Whilst your wedding day will undoubtedly be a special day for you, making sure your guests have a fun day to remember will also be at the forefront of your mind when putting your wedding plans in to motion…
There will likely be (on average) around 50-100 people choosing to spend the day with you at your wedding, and so here are some top tips from me on easy ways to make your wedding fun!
(From experience, some 170+ weddings later, on my end…!)
Music Throughout
Parties, in general, are all about ambience. Ensure you have a different playlist ready for each part of your day to set the mood. Traditionally, a playlist each for: your welcome reception, your wedding breakfast, and the start of your evening reception before your first dance.
Live music can really up the tempo and vibe for different parts of your day, but a few different carefully prepared Spotify playlists are really all you need to create a great atmosphere. And, while your wedding should be personal and very much about you two as a couple, do think about the general demographic of your wedding… I can guarantee your guests won’t think your wedding is as fun as you if you play your favourite teenage pop/punk/indie band back to back!
You could even go a bit extra and have a different theme song for the different bigger moments of your day, including but not limited to, your entrance when you arrive at your reception, your entrance to be seated for your wedding breakfast, and your cutting of the cake moment.
One of my couples last year were announced and entered their dining room for their wedding breakfast to the Match of the Day theme tune…! (It was the only thing the groom was allowed to pick! And it went down a storm!!)
Add to that, make sure you have a big party classic lined up as your second song after your first dance to get/keep everyone on the dancefloor and get the party pumping.
And finally, make sure you have a two great songs lined up to finish off the night too!
Add a Cocktail Hour
This mixes things up a bit and creates a talking point for your guests. Time permitting, it’s nice to have a short interlude between your wedding breakfast and your first dance to give everyone (including you) a chance to freshen up, get some photos, and just generally take a breath and relax at the bar – while your dinner is still settling.
Some couples put on a his ‘n hers cocktail, host ‘champagne o’clock’, or rename this as ‘cocktail + cake hour’ if they’ve planned it around cutting their cake. Espresso martinis are also a guaranteed way to add a bit of buzz to your dancefloor later!
It doesn’t have to cost the earth though, it can be as simple as a gin station, or even just a ‘pimp your prosecco’ station – where it’s mostly just garnishes and flavourings.
Get an Ice Luge!
One of my clients last year (Lizzie + Jami, below) had a tradition of having an ice luge at their family parties… and as the couple opted not to have a wedding cake, we ordered an ice luge in the shape of a wedding cake for optimum dancefloor fun!
We positioned it (safely) a nice distance in between the bar and the dancefloor, so it was easily seen – and as a result, well used!
Do check with your venue first though, as it’s only really dry hire venues that let you have something like this.
We used PSD Ice Art who were great from start to finish, and did us a bespoke wedding cake design, and included all necessary tables, drip trays, etc, and delivered and collected it all on a tight schedule in line with the venue’s strict hire and delivery times.
Add Unexpected Entertainment
It’s fun to keep your guests guessing!! They come to your wedding with certain expectations; food, drinks, etc, but think a bit more outside the box to really get your guests talking – and taking photos!
Fun things I’ve seen include:
- crazy golf (check out this wedding, this wedding, and this wedding)
- a tarot card reader
- unusual lawn games
- cartoonists/doodle artists
Pop a Piñata!
Need I say more! This can be a great alternative to ‘cutting the cake’ (filled with sweets) or a first dance (filled with confetti) to kick off the dance floor – if either of those are too traditional for you. And you can get some really cool inexpensive ones from Etsy and Not on the High Street. Or if you DIY it, then the options are endless!
Check out these weddings of mine which all had one, and were AWESOME! Plus just think about the great photos!!
Add a Glitter Station
This is great for adults and kids alike! It can give another level of fun, and really help to elevate a party/disco/festival theme. For the wedding below, we used The Glitter Squad, who were amazing! But you can also set this up as a DIY station – although be warned, it can get messy!
Confetti and Glitter Cannons
Perfect for making fun entries, exits, and on the dance floor. It can inject excitement and signal the start of the party, however, check with your venue first that they allow these.
Incidentally, the venue below didn’t allow party cannons (because if stuck in the rafters, it sets off the burglar alarms), so the confetti was actually just hand thrown! But it worked a treat!
Check out my shopping lists page here for quick links of fun confetti cannons to buy from Amazon.
Offer a Pre-Midnight Snack
Your guests may have the well have the munchies after throwing some shapes on the dance floor. If you feed them a snack in the wee hours of your wedding it will definitely keep the party flowing!
Pizza has been a firm favourite at quite a few of my weddings so far and always adds a bit of a social element to this part of eating!
Sweetie tables, bacon rolls, tacos, ice cream carts/vans, and donuts have all proved popular too though!
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