Planning a memorable wedding is any bride's dream, it's the one day you get to truly celebrate the love you share with your fiancé with all of the other people that are special in yourhave for each other, so, there is a little pressure to make the night perfect and one of the things to make it so is the entertainment.
A well-planned wedding entertainment will keep your guests engaged throughout the reception and keep them talking about your wedding weeks after it is passed, if you have guests who are not familiar with each other it will serve as an icebreaker and truly unite everybody and encourage friends and families to mingle and to make new friends, too.
But with all the different types of personalities, ages and entertainment, and musical tastes, it’s challenging to choose the exact right music and entertainment to ensure everyone has a great time at your wedding reception so, to help you with those difficulties and dilemmas, we've collected together a host of night-time wedding reception entertainment ideas for you to consider for your big day. We have previously gave you tips for perfect night weddings, which you will love!
Now, another thing to bear in mind when choosing entertainment for your wedding reception is that most entertainment that’s suitable for the afternoon will also be suitable for evening receptions, too, so whether you are planning a day-time or a night-time wedding reception, we are certain this list can help you.
As there are a lot of wedding entertainment options available to you, we divided this list into a few categories to make it a little easier for you to digest.
So, without further ado, let's begin!
We start with the heart and soul of any enjoyable wedding reception; Music! Great music will not only add greatly to the atmosphere you want to create, but will get your guest dancing their hearts out on the dancefloor. So, here's a few live-music entertainment ideas to add some energy to reception.
Adding a live band to your wedding reception will make your guests get in to the party mood, the right band and the right music will spice your event and add to the atmosphere you want your wedding to have. The genre of music is your choice but remember that you are catering to the musical tastes of a whole room of people and of many different age groups, whilst it’s your wedding and therefore your choice, you want everyone to have a great time, too.
We all know how entertaining Karaoke is, so why not add a live element to it? Choose a band that supports live-backing to any singer who wants to give it a go, set up a stage and let your guests flaunt their singing skills with their own personal backing band to support them.
It's your wedding night and everyone will definitely be dancing, so why not make it a competition? Receiving some sort of trophy or award as an incentive will keep your guests moving on the dance floor and guess what, it’s your wedding and your party so you get to be the judges!
Add another layer of elegance to your chosen night-time aesthetic. Roaming bands will add another level, they can entertainment the room as well as serenade individual guests’ at their tables, this will work well with venues with lots of nooks and crannies and allows the band to move about together or separately whilst playing together and entertaining people all around the room. venue.
Some venues put a limit on how much noise you can make so, to remedy this possible problem, you can opt to host a silent disco. Guests can wear headphones and listen to their own beats while they dance and it’s fun to see them moving to their own music whilst you may be listening to something completely different and moving in an entirely different way.
Hire a choreographer and get some friends together before the day of your wedding to learn and practice a big dance number to perform at the reception. Surprise your guest with a sudden organized break out into song and dance.
Add some Old England tradition to your wedding by setting up a maypole in the garden of your venue and leaving some flower crowns for the ladies to wear, and whilst you're at it, hire a small acoustic country band to provide joyful old-English tunes.
Light up the night with extravagant fire dancers and captivate your guests with spinning torches or poi backed by booming drums. This entertainment idea will surely add that extra flair and WOW to your event,
Inject a big dose of fun and energy into your wedding day by setting up some of these entertaining game ideas to make your event memorable.
Test how your guests know you and your partner. Mr and Mrs is a great game to keep your guests engaged and is also a good way to let your guests know you a little better. Start with the basic questions like "Where did they meet?" or spice things up with really personal questions, the answers to which will have your guests laughing for sure.
Everyone knows beer pong and how enjoyable it is, but it doesn't really fit the vibe of the occasion. One way to fix that is playing with champagne and there you have it 'Champagne Pong!’ You can lay with plastic champagne flutes to make the game even more challenging.
A Piñata is a decorated vessel (such as of papier-mâché) filled with candies, fruits, and gifts and hung up to be broken with sticks by blindfolded persons as part of especially Latin American festivities (as at Christmas or for a birthday party) But there's no rule saying that Piñatas are for birthday parties only, so why not hang one stuffed with goodies for you and your guest to take turns trying to break open. plus the goodies don't have to be candy, you can put any small things inside, maybe some key chains as souvenirs for your guests.
Keep both kids and adults entertained by giving each their own unique look for the evening, be it animals, mythical creatures, shapes, or celebrities! You can paint your face as anything really, you're only limited by your imagination.
Set up a giant game of twister on the lawn or in the main hall at your venue and watch your guests all tangled up and get a little familiar with each other, it'll leave hilariously funny lasting memories they’re unlikely to forget!
Jenga is a game of physical and mental skill. Built on the simple premise of stacking blocks, Jenga engages players of all ages, across all cultures.
Do you know what's better than Jenga? Giant Jenga! Watch as your guest try and build the highest tower before they all come tumbling down, who families can get involved from little children to grandparents!
Set up a small race track around the venue and bring back the classics, like sack race, three-legged race, or egg and spoon race. Get your guests to partner up and see them go for the gold!
Not only is it an awesome prop for photos and videos, but it's also fun to play with. Give out some sparklers to your guest and let them send you and your new spouse on your honeymoon with a dazzling display.
Who wouldn't want an amazing view to remember? Set up a Ferris wheel lit up with fairy lights in the garden of your venue, and let your guest enjoy the amazing view up high and relax as the gondolas swing them gently in the evening breeze.
Well, this one is a no-brainer, it's almost mandatory for any wedding to have a photo booth. Provide a nice area away from the noise of the band where guests can take selfies and record video messages for the bride and groom. Props and accessories add extra fun and the results will provide lasting photographic memories for yourself and everyone at your party.
Place small pieces of card on the tables with instructions on how to fold them into different origami figures. This will surely keep your guests occupied as they wait for the event to start and during the evening, too, and you can display the finished figures later for everyone to see.
Here's a fun one, set up a map of the world or your country on the wall with a polaroid camera on a table nearby with some pins, and let guests take selfies and add them to the map so you can celebrate how far everyone has travelled to be with you..
Arrange a secret message on each dining table with a few clues on how to decode them, and see who can break the code the fastest. Make the message a quick dare like kissing the bride on the cheeks or giving the groom a high five to show who cracked the code first!
Ask your guest to sign your guestbook with their hand or fingerprint together with their message as something to treasure and remember them by.
Turn your dance floor into a masked ball when the bride and groom start their first dance as husband and wife. Leave masks on the guests’ tables. This also adds a stylistic and elegant aesthetic to your event.
Let your guests decorate their own plates or cups as a souvenir of your wedding and the lasting memory it brings. It's also a great way to keep the children entertained.
If your friends and family are lovers of trivia, hosting a quiz during the reception dinner will keep them entertained. You can even include some rounds with trivia about the bride and groom and you can even invite a quiz master to present the quiz and call-out the questions for you.
You can't have a wedding without food and drinks, but why stop there? Here are some food and drink entertainment ideas to keep your guest engaged throughout your event.
If you can't decide on a wedding cake, why not host a cake tasting and ask your guest to bring their own. and you can give prizes to the tastiest one. this will get your competitive guests looking forward to the day of your event when they can show off their baking skills.
If you and your guests are wine connoisseurs you can speak to your local wine merchant and host a small wine tasting table that will allow your guest to sample delightful wines.
If you're hosting an outdoor wedding that has a fire pit, you could get your guests some marshmallows to roast over the open flame, this will give your event that warm cozy feeling you get while camping. (your fire pit will need to be supervised, obviously!)
Add another layer of entertainment during your dinner reception by bringing the kitchen experience to the table. Hire chefs to cook the food in front of your guests to wow them with the flames and the chefs grill skills.
While an open bar is already an impressive addition to your wedding, why not let your guests make their own cocktails and name them after themselves or a combination or their names or their children’s names.
Indulge your guests' by bringing in a cart full of their favourite confectioneries. Give them paper cups, and let them fill themup with their favourite pick n' mix.
Make your event unique, and leave your guest talking about your wedding for weeks to come by adding an entertainment spectacle to your night-time wedding reception.
End the night with a literal bang! Fireworks make a spectacular finish to a wonderful night of good food and good times with your loved ones.
Hire a sketch artist to move between tables during the event drawing your guests in a comical way. Give your guests a unique souvenir of their caricaturised faces.
a night of laughter is always going to be unforgettable, so bring some humour and gentle teasing to your event by hiring and comedian, they can perform a set during the dinner reception and mingle with the guests afterwards.
Add more magic to the already magical night that is your wedding by hiring a magician to perform a set on stage or surprise everyone with close-up magic and card tricks, It is a sure way to amaze and astound your guests; both adults and children alike.
Give your guests a wonderful surprise during the dinner reception by being serenaded at the table by the waiters that served the food they're currently eating, it's a delightful way to entertain your guest and so much fun.
Set up a merry-go-round in the garden outside your venue to stir up some nostalgia from your guest as they ride the night away on an endless spinning carrousel, It also makes for some great photo opportunities.
There are no rules saying that weddings should only be formal, the day is all about you and you can do what you want! Let your hair down and have a bit of fun! This Sports and activities ideas for your night-time wedding reception will get you and your guests pumped with adrenaline.
If you’re hiring a large venue for your wedding, you can set up a scavenger hunt for your guest and leave clues around the property. The first to solve the clues gets the prize.
If your venue has a nearby lake, why not take your bridal party on a boat ride under the night sky, it's a great way to relax after the ceremony and it also makes for some amazing photographs.
Get your game on by setting up some casino games for your guests to play. Partnered with a smooth jazz band playing in the background and delightful cocktails for the evening. it'll give your event the Vegas or James Bond feel.
Set up some trampolines or bouncy castles in the garden of your venue and let your guests bounce around and forget about their worries for the day. it's also a great way to keep the kids amused.
Summer or winter, you could hire an outside portable skating rink for your guests to enjoy and serve some hot chocolate to keep them warm.
If you and your guests are animal lovers and your venue allows for animals, these entertainment ideas involving animals are sure to keep your guests entertained.
Let your guests bring their fur babies and let them celebrate with you on your special day. Just make sure your venue has a large outdoor space for them to relax away from the crowds. Also, it won't hurt to serve some nibbles for your furry guests.
Keep your smaller guests entertained by giving them pony rides around the venue grounds, it's also a great opportunity to get some cute photos of your little bridesmaids and pageboys.
Doves are a symbol of purity and hope, arrange to release doves into the air to symbolize a new union. If you don't want doves, you can also release butterflies instead, a lot smaller, but equally as spectacular to watch.
That's it! This is our list of the best entertainment ideas for a night-time wedding reception. If youre planning a party, check out party entertainment ideas. we hope some of these ideas helped you when planning your big day, with all these ways to keep your guests entertained they should be very impressed with what you provide but the important thing to remember is that your guests are there to celebrate you, and your union, and that's what matters the most, to them as well as to yourselves.
