Although some brides and grooms choose a traditional wedding reception to celebrate their union, other couples opt for a more personalized party. Incorporating a shared interest in tennis into your wedding reception will create lasting memories for you and your guests. Rather than holding the reception right on a tennis court, simply incorporate small tennis touches into your reception for a smashing success.
Centerpieces
Your table centerpiece is one of the easiest ways to incorporate your tennis theme into your wedding. Arrange three or four tennis can vases around the center of the table. Fill them with pebbles or colorful marbles and use them to hold taper candles or fresh flowers. Or, place a large bucket at the center of the table and fill it with tennis balls. Nestle a tennis racket into the middle of the bucket and weave small flowers or ribbons throughout the strings of the racket. For an even simpler table centerpiece idea, fill a large glass vase with tennis balls and submerge them in water. Circle the large vase with small water-filled vases with floating candles on top.
Party Favors
Let your guests take a piece of tennis-themed fun home with them by incorporating the sport into your party favors. A simple idea might include placing a personalized tennis ball at each place setting. Personalize the neon yellow balls with the guest's name or a simple quote about love. If your budget allows it, order tennis balls in your wedding colors for added personalization. For another idea, fill empty tennis ball cans with a variety of candy in your wedding colors. Choose individually wrapped candy that won't melt or get sticky to avoid a mess. Tennis ball cake pops work well for another cute and simple party favor idea. Cake pops are small balls of cake mixed with frosting, decorated to look like tennis balls and mounted on wooden sticks.
Food
Rather than having waiters use boring trays, use tennis rackets to pass appetizers at the reception. Cover the rackets in plastic wrap and arrange the appetizers artfully on top for a simple, yet creative, addition to your tennis theme. If you're alright with foregoing the idea of a traditional white wedding cake, feature a tennis cake instead. Decorate a sheet cake to look like a tennis court, complete with nets, balls and referee chair. Use bride and groom cake toppers dressed as tennis players to complement the scene. If you'd rather stick with the traditional cake, provide guests with tennis ball cupcakes to munch on. Color the icing neon yellow and use black licorice strings to create the ball's line.
Added Touches
Ask guests to dress according to your theme if your guest list is relatively small. Tennis whites for women might include tennis skirts and athletic tops, while tennis whites for men could include polo shirts and preppy shorts. The bride and groom can get into the fun by wearing white tennis shoes and matching sweat bands around their wrists. Set up table tennis at your reception for guests to play. Hold tennis competitions if you have room for a television and video game console.
