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Keeping your guests entertained apart from the traditional events of your wedding is a concern many couples have. It’s always a good idea to create some sort of activity, especially during cocktail hour when guests are technically just waiting around for dinner and festivities to begin. Let’s give them something to do, during cocktail hour and throughout the evening! Here’s a list of fun additions to your big day to make your guests feel like they were thought of. You can intertwine some of these activities with your favors, dinner, or drinks or even the party itself! Tell us your favorite activity in the comments!
Photo Booth - A photo booth is a great option for capturing your guests in a unique way. Most photo booth companies give you all of the photos in a digital collection once your event is over so it’s almost like a second guest book of sorts. Your own personal scrap book of all of your friends and family having the time of their lives. There are so many choices of photo booths now! They have classic photo booths that print out pictures for each guest, photo booths that just send digital copies to guests, and even 360 video photo booths. Do your research and see what’s out there to see what kind of photo booth works best for you and your guests. Don’t forget the props!
Cigar Roller - Got some cigar smoking relatives? What a fun way to bring some culture to your wedding by bringing in a professional cigar roller. Cigar Productions in Central Florida starts at $500 for a demo and includes cigars.
DIY Bouquet Making Station - A novel idea for your guest’s enjoyment. Treat it as a favor for your guests. Each guest gets to learn how to make a bouquet and bonus! They get to take it home with them to enjoy for the week to come! Dahlia’s Flower Truck is a vendor that brings bouquet making to your wedding.
🔥HOT TIP🔥: Place empty vases on your tables as centerpieces and have them double as a place for your guests to place their bouquets from cocktail hour in until the end of the night. Then at the end of the night you just have to clean up your vases. Add some votives and greenery and voila - interactive centerpieces.
Bounce House - You don’t need to have kids at your wedding to have a bounce house. Use it as a tool to get your guests moving, or to keep the kids entertained all night long. Makes for a great photo opp as well!
Temporary Tattoo - Get some temporary tattoos, some sponges and bowls of water and set up your own tatting station. You can get custom tattoos with your faces and hashtag on them! Or check out this digital temporary tattoo company here in Central Florida.
Interactive Favors aka Herb Filling Station - You can go cooking herbs or potpourri for this one. Set up jars filled with different herbs and/or spices and let your guests make their own mix. Get custom baggies or jars for that personal touch and send your guests home with something that smells divine.
Hora Loca - A favorite with Latin roots but is going mainstream real fast, this hour of crazy is typically at the tail end of the party and usually is the height of the hype when it comes to music. It can be accompanied by as little as light up LED foam sticks, face masks, and silly hats all the way to live LED covered performers, drummers, and dancers. This really gets the party going WILD so if a spectacular time is not for you, just ignore this suggestion.
Mixology - Have your guests create their own drinks with a mixology lesson during your cocktail hour! Alternatively, you can get little accouterments that guests can add to their beverages: glitter bombs, silly straws, tiki umbrellas - make it fun!
Yard Games - People always wonder if yard games will be seen as lame and unnecessary. The truth is, every time we put them out at a wedding, SOMEONE is always using it. We guarantee they’re a hit and bonus, you get to use them after your wedding in your home as well. Jenga, corn hole, tic tac toe, giant connect four, croquet - you name it, it all gets used! We promise!
🔥HOT TIP🔥: Make your Giant Jenga into a guest book and have your guests sign each piece!
Taco Bar - …or nacho bar, or ice cream bar, or brownie or cupcake decorating bar. People actually love doing something with their hands and also, they love food. Why not put it together and create an activity for all of your guests to enjoy?!
🔥HOT TIP🔥: For guest counts over 50 we recommend doing two stations of each so that your line doesn’t back up.
Massive Crossword Puzzle - This California couple made a cute, extra large crossword puzzle for their guests to play. Clues were fun facts about the couple. Credit for this one goes to Paige Events in California. Thanks for sharing!
Live Painting/Caricatures - Hire a live painter for your guests to watch throughout the evening. Bonus, you get a hand painted portrait of you and your boo straight out of your special night! Alternatively send your guests home with a favor of themselves. Erin from Starry Night Event Painting does caricatures on pieces of wood that can be used as ornaments. Book her for your wedding here!
Magic Shows - Not just for kid’s birthday parties. Hire a magician for a show during cocktail hour or dinner to keep your guests on their toes and entertained.
HONORABLE MENTION:
Dueling Pianos - Felix and Fingers puts on a great show of dueling pianos. That’s right, live dueling PIANOS at your wedding. They put on a wild full show for your guests. Hire them in lieu of a DJ and they’ll have your guests dancing all night long!
We hope you found something inspiring in this blog and decide to do something extra special for your guests. By creating activities, you’re also creating memories for some of the most special people in your life. Ready to talk details on how we can make your wedding interactive? Schedule a consultation call here.
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