So, your cake, your dress and your wedding venue has been secured and prepped. No doubt your to-do list will now turn to how you can keep your guests entertained throughout the celebrations. After all, whilst you’re being pulled all over the place for photographs and discussions with your long lost aunties, your wedding guests will need to be kept amused.
To ensure they don’t start wilting in the summer heat and begin to regret their RSVP, here are 10 ways to wow your family and friends.
A Luxury Lounge
Give your guests some comfort to relax in style when they need a respite from all that dodgy dancing. Creating a luxury lounge with armchairs, couches and cushions, will give them a place to mingle without the formality of a table setting, and ensure that they can remain part of the party without being away from everyone. If you’re holding a summer wedding, add a canopy or curtains to shield them from the heat, and give it that VIP vibe.
Top Transport
If you need to move guests from your ceremony to the reception; opt for a fuss free alternative. Pick some fun transport that will make the journey memorable, and keep the party atmosphere going. From hiring rickshaws, double decker buses and even carriages, it’s a cost that can make a big difference to your guest’s experience. We love this fun filled journey to a stunning wedding at Ellenborough Park.
Thoughtful Favours
Back away from the sugared almonds and create favours that will be useful to your guests. Here you want to wow your guests with something meaningful that will remind them of your special day in the months ahead. Scented soaps are becoming a popular gift that can be personalised with the flowers you’ve chosen within your bouquet. But if you want a touch that gets everyone talking, gift bags filled with useful items for the day ahead will really set the tone. You could include silly sunglasses, mini bottles of sun lotion, and flip flops for when dancing in heels becomes a little too much for the ladies. Touches that will make your guests feel comfortable throughout the day.
Child-Friendly Fun
Inviting children to your wedding is a big responsibility as you’ll not only have to entertain the parents and put them at ease, but you’ll also have to entertain the little ones who can often be your toughest critics. Creating a child-friendly area of your wedding can help ease the boredom that usually occurs if they’re not busting some shapes on the dance floor. Pick & Mix tables can keep them on a sugar high, whilst they blow bubbles, play giant connect four, or Jenga, and if that doesn’t entertain them – a quiet corner for drawing can keep them busy.
Photo Entertainment
Wedding photos can take time to get just right, and whilst yourself and your family are manoeuvred all over the place to get those perfect shots, your guests can start to get a little bored with the wait. Avoid this irritation by adding some entertainment to the day that your guests can become captivated by.
A close-up Magician such as Oliver B can distract your guests whilst you concentrate on those all important poses. Magicians are especially popular for weddings as their form of entertainment surpasses all ages. So even if you have a mix of young and old guests, you can feel happy in the knowledge that they’ll all be catered for. Alternatively if you have a favourite celebrity, why not hire a celebrity impersonator who guests can have their own snaps with?
Create a Social Storm
There’s no doubt that your guests will all be happily snapping away on your big day, so why not harness this excitement and attempt to get your wedding trending on Twitter or Instagram. Set a unique hashtag especially for your wedding and put up signs around the venue to encourage them to get snapping. It’s a great way to make you guests feel part of the day, and share the moments in real time with friends and family who perhaps couldn’t make it. Just don’t forget to add the venue WIFI code to your invitations!
Feed the Masses
After your banquet and reception buffet, you’d think your guests would have had enough of food. But with all that dancing and drinking they will no doubt still enjoy a snack or two to keep them re-fuelled during the after party. A midnight snack will avoid emergency kebab shop stops on the way home from your festivities.
Set-up Seasonal Entertainment
As well as dancing the night away, give your guests other forms of entertainment if they’re not so confident on the dancefloor. Take some inspiration from the season that your wedding is taking place in, and set up areas that can incorporate fun things to do related to the season. From bobbing for apples in the autumn, roasting marshmallows in the winter, to a little croquet during summer. Give you guests more to do than just dancing, and your wedding will be a hit with everyone.
Give Back
As much as we all like receiving gifts, we don’t always need them and although gift lists can mean you get all those luxury goods you wouldn’t buy yourself, why not make a difference with your guest’s generosity and encourage them to donate to a charity that means something to you. It’s a great chance to give back to something close to your heart.
Alternative Guest Book
Make your guests feel like they matter, especially as they’re the chosen ones to your wedding and obviously mean a lot to you. Rather than just encouraging guests to add a personal note to a book, give them a chance to show how much they care by getting them to suggest ‘date nights’ or by adding a wish for the happy couple to a jar. It can create a really personal touch that will mean so much more than a thank you note.
Image Credits: Green Wedding Shoes; Magnolia Rouge; Ellenborough Park Instagram; Brides; Bring The Noise UK; Swooned Magazine; Etsy; Brides.
