In the process of planning your wedding and now at the point where you have booked the venue, planned the ceremony, and sorted all the other key elements. Now you are on the entertainment part of your check list. This blog gives you 31 different types of entertainment ideas that are well suited for weddings. Some are for the bride and groom to plan and others are for guests to organize.
Wedding entertainment varies from simple silly games to outlandish activities. Regardless of what you are looking for, don’t pass on this opportunity to entertain your guests with something fun and different. Though if you are a guest at a wedding and you have been asked to plan something you will find the perfect idea listed below.
Note that these activities are mostly for adults.
Do not try to do too much. Instead, choose 3 or 4 activities that you (the bride and groom) both like and stick to those. Then, keep some room for activities that your guests are going to plan. If you have asked your guests to plan anything.
Speeches Speeches are an unavoidable wedding classic. The best advice is to keep the speech short. 3- or 4-minutes max. If the best man is not a comfortable speaker, he will thank you for it. If they are an over-comfortable speaker, you and your guests will be thankful for the time limit.
Pro-tip: If the speaker plans on using a mic, test it beforehand. Do not assume that your venue will naturally have good audio capabilities. Check for audio feedback, white noise (hissing sounds), echoes. Great speeches require good mics.
Duration: 3 or 4 minutes each
Time slot: Reception or dinner
Organizers: Guests
Planning: DIY
PowerPoints, slideshows, and videos
PowerPoints and videos are another wedding classic. Find a few fun or mildly embarrassing pictures, videos, and stories to share with your guests. Once again, we recommend keeping it short. Also do not succumb to the temptation of telling only, “inside jokes”. If you want it to be a success, make sure the presentation is relevant to everyone.
Pro-tip: What applies to speakers also applies to PowerPoints and videos. Test the equipment beforehand.
Duration: 3 or 4 minutes
Time slot: Reception or dinner
Organizers: Guests and/or Hosts
Planning: DIY
Sing-along Songs
Expect the bridesmaid to alter the lyrics of a famous song and to get everyone to sing along. If possible, print out the lyrics and display them on the screen.
Duration: 3 or 4 minutes each
Time slot: Reception or dinner
Organizers: Guests
Planning: DIY
Comedy Sketches & Choreographed routines
When it comes to wedding entertainment classics, comedy sketches are worth the practice! They are another classic of wedding entertainment. The only difficulty is getting the participants together the day before to rehearse a few times.
DJ, Music Band & Singer
Music is another pillar of wedding entertainment. Playlists work fine for dinner or for receptions. However, once you open the dance floor, you will need someone to actively monitor the music. If you are going for a live band, it’s an opportunity to choose a special type of music and/or instruments. A lot of classic songs can be given a unique spin.
Pro-tip: A band needs time to practice a repertoire. If you have a list of “must-have” songs, give it to them far in advance.
Duration: Ongoing
Time slot: Reception, dinner and/or after dinner
Organizers: Hosts
Planning: Booking
Photobooths & Polaroid corner
Photobooths and polaroid corners are another weddings entertainment classic. They come in different shapes and sizes. You can rent an actual photo booth cubicle; you can rent selfie mirrors, or you can have just a regular polaroid camera. Regardless of the option you choose, do not forget the funny props to go with it.
Pro-tip: These are great fun and worth having. However, do not assume that these will replace a professional photographer.
Duration: Ongoing
Time slot: Reception or after dinner
Organizers: Hosts
Planning: DIY or Rental
Magician
If you are looking for some truly memorable entertainment, you can hire a magician to entertain your guests. At weddings, magicians are usually booked to perform “mix and mingle” magic. This is where the magician walks among your guests, entertaining them in small groups at a time.
Typically, this happens during the reception, between courses at dinner and/or before the band after dinner. However, magicians can also be booked for a stand-up show. This is a formal show like comedians would perform. Most often this happens once everybody is seated at the tables.
Pro-tip: The magic is designed to baffle and amaze adults. If you primarily want to entertain children, consider hiring a kid’s magician instead.
Duration: 1 – 2hours+
Time slot: Reception, dinner and/or after dinner
Organizers: Hosts
Planning: Booking
Lawn Games
Lawn games are overly broad in nature. They vary from giant chess sets to croquet sets. They are ideal for outdoor weddings. Simply set them up ahead of time and leave them out for the guests to pick up and play with. f you are planning a long reception, this is a good option to consider. In addition, if you have a lot of kids attending, consider getting a few simpler games for them too. Depending on where you live, you might be able to rent the lawn games for the day.
Raffles & Fundraisers
You can host a raffle during your wedding to raise money for your honeymoon, a charity or anything else. They are the perfect opportunity for some extra fun. I recommend making the ticket price low so that everyone can play (encourage players to get multiple tickets) and find some fun & ludicrous prizes.
It is important that the raffle announcer is comfortable speaking in front of everyone.
Caricaturists & Cartoon artists
Booking a caricaturist for your wedding is a fun way to entertain your guests and to have them walk away with a fun souvenir of your wedding. Only those who are brave enough and ready for a laugh need to ask for a drawing. The others are free to remain in blissful ignorance. Most often caricaturists and cartoon artists are booked to entertain during the reception. Each drawing (usually) takes 5 minutes or less to complete.
Body painting
You can also hire a body painting artist to decorate your guests. These always make for some unforgettable pictures! It is also an opportunity to entertain kids.
Pro-tip: If the objective is to have amazing & crazy pictures, pair this activity with the photo booth or Polaroid corner.
Duration: 1-2hours+
Time slot: Reception
Organizers: Hosts
Planning: Booking
Balloon modelling
Well-made balloon sculptures look colourful and visually intriguing. You can hire a balloon modeler to make balloon sculptures for the kids and adults alike. It is an opportunity for unbelievable pictures. Most often balloon artists are booked during the reception where they roam among the guests, making creations upon request.
Match Making Games
An important part of the entertainment is to break the ice; different guests’ groups should get to know each other. This is where matchmaking games come into play. There are many rules and many variations of this game, but the basics are always the same. Allocate a random name, item or tag to every guest and task them to find their pair. For extra motivation, the winners should win a prize (even a silly one). Alternatively, you can have a forfeit for those who don’t find their pairs in time (singing a song is always popular…).
This activity works best for smaller weddings (less than 100); it can be difficult to find your pair with too many people.
Live Guess Who
Play a live game of ‘guess who’ during or after dinner. Get a person chosen at random (unknown to the bride and groom), then ask all the guests to stand up and get the newly married couple to guess who the person is by asking ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions (i.e does the person have a beard?). Get the guests to sit down accordingly until the unknown person is found. To make it fun the questions should be personal. A fun variation is to choose a “category” instead of a single person. For example: all the people that the couple met in Spain. The bride and groom then need to guess the category.
Dancers
Irish dancing obviously comes to mind. Especially, if you have grown up doing Irish dancing. Get Friends (or entertainers) to make a display of dancing for the guests. Alternatively, you can hire a dancing troop to come and do a demonstration. This is a great way to open the dance floor after dinner.
Paper Airplane Launch
Get every guest to make a paper airplane and have everyone launch it at the same time. Do not miss the picture moment! This activity is really simple to plan and is ideal if you have a high launch point. The trick is to coordinate the launch properly so that the maximum number of planes are in the air at the same time. If you want you can have prizes for the furthest, highest plane and so on.
Pro-tip: If you have a high ceiling and a lot of space, try to do it indoors. It will make cleaning up a lot quicker.
Duration: 20 min
Time slot: Reception or after dinner
Organizers: Hosts or guests
Planning: DIY
Fireworks
A display of fireworks is the perfect romantic end to the dinner. If you are working with professionals (as you should!), they will know what is safe and what isn’t. Fireworks can be enjoyed even in sub-optimal conditions, but safety should always come first.
Bouncy castle
Kids love bouncy castle, but the reality is that most adults cannot wait to climb back onto one. If you want to rent one for the adults, make sure the model you rent is appropriate. Not all bouncy castle units are.
Pro-tip: Get the bouncy castle set up a bit further away from the main reception area. Depending on the unit you rent, the ventilation noise can be loud.
Duration: Ongoing
Time slot: Reception
Organizers: Hosts
Planning: Rental
Make your own cocktails
A DIY cocktail bar is always fun. Simply look up a few easy cocktail recipes and lay out the ingredients for your guests to assemble. If you want more professional results, we recommend hiring someone to man the stand.
Singing Waiters
Surprise your guests by booking waiters to spontaneously break into song during dinner! This is always great fun, and they can be booked to perform different styles of music depending on your tastes.
Petting Zoo & Live animals
You can book a mobile petting zoo for your special day. This will amuse parents and adults alike and the pictures will make it to the photo album.
Pro-tip: Do not forget to check ahead of time with your venue!
Duration: 1 – 2hours+
Time slot: Reception
Organizers: Hosts
Planning: Booking
Join the band & Open mic
If you have got musically gifted guests, get them to bring their instruments to perform on the day. Ask each person to prepare one or two songs to share with the guests. Alternatively, you can also form an impromptu band on the day. If you want them to play specific songs as a group, they will probably want to rehearse ahead of time otherwise just let them jazz away. Even if you host this activity, you will still want to book a DJ or a band for the day.
Pro-tip: To make the activity run smoothly, keep the transition time between the acts to a minimum. Additionally, do not let the activity go on all night; keep it short.
Duration: 20 min – 1 hour
Time slot: Reception or After dinner
Organizers: Hosts
Planning: DIY
Silent Disco
Silent discos have grown in popularity over the past few years. In fact, you have probably seen or attended one in person. The concept is simple: Instead of blasting music through speakers, all the guests listen to the tune through wireless headphones. It is a completely different and surreal experience.
Live Painter
This is a bit unusual. You will have to check to see if there is an artist available in your area. However, as the name implies, you can book a painter to make a “live” painting of your wedding day. An unforgettable souvenir that you can hang on the wall the very next day. It usually takes the artist several hours of work as they paint the venue and the guests. Do not worry they do not need you to stay put for that long. In fact, you will barely notice the artist painting.
Circus acts
Fire eaters, stilt walkers, jugglers, there is a huge verity of circus acts. The red thread is that they are a jaw-dropping demonstration of skill and practice. Most often circus acts are booked to entertain at the reception. Just check to make sure that they are allowed at your venue (fire & insurance).
Table trivia
Another fun DIY activity to do at weddings is table trivia or a ‘pub’ quiz. Most often this game is organized by the guests. Simply plan a series of funny questions about the bride and groom for the audience to answer. The winning table gets a silly prize. As a bonus, before the answers are given, get the groom to answer all the brides’ specific questions and vice-versa.
Mini Casino
Set up a few classic casino games (blackjack, roulette,) for the guests to enjoy. The funds that are raised can contribute to your honeymoon and/or your chosen charity. However, if you do not want to bet with real money you can also set up a token system. The winners can win a drink or a silly prize.
Karaoke
Ready to bring out your inner star? Karaoke is a great way to kick off the party after dinner before opening the dance floor. Of course, do not forget to do a bride and groom duo! Check with the venue to see if they have the equipment you need. A screen, a speaker and a microphone are all you really require. You might also be able to rent the equipment for the evening. Once again, do not make this activity too long and do not force everyone to do it, it is likely going to terrify some of your guests.
Pro-tip: Make sure you test the equipment beforehand. The lyrics and the microphone need to be fully functional for this game to work well.
Duration: 30 min
Time slot: After Diner
Organizers: Guests and/or Hosts
Planning: DIY or Rental
Pass the parcel
Pass the parcel sounds childish, and it is, but it is a fun game to play during dinner. For a twist, you can add a prize or a forfeit at each layer.
Blind Tasting
Blindfold the newly married couple and get them to guess different drinks and/or food. This is especially entertaining if they are wine connoisseurs.
Stage Show
If you have the required space, why not book a stage show? This can be whatever art form you particularly relate too. A singer, a comedian a magician… It is the perfect after dinner entertainment.
I hope you have an amazing time on your Wedding day and that you and your guests have fun with the entertainment.
If you are having a small wedding and only need entertainment for a small wedding check out my blog 21 Simple Wedding Entertainment www.emmalouiseweddingplanner.com/post/21-simple-wedding-entertainment
Look for a magician www.danbrazier.com
Looking for a photobooth/ selfie mirror www.dazzlevents.co.uk
If you need anymore suppliers to help you get the entertainment or any other suppliers to get your planning complete do not hesitate to contact me www.emmalouiseweddingplanner.com/contact
Hope you enjoyed the read
Emma Louise x