Nye Wedding Ideas

New Years always brings with it the promise of a fresh start. Even though we remain unchanged when the clock strikes midnight, there's always hope for the new year, hope that all of our dreams can come true, hope that we can make our resolutions a reality, hope that we can have a clean slate. This is the perfect day for starting new chapters, as we turn a page in the book of our lives, which makes it a wonderful choice for anyone who wants to get married. Our NYE wedding ideas will make your big day anything but cliché.

Before finalizing any plans for your New Years Eve wedding, check out our selection of NYE wedding ideas. We have a great selection of suggestions for your future wedding.

  1. Make each table number a resolution. This can be resolutions for yourself or for the guests in attendance, but it'll make each table a little more fun, and certainly will fit in with the theme of New Years.
  2. Create your own ball to drop at midnight. Whether you choose to drop a plastic disco ball or make a paper mâché one, or even a pinata, there are many ways that you can have a ball drop at midnight for your personal NYE celebration. This way, it's almost like you and your guests are in New York City for the big night. Another option is to release a bunch of balloons when midnight hits. This can be a great way to end your wedding reception with quite a splash.
  3. Have clocks on every table. Your guests will want to keep an eye on the time, as will you, so really tie in the theme by having a small clock on every table so everyone will be ready for the New Year when it arrives.
  4. Think silver and gold. These are the primary colors associated with NYE, so whether you are planning a casual wedding reception or more of a high-class event, these colors are fun and work with any style of wedding being planned.
  5. Have a bottle of champagne at each table. This way, your guests will be able to have a glass poured and be ready to toast and cheer the New Year in. Another option is to provide each guest a miniature bottle of champagne for them to take home, a nice reminder of your wedding, especially if you personalize the label.
  6. Offer party poppers for your guests to really make a bang once midnight hits. This is also a fun way to leave the reception, with everyone making noise and cheering the happy couple on as they head to their getaway vehicle to start their new year and new lives together.
  7. Have a firework send-off. Now, this will only work in certain states and in certain areas, as fireworks of certain kinds are illegal due to fire hazards among other things, as well as potentially dangerous. If you choose to go this route, follow all safety precautions and ensure that your guests, and yourselves, are a safe distance away from the fireworks when they launch, and that you all can safely enjoy them. Another option is to use sparklers instead if fireworks are not allowed at your venue or in your state. This is a fun way to send off the happy couple, and makes for wonderful pictures.
  8. Plan your vendors ahead of time. New Years Eve is a holiday, which means that certain vendors will be closed to celebrate with their own family, and even more will be booked for other events and parties. Make sure to book far enough ahead that you can have the wedding of your dreams, rather than losing out on vendors you really wanted because you waited until the last minute. Also, make sure they will be able to work in the early morning hours of New Years Day as well, since your wedding will likely last longer than just until midnight.
  9. Invite your guests further in advance. This is also key, since this is such a popular holiday, you want to ensure that your guests don't have other plans by the time they get your invitations. Save the dates usually only go out 6 months in advance, but with a NYE wedding, you may want to increase that by a few months, so no one plans a party the same time as your wedding!
  10. Be prepared to have a larger budget. While the winter is not usually wedding season, NYE is a very popular night for events, and being a holiday, many companies have to pay their employees time and a half, which means that you have to pay more to have them work your wedding. The night chosen may also make other items like flowers, cakes, etc., more expensive, since they are more out of season than a summer wedding. Your venue may also cost more, so make sure to plan everything out carefully, and have a few backup plans if one vendor winds up being too expensive.
  11. Allot extra time. This is key for any wedding on any evening, but especially on NYE. Give yourself, your vendors, and your guests plenty of time to arrive and set up. There will be more traffic, so make sure that you account for that. If you cut it too close to the ceremony, an unexpected traffic jam could keep your officiant from arriving on time. Also, try not to have two locations, as this will cause quite a delay in guests trying to find parking and/or battle through holiday traffic. Instead, if you have the ceremony and the reception in the same area, guests don't have to go through traffic multiple times.

Our NYE wedding ideas are by no means all-inclusive, but will give you a good idea of where to start with your planning, and some fun themes and options for your big night.