamatiano, everyone barely fit on the stage!

For more information about Traditional Greek wedding music, read: The 5 Greek Wedding Dances and the Music: 138 Songs, Hour by Hour.

Keeping the wedding party going and avoiding the hangover can be easier than you think.

If you’ve organized a party or celebration before, then you already understand the things you need to detail out.

There are certain steps you can follow to ensure your party keeps going all night. These steps also help limit the chances of getting a hangover the next day.

Your life (party) experience and learnings will come in handy – however, some things that worked like a charm for us are:

• Lower alcohol shots – if you are looking for a local option, then opt for mastiha liqueur. Ours was 24% alcohol, well below a standard 40% spirit. Your guests will love it, and you’ll lower your chances of a hangover.
• Alcohol-free options will help your wedding party continue smoothly. They minimize the chances of getting a hangover the day after. Very important if you’ve planned activities the day after your wedding.
• Make sure that the dance floor won’t stay empty. Assign party-guardians to keep it going.
• Hire a DJ who has experience adapting the music to the guests’ taste. By doing so, you will make it impossible for anyone to return to their seats.
• Open the party with some well known hits. These are also known as bangers. Keep on playing them all night long. The groove won’t stop coming.
• Introduce Greek music at a good time, if you choose to. Make sure that any Greeks present will help non-Greeks pick up the pace, and get the dancing going.