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With these 12 Unique tips and ideas to entertain your guests, you can create the wedding that everyone will remember for a lifetime. Use these ideas, modify or add to them to make them fit with your wedding day theme.
1) Photo booths
Imagine a way for your guests to let their guard down, relax and have fun at your wedding. No one can resist putting on a funny hat or glasses and making a funny face in front of a camera. The best parts about these pictures are that you get to see your wedding guest’s true personality.
BW Photography Studio offers a unique photo booth. Our Magic Mirror Photo Booth is an even more interactive experience. Imagine a giant touch screen mirror that takes photos? Pretty much every girl’s dream come true! BW Photography Studio offers special discounts if you book our Magic Mirror Photo Booth along with your wedding photography package.
For more info about our Magic Mirror Photo Booth rental CLICK HERE!
2) Champagne skirts
During cocktail hour instead of just offering Champagne or wine at the bar, why not have a Champagne Skirt serve your guests? We have photographed many weddings and we notice that one of the most selfied and shared images from a wedding reception is when the bride and groom have a model walking around in a Champagne skirt. Not only are they a unique way to serve your guests, they also help keep your guests entertained.
Champagne skirts can hold more than just alcohol. Our Carnival Bride had it Filled with martini glasses stuffed with Cotton Candy!
If you are interested in renting a Champagne skirt for your wedding cocktail hour, contact www.lilyjadeentertainment.com
3) Singing Waiters
I know what you are thinking; singing waiters? Believe it or not but one of the new trendy wedding trends are special waiters that put on a show. While these waiters are not “really” waiters; they do serve you and your new spouse either desert or dinner and then go off into song and dance. The best part is that it can both surprise and entertain your guests when they are least expecting it. It’s like dinner with a show and can really add some special “pizazz” to your wedding.
4) Fireworks Displays
Instead of throwing rice, everyone starting using bubbles. Now the biggest trend is Sparklers for grand exits. But why not take it up a notch? BW Photography Studio has shot many weddings where the guests are not only holding sparklers, but behind you, fireworks are exploding in the sky. Fireworks are fairly inexpensive these days and have really come a long way from bottle rockets. You can find what’s called a show in a box so that that all a willing volunteer has to do is light one fuse and it puts on a big show without much trouble. Just be sure to check with your venue and local laws to ensure that it’s ok to shoot them off before purchasing them.
It makes for AMAZING photos if you hire a professional photographer. But BEWARE!! If you hire “uncle Joe” or a friend to shoot your wedding, they won’t have the experience a professional wedding photographer will have to actually get focused images.
5) Wedding Nannies
So what is a wedding nanny? Basically it’s either volunteers or hired professionals that are there to help wrangle little ones while your guests with children enjoy themselves. All too often we see guests that have to leave early, or can’t make it to a wedding due to not having a sitter. With a wedding nanny, you can ensure that guests with families are able to make it to share with you on your big day. Plus it gives those tired parents a little time to enjoy all the other great things you have planned without the worry.
Not only have we seen nannies for children, but we have also been to “pet friendly” weddings where guests were encouraged to bring their dogs or pets. Once the ceremony is over a pet wrangler/nannie can help watch pets to ensure that they don’t cause any trouble.
6) Ice Cream Stalls
Who doesn’t like ice cream? Instead of cocktail hour, why not setup a ice cream stall. In the south in summer, outdoor weddings can be HOT! By setting up a ice cream stall, your guests can cool down and have fun. Ice cream stalls are easy to setup and easier on the budget that an open bar. Offer different types of ice cream or even high end ice cream pops. Be sure to also keep plenty of toppings and lactaid for guests who are lactose intolerant.
One of our favorite gourmet ice cream pop companies is King of Pops! They offer a large variety of unique flavors of ice cream. From banana pudding to key lime pie. Best of all, they bring their own ice cream stall with them so you don’t have to worry about the ice cream melting! They now also offer Non-Diary Options.
Check them out: https://kingofpops.com/
7) Karaoke
Instead of a band why not have your guests perform for you. We have photographed weddings where some of the most memorable moments were when a groom sang a special song for his bride or when the new couple sang a song together. The best part about the Karaoke is that it gets your guests involved in the fun. Instead of just coming to have dinner and leave after the first dance; encourage your guests to stick around and sing and dance. You might be surprised the reactions and performances you can get out of your guests.
8) Fairground rides
One of our most memorable wedding photography moments was our Carnival Bride. The couple wanted something unique that everyone could enjoy. So why not get married at a carnival? After the ceremony guests were allowed to go play and have fun on all the fairground rides. Talk about unique images. We didn’t see one person with a frown on their face. Everyone had a blast.
You might be surprised to learn that it’s not that expensive to rent carnival rides and games. If it’s in the budget imagine taking a stroll on your very own Ferris wheel or carousel. Even if you can’t imagine renting the big rides, we have photographed weddings where some of the most fun was had on the inflatable slides and bouncy houses.
9) Circus Acts
Have you ever seen a lyra performance? They are really neat to watch. Cirque De Sole has proven to the world that acrobatics can not only entertain, but can also mesmerize audiences. From Death defying trapeze artists, to magicians, weddings these days are adding unique twists that people remember for decades to come.
At one of our wedding photography shoots the couple had hired aerial performers to swing from the chandeliers inside the reception hall. The tables were left blank so that the attention was brought up to the sky to watch these amazing performers. At the Carnival Bride aerial performers were hired to dress as leopards doing a suspended acrobat show while suspended in air on a metal hoop they called a lollipop. Can you say amazing? Every guest that came were left with their jaw dropping the floor.
To hire the best aerial performers visit: www.lilyjadeentertainment.com
10) Food Trucks
While food trucks are not a new idea to the wedding world, they sure make for a memorable event. While it’s not a traditional way of serving food for your guests, it has its benefits. In general food trucks allow you to have a variety of options for your guests to eat. It also is usually freshly made right there on the spot. Another big bonus to the trucks are that they generally charge for each person served instead of how traditional caterers charge. Traditional caterers generally charge a set rate and bring extra food that can go to waste. The food trucks don’t make the food until it’s ordered, so waste is at a minimum.
Even if a food truck is just used for cocktail hour, they can be a fun way of getting your wedding guests more involved in what’s going on. While you’re busy taking your formal wedding photos with your family, your guests can be interactive ordering unique foods that each truck offers.
11) Professional Dancers
People love a show. When you hire professional dancers to either perform or pose as guests to encourage dancing, your guests will love it. Professional dancers entertain your guests and keep them busy so they don’t get bored and leave. Many people that come to your wedding may not like to dance or even can’t. However, how many of them wouldn’t enjoy watching a show of dancers perform?
The best part of hiring dancing pros to set the tone is that they can encourage your guests to join in the fun. They also ensure that no one feels awkward being the “only couple” on your dance floor. Dancers will also pull some guests that are a little shy out of their shell to dance on the floor. This makes for great photo journalistic wedding images and makes your guests nights as memorable as yours.
To hire dancers visit: www.lilyjadeentertainment.com
12) Wish Lanterns
Have you ever seen the movie Tangled? If so you have seen the pure beauty of these lanterns. Each of your guests is given a paper lantern to draw or write a special wish for you on your wedding day. Then later that night each guests gets to put the candle in and either float the lantern on the water or send it up in the air, sending their beautiful wish for you out in the world to hopefully come true. Once the night is over, you can collect these lanterns and create a scrap book from them. A wish book that you can cherish forever and one day see just how many of those dreams and wishes actually came true.
In the End
Hopefully some of these ideas will find a way in to your wedding. Even if they don’t maybe it will open up those creative juices inside you, so you can create a wedding that is unique to you. Think of what means the most to you on your big day. If that’s keeping your guests entertained, then find special ways that show a piece of your personality in the entertainment you choose; because that is what is most important in the end.
To hire a wedding planner to help guide you through your wedding please visit our preferred vendor at: www.WhitlockEvents.com
To book our professional wedding photography services please visit us on the web at: www.BWPhotoStudio.com