Creative Ways to Keep Your Wedding Guests Entertained

Weddings can often have pockets of downtime between the ceremony, photographs, dinner and dancing when guests' attention starts to wander. Providing fun entertainment activities is key to keeping your them happy, engaged and up for celebrating throughout the festivities. Creative, personalised entertainment also offers a chance to infuse more of your personality into the event. Your guests will be wowed and talking about the unique entertainment for years to come. So, if you’re looking for some inspiration, here are some unique ways to keep your guests having fun all day long and well into the evening. 

Host a Mini Golf Tournament

Want to add a unique twist to the traditional lawn games line-up? Consider setting up a mini golf course for some friendly putting competition. You can get creative with the design using household materials like plastic turf for the greens and decor items from party supply stores. Make it relevant to your story as a couple by modelling the course after significant dates or places from your relationship.

If your wedding budget allows, why not look into cutting-edge golf simulators for your venue space. These high-tech simulators allow your guests to virtually play rounds on famous courses from Scotland, Hawaii and more without ever leaving the wedding! Guests will be amazed that they can golf St. Andrews or Bonnie Doon without any travelling required. You can organise the golf activity as an ongoing open play attraction or structure it as a tournament event with teams.

Hire Musical Performers

Music is a must for setting the mood at any wedding, so take it up a notch by bringing in live talent to entertain your guests. Solo artists can strum acoustic renditions of popular songs on the guitar, ukulele or piano during cocktail hour or dinner, to complement the celebratory vibes. You could also surprise guests after the reception meal with an upbeat flash mob featuring a dance troupe or choir doing a couple of high-energy numbers.

For upbeat musical additions, hire a jazz quartet or opt for a string quartet to inject some sophistication into the occasion if you’re going for a classically romantic event. Alternatively, go for big laughs with musical comedy performers doing parody songs about you as a bride and groom. Any musical addition throughout your wedding is sure to have guests' toes tapping, so think about what you and your friends and family would love to listen to as the soundtrack to your special day.

[Image source: Mitchell Orr on Unsplash]

Set Up a DIY Art Station

For a unique activity that appeals to guests' creative spirit, set up a DIY art area for making arts, crafts and other handmade creations. It’s an easy option that you can create whether you’re getting married at a venue or having a home wedding. Stock tables with a wide range of materials like coloured paper, cardboard, fabric scraps and markers so both kids and adults can let their imaginations run wild.

Guests will be able to fashion their own wedding mementos, such as decorate a frame to display their photo-booth strip from your photoshoot, or hand letter a wine bottle tag commemorating the date. An arts and crafts area gives your wedding guests an outlet other than dancing to expend energy in a fun, creative way, and it’s something that all ages can enjoy if they want some quiet respite during the day. For a family-friendly wedding, a creative space set away from the noise of the dance floor is a great idea that parents will thank you for. 

Create a Game Lounge

For couples who share a love of videogames or old school board games, incorporate a gaming space into your wedding venue to immerse guests in one of your passions. Transform a room into a game lounge equipped with gaming systems, and stocking the shelves with your favourite multiplayer video games or board games for willing players. Provide extra controllers and multiplayer games, with instructions handy so players unfamiliar with the games’ controls can still play.

Supplement with a large table or separate lounge section to house classic board games like Monopoly, Scrabble, Catan and playing card games geared for all ages. Include quick-play games that allow for faster turnover as different guests wander in and out from the main reception. Providing organised gaming opportunities keeps young wedding guests happily occupied while adult guests rediscover beloved games from their youth.

[Image source: Shannon Fischer on Unsplash]

Add Colourful Fun with Carnival Attractions

What better way to tap into nostalgia and high energy fun than bringing a carnival vibe to your wedding celebrations? Rent attractions you might find at fairgrounds or theme parks to delight guests of all ages. Set up traditional carnival midway games like ring toss, balloon and dart pops, and coconut shies for that festive boardwalk feel.

You could offer small novelty prizes to victors like toys, bouncy balls, temporary tattoos and candy floss. Keep score cards at each station for guests to tally their wins over the day and award fun titles and grand prizes for tip-top scorers.

Up the action with a bouncy castle or obstacle courses for the young and young-at-heart, or add a photo booth with circus style prop boxes for posing as lion tamers and strongmen. An alternative that will delight kids is a face painting station manned by talented artists adorning little ones with butterfly wings and animal snouts.

Keeping guests thoroughly entertained at your wedding should be a top priority alongside all the other planning preparations. Rather than just setting up a dance floor and open bar and hoping your loved ones mingle sufficiently, take your hosting duties up a creative notch. Infuse personal touches by customising activities around your interests or love story details. Even guests unfamiliar with one another will find common ground bonding over friendly competition in lawn games or craft stations. Those who know you well will delight in interacting with novel entertainment concepts that speak uniquely to your dynamic as a couple.