Wedding entertainment ideas

With postponements and even cancellations becoming the reality for many couples hoping to get married in 2020, we want to shed some light on how you can restructure your original wedding plans to fit in with new dates and timings, all without taking away the excitement of the day. 

We’re seeing more and more of our couples having to adapt their wedding plans because of Covid-19. It’s ultimately a stressful time, but one that can be helped with some simple ideas and restructuring. Has your venue allocated you a new time slot that means there will be a few hours to kill during the day? Or maybe you have had to rebook with a new venue all together? Does the outbreak mean you have to tighten your budget? Read on to hear tips from our team…

1. Fill the time with fun and exciting activities 

We’re all expecting 2021 will be a busy year for weddings. And this could mean that your original plans might not be able to go ahead in the same capacity as they were going to in 2020. But could be a positive change – having a morning slot with the registrar doesn’t have to be a bad thing! Use the day time to have fun with your family and friends, many of whom you might not have been able to see during the lockdown. Whether it’s a guided tour through the town, village or grounds of your venue, or even just a walk and a picnic, your guests will enjoy spending time with you as a couple, so take advantage of this. 

If you wanted something more exciting for your guests, why not offer some gentle sports activities, like yoga, archery, or even dance classes? We’ve seen some of our couples utilise the facilities of their venue to give guests a chance to wind down, spend time with each other and get ready for the reception in the evening – for example spa treatments, using the swimming pool, or having lunch in the grounds. 

2. Entertain your guests and get them involved in the action

Think of your wedding as an opportunity to bring people together again after this is all over. Music and entertainment will become a key to uniting everyone and giving them a reason to smile! Whether it’s circus acts for the children, a roaming drum troupe or comedy for the adults, you can do something for everyone. Our Marble parties in the past have included drumming workshops, beatbox performances, spoken word poetry and even acrobatic performances, all of which have surprised guests and got them talking. 

The more you can get guests involved in the action, the better. So think about adding an element of participation that will help the day move at a good pace and hype up guests ready for the reception. Interactive magicians could be a playful and fun way to entertain people of all ages, and also adds some audience participation. Our Marble Music team have also organised many a flash mob in the past, which always brings the party to life!

Another very sweet idea would be to incorporate ‘predictions’ for the wedding couple, where guests can guess the song for their first dance (the suggestions can then be used to create a playlist for the honeymoon!)

3. Cut your budget by running free activities for guests 

Marble wedding planner, Zanna, has organised a number of weddings on a budget, and says it’s easier than you’d think. Check out some of her ideas below: 

• Wedding/couple themed scavenger hunt
• Garden Games (coconut shy, croquet, skittles, etc.)
• Badminton
• Table tennis
• Volleyball
• Football
• Frisbie
• Space-hopper races
• Mini golf
• Darts and board games stations
• Bouncy castle – for kids and adults!
• Beer/prosecco pong
• Tea party (encourage every guest to bring a cake – you can then have an extended reception that starts with cake and tea, then slips into canapés. Champagne throughout!) 
• Karaoke
• DIY cocktail bar
• Pimp your gin/prosecco bar
• DIY food station
• Interactive photo booth (with props!)
• Palm reader or astrologer/zodiac reader
• Glitter and face-painting 
• Jenga style guest book (pictured)

Photo by Marble Private Weddings, Words by Hattie Creese