Gone are the days when the bride and groom had all the fun at their reception while everyone else sat around eating cake. Today, more couples are considering their guests when planning the big day. "It had gone away for a while," said Tony Conway, president of A Legendary Event. "But it's so turned around right now to where our brides and grooms are talking about the comfort of their guests."

Couples are getting more creative and catering to their guests because they have more choices than in the past, said Gail Johnson of Wedding Soiree. "It used to be you get this or that. And that was it. But now couples are able to customize their receptions to their personalities," she said.

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The reception area can be set up like a cocktail lounge.

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Instead of traditional wedding cake, serve guests an array of sweets.

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Today, couples are engaging their guests with interactive food stations, specialty drink bars and other elements that entertain throughout the reception. To leave a lasting impression on your guests, follow some of these top reception trends.

1. Showcase what you're passionate about

Incorporating a little bit of your personality into a reception could be as simple as serving coffee and doughnuts at the end of the night because that's your favorite thing to do, said wedding planner Ashley Baber of Ashley Baber Weddings. Or, if you're a cigar aficionado, you might want to hire a professional to hand- roll cigars for your guests, said event planner Kiersten Pierce of Gooseberry Creative Events. She has received several requests for onsite cigar rollers from grooms.

2. Create a lounge area

Lounge seating with furniture is very popular in weddings these days. Even if the reception has a seated dinner, couples are having lounge areas where people can get up from their tables and mingle with other guests, Johnson said. "It's just a good way for people to relax so they don't have to sit at the table all night." One of Johnson's clients brought in white leather ottomans with special pillows for their reception.

3. Make cocktail hour fun

For one of her clients, Baber had the caterers create a champagne bar complete with Chambord, Midori and all types of fruit purées, allowing guests to create their own cocktails. For an upcoming daytime reception, one of Baber's clients has requested a bloody mary bar. "It's more fun and interactive," Baber said. "That way, your guests can choose what they want, and it makes it more entertaining for them."

4. Be creative with tabletop decor

Instead of one centerpiece, consider a composition of four or five flowers arranged on the table at once, Conway said. For one of his receptions, he created floral arrangements in silver containers collected over the years by the bride and her family. "We had urns, mint julep cups and buffet things," Conway said. "All the florals were done in these silver pieces. It was exquisite."

5. Replace buffets with interactive food stations

Instead of having people wait in line for the buffet, Pierce said some of her clients set up different food stations throughout the room. "This allows your guests to move around so they're not standing in line as much," she said. Food stations also allow people to order exactly what they want to eat and mingle with other guests. "We did that for a wedding with 400 guests," Conway said. "The client was a little bit concerned with timing. But it went great. The guests loved the interaction."

6. Get creative with the entertainment

Sure, DJs and bands are still popular choices. But couples are bringing in other interesting elements to engage their guests. One of Johnson's clients brought in a professional dance troupe to perform at the reception. "That was the most breathtaking, because of the professionalism of the dance company. It was something unique," she said. Baber is seeing more couples renting photo booths for guests to take pictures with friends and family. "Some people will have the pictures printed immediately so they can use that as a sign-in book, while others will just use it as an entertainment aspect where their guests can go online to see all the pictures."

7. Supplement the wedding cake with a dessert bar

To give guests an alternative to eating wedding cake, more couples are adding dessert bars to the menu, Johnson said. "You may see a little bit of everything, from ice cream or candy bars to popcorn or desserts with different tarts and pies." Some of Conway's clients have requested coffee bars complete with cappuccinos, lattes and espresso at their receptions. "That's bigger than serving a cup of coffee," he said. "It's like bringing Starbucks into the wedding."