How To Entertain Guests At A Wedding

As you start planning your big day, the essentials are what you check off your list first – the perfect dress, a grande venue, flowers, bridal party and groomsmen. While all of these components are vital, they may not be the most memorable. The experience you create for your guests is what will make your wedding the talk of the town!

Keeping your wedding-goers occupied and allowing minimal downtime is a big factor in their overall experience, so we have gathered a few wedding entertainment ideas to ensure your guests have an unforgettable day.

Entertaining Guests While Awaiting The Ceremony

Live music playing before the wedding ceremony begins will create a beautiful atmosphere for guests. It will also be a delight for them because they will be drawn to your ceremony by hearing the divine music before they see the stunning ceremony location!

As guests arrive, it’s natural for them to gravitate to each other and chat. Although it’s a great way to fill the time before you walk the aisle, use this time to create a memorable first impression.

Give friends and family a chance to pass on their best advice for life as newlyweds and beyond. Advice cards are a simple, yet sentimental activity to have your guests complete when they sign your guest book or something special to have waiting for them in their seats when they arrive. They will feel included in your nuptials and you will have special words from each loved one to look back on years from now.

Entertain Wedding Guests During Photos

1. Don’t Keep Your Guests Guessing
The moment the ceremony ends, guests are looking for what event to do next. While the bridal party and family members are held back to take photos before heading off to the reception, amp up the energy for the celebration.

2. Create Smooth Transitions To Activities For Guests
If you desire a more traditional transition, you can’t go wrong with a cocktail hour. Some venues may not provide an area to host drinks so consider a fun option like a portable bar. Serve your favourite signature drinks named after your bridal party or fancied champagne flutes with toppings. Having a cocktail hour will give you much needed spare time to get the perfect shots with your loved ones while allowing your family and friends time to mingle.

3. Engage Guests In Low-Intensity Entertainment
One of our favourite ways to entertain wedding guests during photos is to hire a live painter or caricature artist. The live painter brings their own canvas and supplies to set up at the celebration to paint a dreamy scene of the wedding. Usually, a perfect image of the bride and groom at the end of the aisle or the breathtaking features of the venue. A truly amazing piece of artwork from your big day to place on the wall of your home. A caricature artist will have a set up similar to the live painter and sketch images of guests showing features in a simplified or exaggerated way. Friends and family will appreciate these fun, take-home mementos of your big day.

How To Entertain Wedding Guests Between The Ceremony And Reception

1. Engage Guests In Lively Entertainment
The majority of your downtime comes between the ceremony and reception so the bigger activities that take up ample time can be perfectly integrated here. Check out these unique ideas.What would a wedding be without music? Live wedding entertainment is a must-have to set the mood for the day and carry that mood throughout the night. No need to worry about booking a band for downtime and a wedding DJ for the party because Red Soda Band will create a spine-tingling musical experience that sets the tone for your wedding day from beginning to end. Genre and instruments of your choice can be arranged or ask us for our music recommendations for different aspects of your big day. Listen to our music style in over 10 hours of video and customize your own wedding package. Get a FREE quote.

2. Provide Entertainment For Guests Of All Ages To Enjoy
Want to wow your family and friends with an inspiring one-of-a-kind performance? Hire a dance troupe to get the crowd moving! Dancers in all genres design a choreographed dance specific to your wedding style and sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Dance styles like Brazilian Samba, Salsa Latin, Belly dancers, and Line dancing are the most popular for your wedding day. An area for a photo opportunity will be a hit after the ceremony. Choose a scenic location at your venue where not much decor is needed and hang a banner, place a bench, or create a DIY frame for guests to hold. Depending on your venue and also the weather, it may be convenient to have a simple beverage stand with lemonade, punch or water. It would not be an ideal scenario to have grandma parched and sitting in the sun during the transition from ceremony to reception. This also gives everyone a chance to explore the venue and take in the happenings.

A trending idea for how to entertain guests at a wedding is to have a DIY station. This would consist of a table with prepared craft materials for guests to create a favour of their own! These crafts can range from flower crowns to kitchen coasters to potting mini succulents. Guests are more likely to hold on to a favor if they make it themselves or if it is reusable. They can put their creativity to work and have fun while doing it. A DIY station will definitely be a highlight of the night.

Entertain Guests During Dinner

If guests had an eventful afternoon, dinner is a good time to rest up and enjoy a meal. How convenient would it be if the entertainment was tableside?

Table singers are able to make their rounds to tables and even take song requests giving family and friends a chance to be involved in the entertainment without getting up from their seats.

Maybe an out-of-the-box performance would better suit your audience. Enhance the interaction and hire a magician. This performer makes it easy to break the ice, avoiding awkward silences and blank stares at tables where guests are not familiar with one another.

Finally, almost everyone has been anxiously awaiting to get a taste of the wedding cake. While the cutting of the cake is a highly anticipated part of the wedding reception, some guests just won’t eat cake. Keep the entertaining momentum going by offering a sweets cart alongside the cake. This gives everyone a chance to choose their dessert, serve themselves, and be creative! Options for a sweet cart can vary from candy to cupcakes to donuts, gelato and more.

As everyone finishes dinner, leave them with a lasting impression. Provide an indoor or outdoor firework display. Light up the night with an exciting and romantic show that everyone will love. Go out with a bang and get some amazing photos with your new spouse while you’re at it!

Contact Red Soda Band For Wedding Entertainment Today!

If you’re looking for a professional wedding band that clicks with your wedding style and takes it up a notch, Red Soda Band loves to help brides and grooms-to-be celebrate their union with a unique and memorable experience from the moment they book, right through to the last song of the night! Get a FREE quote online today!