Your wedding is your Big Day, your time to shine and receive those kind words you’ve been waiting for all this time. It’s also an occasion that you’ll want to live long in the memories of your guests forevermore, for all the right reasons, of course.
Sadly, so many memories of wedding parties seem to morph into one long reception. Here in the UK, we tend to rely on the same menus, the same wedding day entertainment, the same outfits… And they all end up feeling like the same party.
But if you’re keen for your wedding party to be distinctive and distinguished in all the right places, then you’ve come to the right place; here are some ideas that will make your wedding party stand out.
A Local Surprise
Embrace the uniqueness of your surroundings. If you’re in Manchester, Oxford, Bath, Birmingham or another city famous for its canals or rivers, consider hiring a canal boat and having your drinks reception on the water.
Or, perhaps you live in Brighton? Then why not incorporate a flight on the i360 into your wedding day celebrations. If you’re local to London and are getting married centrally, then a ride on the London Eye or trip up the Shard could be just the ticket. Or consider hiring the cast of Les Misérables from the West-End to do a surprise performance.
Alternatively, instead of an activity, why not incorporate some local delicacies into your big day. Are you getting married in Colchester? Then why not serve some of their world-famous oysters which have “notable chefs regularly placing orders include Chiltern Firehouse’s Nuno Mendes and Hide’s Ollie Dabbous” says, Great British Chefs. Or if you’re getting married in Shepton Mallet consider serving some sparkling perry as an alternative to champagne.
We’re sure you get the picture by now, and we’re sorry if we didn’t mention your town, city or county.
Let Us Entertain You
Before we share our entertainment ideas, let’s throw some questions at the wall and see if they stick; why do you want wedding entertainment? Are you looking for something to add ambience or do you simply want to keep the kids entertained? When might you need the entertainment?
Consider the aim of your entertainment before you hone in on the type that you might be keen on. All that said, here are a few ideas for unique wedding entertainment:
- A Wedding Comedian – You can, of course, get them to perform generic lines about the wedding, married couples and marital life. Better still to work with the comedian beforehand to personalise the entertainment with jokes based around your guests and yourselves. If your guests can take it, that is; we don’t want a Will Smith/Chris Rock situation ruining the festivities.
- Wedding Karaoke – Everybody loves a spot of karaoke (well, almost everybody!) and a wedding brings with it a whole set of romantic songs that everyone reliably knows the words to. So, consider hosting wedding karaoke for your friends and family to enjoy. Adding alcohol to the mix (responsibly, of course) will help your friends create a loose-tongued, playful atmosphere where people are more willing to sing.
- Party Games – There are many different party game services to choose from, so make sure that you do your research and find the service that’s right for your wedding. If you’re having a wedding with a large garden area, consider croquet or giant Jenga for something a little frivolous and a lot of fun.
For more wedding entertainment ideas, check out our article on 7 fun and unique wedding entertainment ideas.
Food Trucks
When it comes to serving food at your wedding, there are lots of fun and entertaining concepts around. Instead of hiring a professional caterer to create a set menu and cater to every table of guests, consider organising different food stations or trucks with chefs preparing and cooking things in full view of the wedding party, much like at a food festival. This will get your guests off their bottoms and mingling with each other, and provides a kind of functional theatre that’s just perfect for parties.
Food trucks can be parked outside the venue and guests can go to them and buy food from them, or you can of course prepay for the food. You can hire a variety of different trucks, encompassing many different cultures and cuisines. Street-food trucks are a very effective way of impressing your guests and surprising them. If you are going to do this, then make sure that you tell people beforehand so that you can prepare and cater for any allergies.
Live Music
Live music is also a great idea. If you are going to have a lot of people in attendance, then why not hire a band and rock your guests’ socks off?
The genre of wedding music that the band plays shouldn’t, ideally, be anything too esoteric. Whilst you and your partner may enjoy the more niche reaches of the Japanese grindcore scene, your guests may not share your passion.
Instead, opt for a live band who are conversant in the well-known dancefloor hits that get everyone up and moving – because no one wants to hear a local band’s original material at a wedding, right?
Petting Zoo
One for the animal lovers this one…
A petting zoo is great for a wedding that has lots of children in attendance, giving the kids something to do while their parents enjoy their time indoors.
You could also hire somebody to help with daycare so that the children are occupied and you don’t have to worry about them being disruptive or distracting your guests. Their parents will definitely appreciate you getting them out of their hair temporarily, too!
And the good news is that you don’t even have to host your wedding at a farm or barn to enjoy the jovial atmosphere that a petting zoo brings, as you can now hire mobile petting zoos for weddings.
Theme It
A themed wedding can be a whole lot of fun, focusing minds outfit-wise and providing an enjoyable excuse for a little roleplay and escapism.
Consider a mediaeval banquet theme. Think floor-length, long-sleeved mediaeval gowns with flower crowns for the bride and bridesmaids. Consider hosting your big day at a historical hall which you can decorate and embellish for a mediaeval-like atmosphere. Chainmail, jousting to the death and feasting until you vomit aren’t obligatory, but we think jesters and acrobats should be!
Or, perhaps you’ve always dreamed that your Big Day would be full of etiquette and elegance? Then channel your inner Jane Austin with a genteel Georgian wedding.
Going further and thinking differently, if the bride and groom are lovers of Glastonbury festival, then why not set up a ‘pyramid’ stage, ask everyone to wear wellies, serve outdoor drinks and nibbles, and have all the guests stay the night in a custom tent after the party!
Having a theme for your party can help everybody get into the spirit of things, but let’s be honest here; quite a considerable minority simply loathe even the mention of fancy dress parties. So, consider decking out your wedding venue with a theme instead of asking people to dress up. That way, everyone wins!
Do Something Alternative
Why not do away with tradition? In traditional weddings, there are roles played by people of certain ages or genders, and choosing the right people for the right roles can be fraught with stress and pressure. It doesn’t have to be this way. Every family and friendship group is a slightly different size or shape, and that’s okay, so if you feel like it, do away with traditional roles; have the best woman or a man-of-honor if the bride or groom’s best friend happens to be of the opposite sex.
For more alternative wedding ideas, check out our article on 6 ideas that will spruce up a conventional wedding way.
The Bottom Line
Your wedding party doesn’t have to follow the same old formula as every other wedding that went before it. With these unique wedding ideas, your Big Day will live long in the memories of both you and your guests…. That’s if everyone takes it easy on the free-flow sparkling wine, that is!