94 Fun Wedding Ideas to Entertain Your Guests
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- Updated: 13th October 2023
In 2021, the average wedding in the UK will cost around £31,000.
It’s a big day. It’s THE big day and one that we hope you’ll remember for the rest of your lives together. So it’s essential that you get it right. One of the biggest fears that upcoming brides and grooms experience is the worry that their guests are not having as much fun as they are at the event.
To help with this, we've cooked up a massive list of music, games, fun and activities that you could consider including at your wedding reception. We’ve broken them up into different categories to make it a little easier to process, as there are almost one hundred wedding entertainment ideas here for you to contemplate.
Keep reading and dive deep into our 94 fun wedding ideas that’ll keep your guests entertained on your special day.
Music & Dancing
Let us begin with the heart and soul of any fun wedding; the music. Start with great music, and the dancing will follow. We have some fabulous ideas for how you can inject some energy and ambience into your wedding reception with music, rhythm and dance.
1. Roaming Troubadours
For a beautiful nighttime aesthetic, hire roaming bands to move in amongst your guests and serenade them. This works well at an extensive venue with lots of nooks and crannies and can allow little mini-gigs to break out in different corners of your venue.
2. Bandeoke
Karaoke is great fun, but what about doing it with a live band? Welcome to the world of Bandeoke. Set up a stage and let your guests show off their singing skills with their own personal backing band to support them.
3. Silent Disco
Sometimes you’re limited at your venue on how much noise you can make, or you just fancy something a bit different; why not host a silent disco? Guests can wear headphones and listen to their own beats whilst they dance.
4. Dance Off
Get everyone on the dance floor for the ultimate dance-off! You choose the tunes and styles, and your guests compete for the dancing trophy!
5. Choreographed Dance
Get everyone together before the wedding to practice a big dance hall number to perform on the big night. You can either surprise your guests or even let them surprise you with a sudden organised break out into song and dance.
6. Mariachi Serenades
Capture the magic of evenings in Mexico with a Mariachi band who can move between your tables during dinner and serenade your guests with Latin rhythms.
7. Jazz Piano
Hire a talented pianist to provide background ambience and entertain your guests while they dine. Finish the evening with the spirited sounds of a jazz band playing a collection of swing classics and rhythmic blues tunes.
8. Harpist
There is no sound more soothing or beguiling than the harp. They make the perfect accompaniment for either when your guests are arriving at reception or as ambience as they dine.
9. String Quartet
The string quartet is the perfect sound to accompany your guests as they arrive at your venue and explore the space. They can strike up a tune to signal the arrival of the bridal couple as well.
10. Live Wedding Band
Make it your wedding party unforgettable with a live wedding band to keep guests dancing thoughout the evening.
11. Oompah Band
Why not add an extra bit of energy into your festivities with a roaming brass band at your venue. They work well at a summer venue with ample outside space so the brassy sounds can travel.
12. Ceilidh
Raise your spirits and your whiskies with a rousing ceilidh for your guests! Hire a traditional Scottish band and a caller who can guide your guests through the numerous steps for an unforgettable dance experience.
13. Drummers
Strike up a beat with some high energy drummers that will get your guest’s feet moving and tapping to the rhythmic beat. A happy wedding is one with a beat.
14. Maypole Dancing
Capture the traditional ways of Old England with a maypole in the gardens of your venue. Leave flower crowns for the female guests to wear and hire a country band to provide a joyful tune.
Fun & Games
There are many different ways you can inject a hefty dose of fun and enjoyment into your wedding day. Here we have lots of ideas from big to small, which are sure to engage your guests and make your big day an unforgettable one.
15. Piñata
You can hang a piñata stuffed with goodies either from a tree in the garden or inside from the rafters in a large enough venue. Guests take turns to try and break open the toy with sticks. It’s great fun for kids and adults alike!
16. Mr & Mrs Game
How well do your guests really know their partners or even each other? Mr and Mrs make a great table game when your guests are seated for dinner. Place question cards at each setting and let questioning commence.
17. Ring Toss
Build a ring toss game on the grounds and design the rings you throw to look like wedding rings. You could even fashion the posts to look like celebrities and see who can snare themselves a celebrity partner!
18. Champagne Pong
For a fun game that everyone knows, take beer pong but play it with champagne or prosecco. Play with plastic flute glasses for a more challenging and classy game.
19. Sparklers
As well as a big display to send the bride and groom off on their honeymoon, you should give out sparklers to your guests. They make for dazzling photo and video props and are great fun to play with.
20. Face Painting
Treat your guests to something different with a face painter. They can keep kids and adults entertained by giving each their own unique look for the evening. Animals, celebrities, or fantastical creatures: the only limit is imagination!
21. Twister
Get your guests all tangled up and perhaps a little more familiar with each other with a giant game of twister on the lawn or in the main hall at your venue. Your guests will not be able to resist.
22. Pass The Parcel
Play a game of pass the parcel when at dinner. You can either have presents for each table or make one giant parcel to pass round the whole room. Make sure you have little momentos hidden between each layer, so everyone gets something to remember the night by.
23. Giant Jenga
No game hall is complete without an oversized version of the classic children’s game Jenga. Use the giant soft bricks to build the highest tower before they all come toppling down.
24. School Races
We all remember the egg and spoon, the sack race and wheelbarrow racing. Bring back the classics by setting up a small racetrack on the venue grounds. Guests partner up and go for glory in these traditional games.
25. Confetti Cannons
Send the bride and groom off with a bang with gigantic confetti cannons that shower you and your guests. Hand them out as the couple arrive or just as they are heading off for the honeymoon.
26. Advice Cards
Place cards on the table of your guests with advice questions for them to answer anonymously. Collect them in at the end of the night and review what your friends secretly think when on your honeymoon.
27. Coconut Shy
Line up the coconuts and let your guests knock them down. Let your guests win prizes if they have the skills.
28. Ferris Wheel
Place a beautiful Ferris Wheel lit with fairy lights in the back garden of your venue. Guests can take in the views from up high and relax in the gently swinging gondolas.
29. Photo Booth
A photo booth is almost a necessity at a wedding venue these days. Provide an area where guests can take selfies with props or record short video messages for the happy couple.
30. Giant Chess
Stimulate your guest’s minds and muscles alike with a giant chessboard. Or provide the board and costumes and let your guests play as the pieces themselves!
31. Green Screen
Have a green screen set up in a quieter corner of your venue and let guests film themselves in different locations. See what crazy mini-movies your friends and family can come up with.
32. Fishing Dares
This one can be a little cheeky. Set up a small fake pond with rods and plastic fish or ducks for your guests to hook. On the bottom, place a dare for each guest who succeeds in making a catch.
33. Cupcake Messages
Provide a stand with plain cupcakes and icing pens, and let your guests decorate their own with messages of love and well wishes for the happy couple.
34. Table Origami
Place small pieces of cards on the dining tables with instructions on how to turn them into different origami figurines. You can place them on display later for everyone to view.
35. Secret Messages
Arrange secret messages on each dining table with a codex and see who can break the code the fastest. Let the message be a quick dare, such as kiss the bride or groom, to show who has cracked it.
36. Hand Print Guestbook
Ask your guests to leave a hand or fingerprint in your guestbook along with their message as something for you to treasure and remember them by.
37. Photo Map
Put a map of the world on the wall with a polaroid camera and pins nearby. Let guests take a photo of themselves and add it to the map so you can celebrate how far everyone has travelled for the event.
38. Guess Who?
Place pictures of the bridal party on the table but obscure them in some way. See if the guests can match the photos with the faces at the wedding. You can start to reveal them after each course.
39. Masquerade
Leave masks on your guest’s tables so that they can turn the dance floor into a masked ball when then the bride and groom start their first dance. As wedding themes go, this one is always stylish and memorable.
40. Pool Table
Make sure there is a pool table nearby for those propping up the bar and for when your in-laws want to show off their skills to the younger generations.
41. Welly Wanging
Another great British classic! See who can throw or ‘wang’ a welly the furthest. Whoever is the best wanger wins a prize.
42. Ceramic Painting
Allow your guests to decorate a plate or cup as a souvenir of their trip to your wedding and the lasting memories it will bring.
43. Pub Quiz
Host a quiz at the reception dinner if your friends and family are lovers of trivia. You can even include some rounds about the bride and groom.
Food & Drinks
You can’t have a wedding without a slap-up meal and some quality drinks. There are lots of ways you can bring tasty treats for your guests to enjoy at your reception. Check out our fun ideas for livening up the party with some gourmet tastes.
44. Wine Tasting
Speak with local winegrowers and specialists and host a small wine tasting table that allows your guests to sample delicious wines.
45. Smores & Marshmallows
Make sure there are plenty for your guests to cook over the open flames at the fire pits. Provide blankets to keep them cosy and marshmallows to roast over the open flames.
46. Cake Tasting
Can’t decide on one wedding cake? Ask guests to bring their own and host a cake tasting. You can give out prizes for the best and worst presented cakes and the tastiest overall!
47. Whisky And Cigars Bar
Fine cigars match beautifully with a deep, oaky whisky. Give your guests a place to experience the different varieties and rich flavours each can provide.
48. Table Chefs
Bring the kitchen experience to the table by hiring chefs to cook the food before your guests. Let them wow your friends and family with the flame and grill skills.
49. Named Cocktails
Let guests invent their own cocktails and name them after themselves with a cocktail bar. You might have a new sensation on your hands.
50. Confectionery Cart
Indulge your sweet tooth with a cart that offers all the favourites from back when you were kids. Guests can grab a striped paper bag and fill them up with all their favourite pick n’ mix.
51. Afternoon Tea
Take tea on the terrace with your guests as a delightful post-wedding and pre-reception treat. Cake stands and teapots are a must and match beautifully with a string quartet playing nearby.
52. Cupcake Tree
Instead of a giant wedding cake, you could have individual cupcakes for guests. Each could be decorated with your friends’ names and pictures to remind them how much they mean to you.
53. Ice Sculptures
Ice sculptures can make for a spectacular centrepiece near the bar or buffet tables at the wedding feast. Some can even be designed to pout a drink at the top and drink it from the bottom.
54. Chocolate Fountain
Provide a range of delicious sweet and fruity treats for your guests to dip into the ever-flowing cascade of a chocolate fountain. Nobody can ever resist too much chocolate!
Spectacles
Leave a lasting impression on your guests with these wedding spectacle ideas. In this section, you’ll find many wedding ideas for events that will make your reception different from all the others and allow your friends and family to cherish the memories.
55. Fireworks
Fireworks make the perfect finish to a spectacular evening of good food and good times with all the people you love and cherish. What a great way to say farewell to everyone!
56. Magician
Hire a wedding magician to walk about the crowds, surprising all with close-up magic and card tricks that will amaze, baffle and astound your guests.
57. Murder Mystery
Tragedy strikes at dinner! Hire a murder mystery group to present a crime for your guests to solve while they dine. Whodunnit? All is revealed at the end of the evening.
58. Caricaturist
Hire a wedding caricature artist to move between the tables during the dinner and at reception, drawing pictures of your guests.
59. Fortune Teller
Set aside a quiet, mystical corner at your venue and hire a fortune teller to look into the future of your guests. Or ask them to wander between the tables reading palms and tarots as they pass.
60. Comedian
Bring some humour and gentle ribbing to the event by hiring a comedian. They can perform a set during the dinner or mingle with the guests afterwards.
61. Singing Waiters
Singing waiters serving the food at your wedding dinner can surprise and delight your guests. They can sing on entry to the venue or surprise the guests as they’re mid-course.
62. Wedding Festival
Host your own music festival by hiring several festival style bands to play around your venue. You can choose classics from the 80s, 90s and 2000s and let everyone rock out to their favourite tunes. Find out more about planning a festival wedding here.
63. Dance Lessons
Take dance lessons with your partner before the big day so that you can wow your guests with a spectacular first dance.
64. Balloon Artists
Have balloon artists scattered about the venue to create impressive balloon sculpture gifts for your guests, be they big or small.
65. Memories Cinema
Place a cinema screen within the grounds of your venue with blankets and cushions for your guests to sit on nearby. Show a film of some of the best memories from your life together and your family history.
66. Merry Go Round
Let your guests swirl the night away with endless rides on the merry go round. The lights and music are great at stirring up childhood nostalgia, and the ride itself makes for some amazing photo opportunities.
67. Jugglers
Hire some jugglers to walk amongst the crowds to delight and entertain your guests with their skills.
68. Circus Skills
Fire breathers, acrobats and sword swallowers can make for a spectacular sideshow during the reception that your guests are not likely to forget in a hurry.
Chill Out
Weddings are a time for friends and family to come together and reminisce. Our chill-out ideas are for those who want to relax a little and spend some quality time with those they love.
69. Fire Pits
Arrange cosy fire pits around the ground of your venue with hay bails where guests can gather together, drink and reminisce.
70. Gaming Lounge
Need a chillout zone where your guests can kick back like they were at home? Create a gaming lounge in a room at the venue with consoles, games, and VR headsets for your guests to enjoy.
71. Hammocks
When your venue has a beautiful outside space, take advantage of it with a hammock zone. String up hammocks in a secluded spot where your guests can relax and chill out together under the stars.
72. Giant Outdoor Swing
A large swing outdoors on the lawn can make a perfect wedding photoshoot location or just a fantastic place for your guests to chill at the reception.
Sports & Activities
Weddings don’t have to be all pomp and circumstance, and sometimes you can let your hair down and have a little bit of fun. This next section is all about letting your guests get a little bit sweaty with some sports and adrenaline-inducing wedding activities.
73. Badminton
This idea works well in an afternoon garden party setting. Simply set up a net on the grass and leave the shuttles and rackets nearby.
74. Foosball
Nobody can resist a quick round of foosball or table football when they see it. Have a table near the bar, and it will be occupied all night long.
75. Scavenger Hunt
If your venue is quite extensive, you could hide presents around the property and level clues on the wedding tables for guests the solve.
76. Croquet
If your wedding is set in the beautiful surrounds of a country house, then grab your mallet and let your guests channel their inner regency garden party.
77. Sumo Wrestling
Let your guests work out their differences with a sumo match. Each competitor is given an oversized inflatable sumo suit before they step into the ring. The outcome is as hilarious to spectate as it is to take part.
78. Boating
Does your venue have a lake, or is there a lake nearby? Take your bridal party boating and relax after the wedding by splashing about on the water. Boats can make for some spectacular photoshoots as well.
79. Awards Ceremony
Celebrate everything wonderful about your friends and family with an awards ceremony. You can give out awards for everything that you love and cherish about your closest and dearest.
80. Casino
Take your wedding celebration off to the tables of Monte Carlo with a collection of casino games for them to play. This pairs well with a smooth jazz band and great cocktails for the evening.
81. Bowls
For the more refined members of your party, you could set up a bowls green within the grounds of your venue and let them play a relaxing game or two.
82. Bouncy Castle
Thrill your guests with a trip back to their childhoods in a bouncy castle. Make it available to kids and adults throughout the evening so everyone can enjoy it.
83. Giant Skittles
Set up a giant skittle court in the gardens for your guests to play with. Or better still, ply a version where your guests wear inflatable suits, and you try and knock them down instead with a big rubber ball.
84. Dodgems
Want to try something to get the blood racing but still have a fantastic time? Hire a dodgems ring for the gardens and let your guests go wild. Bring the heart of the funfair into your wedding!
85. Fly Paper Wall
Hire a giant inflatable velcro wall and some velcro suite. Then challenge your guests to run and jump at the wall and see who can make the most entertaining splat. Prizes should be given for the highest and most stylish jumps.
86. Trampolines
Trampolines set up around the ground of a venue can make for a great opportunity for your guests to bounce and play and forget about their worries for the day.
87. Horse Cart Rides
Offer your guests horse, and cart rides around the grounds, especially if they are in a spectacular location. Give couples and partners the chance to spend a romantic moment of their own together.
88. Ice Skating
If your wedding is during the winter, you could have an outside ice skating rink for your guests to enjoy and provide hot chocolate with marshmallows for the spectators.
Animals
Don’t leave your furry friends out of the big day. If you are an animal lover, we have some ideas for getting them involved and making animals a feature of your celebration.
89. Bring Your Pet
Host a pet-friendly reception and let guests bring their dogs along for the day. This might work better in a venue with a good-sized outdoor space! Make sure there is a zone where they can relax away from crowds.
90. Birds of Prey
Host a display of birds of prey with demonstrators showing off their incredible agility and skill. Guests can also take turns holding birds and feeding them.
91. Wild Animals
Some venues will have wild animals such as deer and peacocks on the grounds. They may let your guests meet and even feed the animals on request.
92. Pony Rides
For smaller guests, you could have pony rides within the venue grounds to keep them entertained. It could be a great photo opportunity for flower girls and tiny groomsmen.
93. Dove Release
Arrange for doves to be released into the air and fly free at a designated time in the afternoon or evening. Doves are a symbol of purity and hope and a beautiful way to symbolise a new union.
94. Butterfly Release
If you do not want doves, you could arrange for butterflies to be released instead. It is smaller but no less spectacular to watch.
Give Some Of Our Fun Wedding Ideas A Try
There you have it! Hopefully, this exhaustive list of fun wedding ideas has inspired you and your planning for your big day. There are lots of ways, big and small, to keep your guests entertained. But never forget that they’re all there to celebrate you and your union, and that’s what matters the most.
Please check out our wedding musicians across the UK if you’re looking for some spectacular music inspiration for your wedding event. We have talented bands and soloists across all the musical genres who can help make your day a little bit more special.
