How do you keep people entertained at a wedding? Discover unique ways to entertain your wedding guests and other creative wedding entertainment ideas. 

How do I keep my guests entertained at my wedding? In this article we cover many creative ways you can achieve just that.

Unique Ways To Entertain Your Wedding Guests

If you are currently in the process of planning a wedding, then you will be all too familiar with all the essentials that you need to book ahead of the big day.

Of course, the wedding day is really all about the couple in question, but it goes without saying that you also want your guests to have a great time. This means keeping the lulls between the ceremony, the reception, and the dancing to an absolute minimum. 

Ensuring that you have an extra special caterer, as well as an excellent choice of DJ or band, is absolutely vital. But there are also extra little touches that can just make the day a little bit more special in the minds of every guest at the venue.

Below is a list of some unique ideas that you can employ to keep your wedding guests entertained: 

Hiring Food Stations

Encourage Some Friendly Competition

Playing games at weddings has become more popular over recent years, but the competition doesn't need to be stopped at traditional lawn games.

You can integrate quizzes, puzzles, and word searches into your table settings as a way of keeping the quieter and more introverted guests amused. Get some friendly rivalry on the go with some table versus table trivia. Perhaps even a dance-off for the extroverts, that is sure to keep them entertained.

Unique Photo Booth

Almost all weddings these days have a photo booth, but if you want to go a step further and really impress all your guests, then you should choose an option that is a bit more unexpected and out of the ordinary.

There have been lots of modernisation made to photo booths in recent years. These include iPad booths or selfie stands, GIF booths that will allow you to upload directly to Instagram, or the glam booths that are used by the Kardashians.

If you are striving to create something entirely unique, then you can install a jaw-dropping backdrop somewhere in your chosen venue, ideal for photo opportunities. With this method, there are countless options for adapting the backdrop to your wedding theme.

You could use a gorgeous flower wall to create a dazzling display, or use fairy lights to create a glittering stream of magic.

Cocktails Bar

Cocktails are an absolute sure-fire hit in almost every situation, and a wedding is no different. The best way to impress your guests is to have a mixologist ready to create cocktails whenever they wish.

Some venues will have expert mixologists available for an extra cost, the same goes for caterers. You can also look at hiring a mixologist just for the day. Your guests could even have a cocktail masterclass in making their own drinks.

DIY Stations

Wedding Favours

You should never the impact that a wedding favour can have on one of your guests. If you choose your favours creatively and wisely, then you can have your wedding guests entertained for hours. 

Some great wedding favour choices we have heard in the past include mini board games, unique name badges that act as a fantastic conversation starter, and temporary tattoos!

If you are planning on allowing children at your wedding, then they can be kept busy with colouring-in books or a treasure hunt.

Starting Conversations

At a wedding, it is not unusual to have a room full of guests who do not know each other too well. This means that starting conversations and encouraging guests to mingle and get acquainted can take some work and planning.

Games playable at each table are an interesting way to get discussions sparked. You can provide tables individually with topic cards to get conversations going too. Trivia about the newlyweds is another technique guaranteed to get everyone chatting. 

Obscure Acts

You don't necessarily need a whole string quartet to perform at your ceremony, but a little bit of entertainment at your wedding will certainly not go amiss. Something to get your guests chatting and to keep them busy in between the major sections of the wedding.

Why not go with something a little more out of the box to really surprise your guests? There are plenty of different acts available for hire! Live painters will create portraits of the newlyweds and the guests right on site, or palm readers can be used to read the guests' future.

If you are looking for something a bit more traditional, then it is still possible to impress. An opera singer is guaranteed to impress. Harp players and circus acts have also become far more common in recent years.

Read more about Planning Your Wedding in Essex and Suffolk

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Creative Wedding Entertainment Ideas

Palm Reader

This one is an extremely unique wedding entertainment idea that is positive to get everyone at your wedding talking. Palm readers can wander around your wedding, offering their service to your guests.

Alternatively, you can set the palm readers up in a corner of your venue and have the guests queue to find out pieces of their future or even the answers that the tarot cards hold for them.

We would recommend this option if you are having a strictly indoor wedding as it is an option that can be done purely inside.

Sports Day

Do you remember all those classic sports you used to play at school during the summertime? They are absolutely perfect for an outdoor wedding or a summer wedding. This is an activity which is great fun and gets everyone involved.

You can bring a competitive spirit to your reception drinks with all kinds of races and games. The sack race is an absolute classic, and the egg and spoon race will have all your guests shouting and cheering.

A three-legged race with the bridal party is always hilarious.

Petting Zoo

Petting zoos are a recent phenomenon, an activity that started in America and has made its way overseas. It might sound quite outlandish, but when it is your wedding day, the sky is the limit. 

Especially if you are having your wedding at a farm-based venue. Your guests, especially those with children, will love the chance to meet and make friends with lots of different furry animals.

A regular petting zoo animal is an alpaca, they are actually very timid and will let you feed and stroke them.

Fire Performers

Fire performers will unequivocally bring an extra level of wow factor to your wedding day. They can either perform at your reception or even during the ceremony if you are brave enough!

Guests of all ages will be delighted and electrified by the fire performers' often dangerous tricks and routines. If you are planning to have either a winter or autumn wedding.

Imagine the night drawing in and having the performers playing with flames glowing in the dark. This will have people talking about your wedding for many years to come. 

Circus Entertainer

Limbo Competition

A celebratory wedding limbo competition is a really easy piece of entertainment to set up, but it is sure to get every wedding guest on their feet having a go at the classic party game. This is perfect for any weddings that are happening outdoors, or even for festival weddings.

As the night goes on and your guests become merrier, they will become bolder and bolder with their estimations of how low down the limbo bar will be able to go.

Make sure you have some stain wipes ready to go for when your guests fall into the grass!

Glitter Bar

Are you hosing a festival-themed wedding? Then you should seriously consider hiring a glitter bar. The bar will come with trained glitter artists who can cover all your wedding guests with glitter. This is an excellent choice if you feel like you want some extra sparkle on your special day.

Who doesn't love to see grooms with beards full of glitter, with the particles shimmering under the disco lights while everyone is dancing? If you do decide to go with this option, ensure that you choose a glitter bar that uses biodegradable eco glitter.

That way, you do not have to think about harming the environment and focus on having the best time possible.

Prosecco Pong

Everyone loves the party game of beer pong, but the game has recently developed a far more sophisticated new sister. Prosecco pong is a thrilling and hilarious drinking game that can be set up and played almost anywhere at your wedding venue.

Make sure your photographer gets some great snaps of this one because it is going to be a game to remember. Cups are set up on two opposing sides, each is filled with prosecco. Taking it in turns, the two teams will attempt to throw a ball into one of the cups from the other side of the table. 

When the ball goes into the cup, a member of the opposing team must drink the cup's contents.

Casino Tables

If you want your wedding to be stylish and glamourous, then why not set up your own little Las Vegas within your wedding reception.

There are plenty of companies you can hire that will allow you to rent out tables, as well as croupiers to run the games, so you and your guests can place some bets and have fun. 

Of course, this does not need to involve real money.

A common alternative is just to have the guests bet and win with valueless chips. Then a prize can be offered to the guest that has found themselves with the most chips at the end of the night.

Mini Golf

Mini golf is a perfect first for any summer or outdoor wedding. You can arrange a miniature golf course somewhere on the venue grounds for your guests to compete and play on. One of the best perks of mini golf is that it is perfect for all ages.

This means that guests who are planning to bring their children will have a way to keep them entertained during the proceedings. You could even have the newly married couple face off together head-to-head.

Fireworks Display

There is no better way to end your wedding night and all the fun of the wedding reception than with a complete showstopper firework display. Not only will the firework display be beautiful and romantic, but fireworks are also a great opportunity for getting those last photos for the wedding album.

We wouldn't recommend setting up the fireworks yourself, especially after all that prosecco pong! Professionals can be hired to provide breathtaking shows for either larger celebrations or simpler and more intimate weddings.

Firework displays never disappoint!

Bouncy Castle

Bagpiper

Ensure that your wedding entrance is completely unforgettable for everyone involved by hiring a bagpipe performer to play you into the venue. Bagpipe performers will also often act as a Master of Ceremonies, a role that is often forgotten about.

Ensure that the performer that you choose to hire has sufficient experience and knows exactly their role in the wedding service.

Many hirable bagpipe performers are ex-military or ex-orchestra performers. The bagpipes are an instrument that is not easy to master, it can take several decades.

Face Painting

You might think that face painting is an activity reserved only for children at your wedding, but we are willing to bet that if you had a face painting stall set up at your chosen venue, there would be a fair few adults walking out of there with paint on their face too!

Of course, all the classic designs will be available butterflies, tigers, and Spiderman. Alternative options are available for the adults visiting the stall.

Some dainty flowers on a face are ideal for summer weddings and don't look too ridiculous.

Children's Colouring Stations

One of the best ways to keep kids occupied for hours at weddings is with colouring stations. Not only are they a great distraction, but they are very simple to set up and will cost you almost no money at all.

This means you will not have to worry about that pesky budget. Just find yourself a table and cover it with some kind of sheet, or even newspaper. Then you can scatter colouring books across the table, wedding-themed is always good.

Once the kids become engrossed in drawing, you won't hear a word from them!

Treasure Hunt

Wedding Table Games

Weddings can sometimes be awkward, with guests not knowing each other too well. One method to ensure that boring small talk is avoided is through wedding table games.

Place packs of icebreakers on the tables that can include questions, dares, and conversation starters. How many weddings have you been to? How do you know the newlyweds? Have you ever been to this area before?

Confetti Canons

If you are not planning to end your special day with fireworks, then there is another option that will also impress your guests. Fireworks are not always allowed at every venue, so why not give confetti cannons a go? They are giant, colourful, and certainly eye-catching.

We hope this article provided you some amazing ways to keep your guests entertained. Are you planning a wedding in Suffolk or Essex? We offer a beautiful Tudor wedding venue located between Ipswich and Colchester.

Follow the link below to find out more about booking our wedding venue in Hadleigh, Essex.