This is one of the most asked questions when it comes to wedding planning. Quite often there are gaps in your wedding day where you worry that your guests could feel at a loose end and not sure what to do. I have explained some simple ideas to keep your guests entertained throughout your wedding day below to ensure that guests love every second of your wedding day.
Photo Credit: Elsie Love Photography
Authors Bio: Vivienne May Weddings was founded and created by Kerrie May. With over 8 years of experience in the luxury wedding & event industry, Kerrie has worked at some of the UK’s most iconic venues alongside a selection of renowned industry professionals and worked with a selection of high-net worth couples.
Kerrie is a UK Wedding Planner and has a distinctive reputation amongst her fellow luxury wedding professionals. Her wealth of experience, industry knowledge and unrivalled passion for bringing her clients vision to life is what drives her to plan impeccably designed, style-led and perfectly co-ordinated weddings, with romance at its heart.
Order of the Day
Start with an Order of the Day sign – This allows your guests to see how the day is going to run which ensures your guests are well-informed about the days timings. The best place for your Order of the Day to be displayed is where your Drinks Reception will be hosted as this will give the guests a heads-up of the timings of the day at a point where they have a bit of spare time.
Photo Credit: Etsy
Filling in the Gaps
Now you’ve got your wedding day schedule planned out, it's time to look at the obvious gaps where you can add some simple ideas to keep your guests entertained at your wedding.
Your Guests Arrival
If your guests are travelling from afar it is likely they will arrive at the venue early and the last thing you want is your guests to be left stranded outside or in the ceremony room whilst the decorators are still there. So why not consider hiring a separate room for your guests arrival with a tea and coffee station (you could even add some pastries if you are having an early ceremony) and some cosy chairs to relax in before the ceremony. This is what every guest will really thank you for as travelling can take it out of the best of us!
Bonus Tip: Hire an acoustic duo or string quartet (or even have some background music playing) to set the tone for the rest of your wedding day.
Photo Credit: Pinterest
Your Drinks Reception
After your Ceremony is your drinks reception, this can be the part of the day where many couples struggle to decide on the best entertainment to amuse their guests. The more traditional options of a string quartet, pianist or acoustic band are perfect for background music whilst providing a relaxed atmosphere. But remember some drinks receptions can last up to 2 hours! Think about interactive entertainment such as a photobooth, a cocktail station, or even a caricaturist. Any one of these will provide a memorable and entertaining option to keep your guests happy.
Your Wedding Breakfast
Your wedding breakfast can also be a long part of your wedding day and if you’re including speeches in-between courses, you could be looking at 2 to 3 hours where your guests will be sitting in one place. So to keep your guests entertained, why not hire an acoustic band that can perform whilst your guests are eating – this gives your guests something to watch and listen to whilst dining on your delicious wedding breakfast.
Perhaps you fancy something a bit more interactive? You could consider a magician or a couple of look-a-likes of your favourite celebrities to converse with your guests in-between courses.
If you are having children at your wedding, I always recommend providing them with a bag or box of fun activities to keep them amused. Click here for my Top Tips on Keeping Children Entertained at your Wedding.
Photo Credit: Pinterest
Between your Wedding Breakfast and Evening Reception
If you are having your speeches after the meal, there usually tends to be an hour or so gap before your evening guests arrive and this is the hardest part of the day to fill. This is when you want to start the pre-reception party, so think about a whiskey bar or cocktail hour (and don’t forget to name them after yourselves!) Or even a glitter artist who can prep the ladies (and gentlemen) with an added sparkle to your evening.
Alternatively, if you want to continue the interactive options, what about giant games or even go old-school with some slot machines and juke box! The possibilities are endless.
If you are hosting a wedding at a venue with onsite accommodation, at this point in the evening you could also consider allowing an hour for an outfit change. You could change the dress code to Cocktail Attire which is a great way to transition your wedding into a luxury party in the evening.
Bonus Tip: Don’t forget to include this space on your Order of the Day sign so that your guests know when to return for your cake cutting and first dance.
Evening Reception Entertainment
Once your first dance is underway you can usually leave the entertaining up to your DJ or band to take over however if you’re still looking for ideas to keep your guests who prefer to stay away from the dancefloor entertained, a casino roulette table is a great way to bring your guests together. You can even raise the stakes and have some prizes on offer for the winners to take home and enjoy!
Either using all of the ideas above or a selection of your favourites, these are a sure-fired way to keep your guests entertained during your wedding day and provide them with memories they will cherish.
If you need assistance finding the perfect suppliers to entertain your guests then my Partial Planning service allows you to sit back and relax whilst I source the best suppliers for your wedding day – ensuring your guests will remember your wedding as one of the best they have ever been to!