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10 Popular Wedding Activities Other Than Dancing

10 wedding activities other than dancing

A wedding day is essentially one day in your life when you will get to celebrate the love you and your partner have for each other, with your families and friends. Having them there with you on the day of your wedding to share your happiness is what will make the day so extra-special. Apart from the formalities of the day, relaxing, enjoying, and having fun are also key parts of the celebration of the day, and your friends and family will want to enjoy and have fun with you, and to make long-lasting happy memories of the day, too.

Wedding entertainment is one of the most important items on your wedding checklist. Planning it well will ensure that your guests are kept engaged and are having fun all through the day and night, and, well chosen and planned entertainment should have your guests talking about your wedding day for years to come.

While the most conventional kinds of wedding entertainment revolve around having your guests dance the night away on the dance floor, music isn’t the only way to celebrate. Some people actually don’t enjoy dancing and the expectation of dancing at a wedding can be off-putting for them, and other’s aren’t able to join in with the dancing for one reason or another. Fortunately, there are alternative wedding activities other than dancing and we’re going to explore the other options now.

Wedding entertainment has evolved over the course of hundreds of years of ceremonies and receptions so, it’s really not that difficult to find an alternative entertainment to dancing but, to help you out, we've listed a few entertainment ideas that will keep entertained and also to encourage them to get to know one another.

Let's begin!

 

Wedding Activities Other Than Dancing

 

Live Music

We all know that live music is an important part of a wedding day celebrations, but live music covers all sorts of options and not all bands play music for dancing so, even if you prefer not to have a band for dancing, you could still have a band that your guests can enjoy listening to like a Jazz Band or a Gypsy Swing Band for example.

live music for your wedding

Having a live-music band serenade your guests as they arrive, or as they eat, or even have them perform sets as your guests mingle around will make your family and friends feel relaxed and happy. Mixing it up by having them play a genre that veers from the traditional wedding music, or opting for a vintage jazz band or a retro funk group is a sure way to get your guests' energy up all without leaving their seats.

A roaming band is another good option, musicians that take their music to your guests at their tables, and in to more remote areas, and nooks and crannies of your venue. Roaming bands can be very entertaining, and your guests will appreciate their talent much more if they are peforming close-up.

 

Singing

If your guests don't want to dance, why not let them sing? We all know how entertaining karaoke is, so why not set up a karaoke machine at your reception and make it a competition, give a prize to the best singer among your guests, this is great for those who are competitive and can be very entertaining for those that prefer to sit and watch.

singing for your wedding

You could even hire a Bandeoke band to play live backing music! Most Bandeoke bands will have a pre-prepared and printed list of songs they are able to perform spontaneously and they are used to helping the singers to perform the songs, adding in backing vocals and helping with lyrics along the way, too. A live karaoke backing-band can be hugely entertaining for everyone at your wedding reception and is a great choice to add to your list of options of wedding activities other than dancing.

 

Masterclass by Your Vendors

They've already successfully captured your vision, you already have a working relationship, and you already know they're the best in the business, that is why you chose them. So, why not let your vendors host a masterclass during your reception and let them show off their skills and talent and teach your guests a few tricks?

Let your guests draw on their creative, and let them make their own party favours to take home after the wedding. Choose multiple vendors to allow your guests to choose which stations they want to spend time on, or choose one as a main focal point of the night. From flower arrangements, stationary booths, or maybe ceramic paintings, there’s a host of options and any of them will give your guests a unique experience and a personal souvenir to remember your day by.

 

Portrait Photographer

While there is nothing wrong with getting a photo booth, you should also consider hiring a professional photographer to document your wedding. But make better use of your photographer, set aside a portion of the night for your guests to have their photograph taken professionally.

portrait photographer to take photos of your wedding guests

Set up a portrait booth somewhere in your venue that matches and complements your theme by incorporating key colours, tones, and other stylistic notes. Not only will it provide the opportunity for your family and friends to have their photograph taken professionally either on their own, as couples, or family groups, they also get to take home a life-long souvenier of your wedding day.

 

Video Book

If you're tired of the same old guestbook, why not give it a little twist and hire a videographer?

videographer recording wedding guest messages

Have them set up a station where your guests can record a message for you and your new spouse and then hire a professional video editor to compile the videos into a "video book" for you to take home and watch for years to come. It’s a lovely way for your friends and family to share their thoughts and well-wishes with you directly, and will also provide your guests with the opportunity to share a moment or a personal comment that they otherwise may not have been able to.

 

Casino Royale

Keeping with the task of recommending wedding activities other than dancing, how about a casino themed evening for keeping your high-roller guest happy?

guests enjoying a casino at a wedding

Find a casino company that specialises in providing this unique experience and choose any casino-type games like black-jack, roulette, or poker etc. This fun and universally entertaining activity coupled with a smooth jazz band or other type of easy-listening band playing in the background, together with cocktails being served at the bar and maybe even a James Bond look alike working the room provides for a fantastic evening of fun and a very credible wedding activities other than dancing. and for the evening, it's sure to give your event that "Vegas" feel.

 

Competitions & Parlour Games

You’ll have your guests in stitches, laughing and learning new things about you and your significant other by hosting some traditional wedding parlour games like shoe games, mad-libs, newlywed trivia,Mr & Mrs, and I-spy.

mr and mrs sign

Photo by Sarah Pflug from Burst

These funny, interactive, and bride and groom-centric activities are truly great ways to celebrate the two of you as a couple and are great wedding entertainment activities other than dancing.

 

Live Entertainment

There are a lot of wedding activities other than dancing available that can give your guests a great time and happy memories, and live entertainment is one of them.

pianist singer performing live at a wedding

Aside from the usual live bands, live entertainment can take on a lot of forms. from stand-up comedians, magicians, tribute acts, and many more. Choosing one for your wedding should be an easy task so, if your guests don't want to dance and would rather sit-back and be entertained then hire an entertainer or a group of entertainers and put on a show!

 

Dinner Entertainment

Great food and drink are an important part of any wedding, it’s an unwritten rule that you can't have a wedding without food and drinks, but why stop there? Hit two birds with one stone by combining your entertainment with your wedding dinner!

singing waiters performing at a wedding

Theme your wedding dinner to include activities that involve your guests. Every time a course is finished include an activity to use up some time and entertain them, it can be a hired in entertainer like a comedian, singer, celebrity impersonator, or a piano-entertainer that encourages a fantastic sing-song between every course. If you add a course or two to the normal wedding dinner and the entertainment is spun-out 20 minutes or so between each course, your wedding dinner will take several hours; or the the whole evening, to complete and all without anyone having to get up and dance!

 

Just Let Your Guests Talk & Relax

If your guests don't want to go dancing, the chances are they just want to relax and enjoy the company of friends and family that they haven't seen in a long time. So why organise anything for them to do at all? Just make sure they can relax in comfort with some pleasant background music; either live or recorded, make sure there’s lots of drinks and nibbles around and things for the children to do and just enjoy each others company! It may sound simple, but letting your guests relax, chat and catch up with friends and family is one the best thing you can do for them at your wedding.

It will no doubt be one of the few opportunities when you will be able to assemble all of your dearest friends and family together under the same roof, and as your wedding should be an event where you can take your time enjoying the company of all of your guests the just relax and do exactly that, I’m sure your guests will love your simple choice.

 

Wedding Activities Other than Dancing - Conclusion

Whilst we hope that this article has helped you to find activities other than dancing for your wedding, we also hope that you understand that while it is your duty to entertain, it is also your essential that you too have fun, It's your big day, and it should be about you and your spouses love for each other, so whatever you decide to do, enjoy!