19 unique wedding entertainment ideas for guests

November 17, 2020

Event Professionals Hospitality News

If you are planning a wedding, you’ll be all too familiar with the must-haves that you need to book ahead of the big day. Although your wedding day is all about you as a couple, it goes without saying that you want your guests to have a good time and keep those dreaded lulls between the ceremony and the wedding breakfast to a minimum.

Securing an excellent caterer and an impressive band or DJ is a given, but what about those extra touches that will really imprint on the minds of your guests?

Here are 19 of our favourite (and unique) ideas to keep your wedding guests entertained throughout the day.

Hand-picked ideas and Entertainment for a wedding reception

1. Hire food stations

When it comes to wedding food, there are some truly innovative concepts around these days, which means you no longer need to settle for a three course, sit down meal. From sushi to tacos, pizzas to churros, organising a live food station at your wedding won’t only get your guests off their seats and mingling, but it will impress them too!

2. Encourage some friendly competition

Wedding games have been increasingly popular over the last few years, but the fun doesn’t need to stop at traditional lawn games. Incorporate word searches and quizzes into your table settings to keep the introverted types amused, or get some friendly rivalry going with some table vs table trivia. And for the extroverts? A dance-off should keep them entertained!

3. Think beyond a photo booth

Photo booths have become a wedding staple, but if you want to impress your guests, why not opt for something a little out of the ordinary? Some of the latest innovations in photo booths include selfie- stands (or iPad booths), GIF booths and ‘glam’ booths (you may have seen the Kardashians use these at their events!).

To create something really spectacular, install a show-stopping backdrop for photo opportunities. There are so many options that can be adapted to fit with your wedding theme, from stunning flower walls to sparkling cascades of fairy lights.

4. Consider your venue

Picking an interesting wedding venue is key to keeping your guests engaged and entertained. Rather than a bland and uninspiring reception venue, pick somewhere full of character- it will act as a talking point and keep your guests entertained for hours, whether it be with photo opportunities or areas to explore.

wedding at the brewery

5. Mix it up!

Cocktails go down well in any situation, but how better to impress your guests than with a mixologist at hand to mix up a storm? Select a venue or caterer with an expert mixologist or look at hiring one for the day to not only serve delicious bespoke cocktails, but to give your guests a masterclass that they won’t forget, too.

6. Encourage some DIY

Almost your entire wedding will have been planned down to the finest details, so why not hand over some creativity to your guests? Whether it be a desserts table, a DIY confetti station or a customised prosecco bar, your guests will love the opportunity to get involved and add their stamp to your special day.

7. Go all out with the favours

Wedding picture and book

Don’t underestimate the power of your wedding favours! Choose wisely, and you could keep your guests entertained for hours. Some of our favourite wedding favours have included temporary tattoos, personalised name badges (these make great conversation starters) and mini board games. If you’re having children at your wedding, keep them busy with treasure hunts and colouring in books.

8. Start conversations

It’s not unusual to have a room full of guests who don’t know each other at your wedding, so starting conversations will encourage them to mingle and get acquainted. Table games will certainly help spark discussions, so prompt them when you can by providing tables with table topic cards, couple trivia, mad libs or cards for a game of wedding speech bingo!

9. ‘Wow’ with performers

You don’t have to stick to a string quartet as your entertainment between the ceremony and the wedding breakfast- think outside the box to get your guests talking. There are so many more obscure acts that can be hired for your wedding day, from live painters to palm readers and comedians. For traditional weddings, opt for an opera singer or a harpist, or for the more eccentric couples, consider circus acts or singing waiters.

Flower Girls

10. Remember - not everyone dances!

Once your DJ or band has taken to the stage, don’t forget any guests who don’t like to dance! Board game tables, lounging areas and casino areas are all great ideas for those who prefer to stay off the dancefloor.

Make your wedding unique

It’s your wedding and your big day so naturally you want to make it unique to you and your partner while also being entertaining for your guests. But with so many weddings taking place every day – you can be left feeling like you are just following the crowd and doing the same things as everyone else. So, how do you make it personal and unique?

Here are some unique things to do at a wedding reception for making your wedding stand out from the rest:

11. Theme it!

Wedding theme

There are so many different ways in which you can theme your wedding. From something simple like just choosing a matching colour scheme to a more all-out affair of an American or country-style theme, bringing everything together under one theme is becoming more and more popular. You can be as rigid or as flexible as you like with your theme – maybe not only making all the decorations match but tying in the food and the drink as well. There are loads of ways you could make your wedding even more fun for your guests with an unusual theme.

12. Make it personal

Have photos scattered around your wedding venue showing yourself and your partner throughout your relationship and with family and friends. This emphasises that the day is all about the two of you and the love you share together.

You could include amusing or embarrassing pictures of you or your partner to suprise your guests.

13. Host your wedding in an amazing location

At The Brewery we pride ourselves on being the ideal place for those looking to host a unique wedding. We have a wide variety of rooms, all of which come with that all-important wow factor to impress your guests. From small intimate spaces to huge areas fit for hundreds of people we have the right place for you. What’s more The Brewery has a wealth of interesting history and royal connections which can all be tied into your day.

Think about any fun activities that you'd like to include on your special day, some of these may need larger rooms or outside spaces. You'll need to take this into account when looking for a location.

14. Make your guests feel special

While having wedding favours on the table at the wedding breakfast is a long-held tradition, it’s just another area you can make unique. Rather than just the traditional mints, almonds or chocolates – consider something which speaks about who you are as a couple. Guests will also love something personalised to them – for example the drink you know they love or their favourite penny sweets. If you’ve also got guests staying over then consider a morning after bag in their room, full of treats to freshen them up following the party.

15. Have your own cocktail

Wedding venue drinks

Why not serve your very own cocktail – named as something which is special to you both – to serve at your wedding. Your guests will enjoy something delicious and you could even hand out the recipe so they can make your special wedding cocktail for years to come.

You could also take suggestions from your guests for cocktails to serve. Make up some fun names, serve in unusual glasses. There's lots you could do here to make things more fun.

16. Modernise the guest book

A guest book where your family and friends can note down their hopes and dreams for you both is a really popular touch, but nowadays the ways in which your guests can leave their messages are becoming ever more unique. How about a video guest book where guests record messages for you – you could set this up by simply sending an iPad around the room and asking people to record their message in that way. Alternatively, how about asking people to sign something like a piece of wood which you could then install into your family dining table – making their good wishes prominent forever more.

17. Serve your favourite food

Making the day unique to you as a couple means including all the things you like – and that includes the food. Many people believe that a wedding breakfast should be an elegant, fancy affair. This is great if this is the type of food that you enjoy but if not, feel free to choose something different. If your favourite food is fish and chips or a steak dinner, why not go with that? Your guests will enjoy having something a bit different if they know it reflects you.

18. Choose a cake that suits you

Wedding cake

While having a wedding cake is a great tradition to follow – again it doesn’t have to be a sponge cake if that’s not what you’re into. More and more people are choosing something a bit different – such as a cheese cake (made of wheels of cheese) or a pie cake (made up of three or four large savoury pies).

19. Do what you want

Ultimately, the best way to make your wedding unique and for your quests to have fun is to make it suit your tastes and focus on enjoying the day. So, if you are not much of a dancer, then drop the first dance. If you are passionate about bingo then throw in a game before the speeches and if you don’t like sit down dinners, serve a buffet.

Uniqueness comes from what you like and at The Brewery we’ll work with you to make it as unique as you dream. You're guaranteed to have an amazing day and entertaining for your guests.

If you’re looking for a wedding and reception venue in the heart of London that will get your guests talking, look no further than The Brewery on Chiswell Street. A unique venue with a fascinating history, The Brewery offers a fairy-tale setting for your special day. To find out more information, contact us today.

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