I promised to add a little more to advice to last weeks blog on entertainment. Today we have our tips for entertaining your guests with just a little imagination and style.
How about having a props box full of fun things to dress up in. This is still very popular and inexpensive. Your guests can have great fun with wigs, fun sunglasses, glow stix, false moustaches, feather boas, and home made wedding signs. You can either use disposable cameras that you can leave on the tables or put them in a lovely decorated basket near to the props. Hang a lovely backdrop, perhaps a gorgeous piece of fabric which matches your theme for the photographs to be taken against. Alternatively use a large antique mirror frame as a backdrop. You can always spray it to match your theme.
If you were to provide a digital polaroid camera then your guests can pop the photographs into your guest book along with their wishes and comments. You can also leave CD’s on the tables for each guest so that they can take their own pictures and send you them after the wedding. Alternatively your photographer can take these pictures as part of his package.
If you have a friend who is a really good singer why not ask them to sing at your wedding. We had a fabulous time singing at our wedding with my husbands cousin who is a fantastic vocalist.
For free entertainment check out university notice boards, there are often budding entertainers who need the practice and are very good. You can go and listen to them and they will even bring their equipment.
Another inexpensive way for guests to be entertained is to provide garden games for everyone to play, giant genga, or connect 4, boules, and croquet. They are very cheap to hire and if you are having a quintessentially english traditional wedding will fit in with the whole ambiance.
Write questions about you and your partner on luggage labels and put them on your tables so that your guests can see how well they know you. Its fun to ask the questions of each other and a great ice breaker. Give out a present to the table with the most answers. Table trivia is another idea but you can make up the questions yourselves, perhaps about weddings? films? whatever suits your style and personality.
At our wedding we bought a whole load of small rubix cubes for the men. The first one to match the colours won a bottle of champagne.
If you can’t afford a DJ then ask your guests in their invites to give you their most favourite dance song and a favourite smooch song. That way you can make up a play list on an IPOD composed of everyones favourites which is sure to keep everyone dancing all night long.
I thought I would make a list of entertainment just to help you think a little out of the box
- Ice Cream vans/carts
- Popcorn machines
- Candy floss machines
- Chocolate fountains with coloured chocolate, I know about purple, yellow and orange!
- Silhouettist
- HIre a music juke box for a marquee wedding
- Belly Dancers – of course depending on your theme and style
- Look alike characters – such as Basil and Sybil Fawlty to mingle with your guests
- Fireworks
- Roasted chestnuts and mulled wine
- Casino hire
- Living Statues
If money is no object lets have some fun. How about a magical dare defying colourful act from fire performers. Try www.spinoffevents.com they really have the wow factor, or Pyromania, a fantastic fire spinning juggling show choreographed to the beat of african drums. Singing waiters and waitresses. These are a delight during your wedding breakfast. You guests have no idea who they are until they start to perform. How about Poles apart, stilt performing magicians? Yes these things are a little OTT but just for a minute my imagination got the better of me.
On a serious note don’t over the do the entertainment, your guests don’t want to be completely overwhelmed with activity. Choose carefully and enhance the parts of the day when your guests are left to their own devices. A wedding that is full on constantly can be a tiny bit wearing and then the entertainment is not fully appreciated.
Until next time, happy planning.
Subscribe in a reader
