37 Original Wedding Entertainment Ideas for Your Big Day
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Wedding planning is all about creating an experience for you and your guests. While the ceremony is the main event, the wedding reception is the icing on the cake. If you’re looking for unusual wedding entertainment ideas to blow your guests away, here are 37 suggestions you can throw in the mix to suit every taste and style.
Live Band with a Twist
Instead of a traditional wedding band, choose an alternative wedding band like the Flyaways, a blend of Mumford & Sons and Mississippi blues, or LFX, one of the most unique wedding party entertainment ideas that add a unique nightclub aesthetic to their performances with the sounds of Ibiza.
Interested in renting a photo booth for your event?
Live Painting
Hire a wedding artist to paint your wedding day on canvas live. Some even contribute to entertainment ideas for wedding receptions by allowing guests to brush their own strokes. A wedding painter like Lucy McLoughlin is one of the top live event artists for weddings, creating inspired illustrations while offering your guests a keepsake.
Silent Disco
Giving guests wireless headphones with multiple music channels so they can choose their own dance track without the speakers is th dream for most wedding planners. Silent disco services like The Silent Disco Company throw out the one-size-fits-all music, allowing guests to choose their own sounds for the night.
Flash Mob
Surprise your guests with a pre-arranged flash mob from the wedding party, or hire professionals to put on a show. Some of the best wedding venues in the UK offer flash mob services. You can also hire companies like Club Mob when deciding on wedding day entertainment ideas.
Wine or Whiskey Tasting
One of best cheap wedding entertainment ideas, set up a wine or whiskey-tasting bar where guests can sample different varieties with a sommelier or expert.
Circus Acts
For a bit of whimsy, hire circus performers like jugglers, fire-eaters, or stilt walkers to entertain. Companies like Circus Uncertainty offer professional circus acts for weddings, such as living statues, fire performers, and burlesque.
Real-time Wedding Newspaper
Wow your guests with a custom wedding newspaper filled with stories from every part of the wedding day. Wedding newspapers feature the couple, playful “headlines,” photos, and special messages from guests, all created in real-time. Handed out during the reception or at the end of the night, it adds a unique touch and gives everyone something to remember how good the wedding was.
Interactive Food Stations
Food entertainment like sushi rolling, pizza making, or DIY dessert bars can give guests a hands-on experience. Tabla Cuisine and other highly-rated catering companies offer a dynamic and engaging wedding catering experience.
Wedding Photo Booth
Wedding photo booth hire has gained significant popularity in recent years as one of the most fun and interactive wedding reception ideas for entertainment. Besides providing fun, it’s an ideal alternative to a wedding photographer as couples can get great-quality photos of their wedding.
Caricature Artist
Instead of traditional photos, hire a caricature artist to draw fun portraits of your guests. Alive Network has a large list of talented caricature artists offering their services for weddings across the UK.
Dance Off
If you like cheap wedding entertainment ideas, organise a dance-off between tables. Get wedding party members or even the bride and groom to get everyone dancing.
Aerial Acrobatics
If your venue has high ceilings aerialists performing on silk ropes or hoops can add drama to the evening.
Fire Dancers
For evening outdoor weddings, fire dancers can create a mesmerising and exotic show to keep wedding guests entertained during the evening.
Casino Tables
Set up a mini-casino with poker, blackjack, and roulette tables for guests to have a bit of fun. Casino Hire UK has a range of tables for all weddings, from small to large.
Personalised Song Requests
Hire a wedding DJ who allows guests to request songs with personal dedications during the reception for an interactive musical experience.
DIY Confetti Bar
DIY confetti bars are a low-cost, small wedding evening entertainment idea. Not only are they great for new year’s eve celebrations, but guests can customise their confetti with different colours and materials for a fun photo opportunity.
Wedding Magician
Add a touch of magic for your guests on your wedding day with an outgoing magician who can entertain guests during cocktail hour or other intervals. They perform mind-blowing tricks like David Blaine or Dynamo right at the table to create unforgettable memories of surprise, laughter, and excitement. Nothing gets the crowd going like a good magician, especially ones who get everyone involved.
Mobile Escape Room
Add some excitement with a portable escape room that your guests can solve in teams during cocktail hour. Mobile escape rooms are one of the most unique wedding party entertainment ideas. Escape Game Events provides bespoke escape games for weddings.
Ice Sculpting
Some wedding planners opt to display an ice sculpture as a feature at weddings, but hiring an ice sculptor artist to sculptor a masterpiece live at your reception is one of the coolest wedding entertainment ideas. Glacial Art Ice Sculptors are one of the best in the UK and will put on a show at any cheap UK wedding venue for all your guests.
Glow Party
An easy DIY wedding entertainment idea, plan a glow party with UV lights, glow sticks, and fluorescent paint for a fun surprise when the lights get turned down low. It is the ideal way to celebrate a lesbian wedding.
Puppet Show
For a family-friendly wedding kids entertainment idea, hire a puppeteer to put on a show that everyone will enjoy. This is the ideal option to keep kids entertained long into the night.
Interactive Digital Guest Book
Use a digital guest book where guests can take photos, record video messages, and leave digital signatures on your own private wedding album, which is accessible through a QR code. Kululu offers one of the best apps to make an interactive digital guest book.
DIY Flower Crown
DIY flower crowns are a hassle-free wedding entertainment idea that costs next to nothing. Create a flower crown station where guests can make their own headwear, a fun and floral experience.
Movie Night
Set up a projector to show the couple’s favourite movie or a montage of their relationship for a cosy cinema feel. You can opt for an outdoor cinema hire to get a complete package.
Balloon Twister
Everyone has had a balloon twister twist them a poodle as a child. Hire a balloon twister to create intricate and fun designs for your children at your wedding, a playful touch to the celebration.
Drone Show
Instead of fireworks, have a professional UAV company like FlightShows set up a high-tech drone light show to mesmerise your guests with synchronised lights and patterns.
Petting Zoo
For outdoor or rustic weddings, a mini petting zoo from companies like Rocky’s Animals and The Mini Farm can be a cute and fun addition that guests (especially kids) will love.
Wedding Trivia
Everybody loves a bit of trivia, so it secures a place on the cheap wedding ideas list. Setting up a trivia game with fun questions about the couple gets guests to converse and compete with each other.
Flash Tattoo Bar
A temporary tattoo station where guests can choose from custom designs is a cool and interactive experience. The service is offered by tattoo station hire companies like Mi Ink Tattoos.
Vintage Arcade Games
Rent vintage arcade games like Pac-Man, pinball, and air hockey for a nostalgic gaming experience. Arcade Direct and Retro Games Hire provide a lot of options to keep all the gaming enthusiasts at your party occupied.
Craft Beer or Cocktail Tasting
Offer a craft beer or signature cocktail tasting station where guests can try specialty brews or make their own drinks. Crafty Brewing and Beaverton Brewery offer a selection of craft beers to fill your guests’ taste buds.
Roaming Photo Booth
Gaining popularity for 2026, a roaming photo booth comes to your guests, unlike the classic photo booth or magic mirror hire. Instead of long lines of people, guests can snap high-quality photos anywhere during the reception, whether they’re on the dance floor or at the table. With instant printouts and digital photos, its interactive features make it ideal for wedding receptions.
Personalised Bingo
DIY ideas for wedding entertainment must include custom bingo cards. They can have your wedding details and come with fun prizes for an extra incentive.
Audio Guest Book
Audio guest book hire offers a more personal and involving experience than traditional guest books. Audio guest books allow wedding guests to leave heartfelt or funny messages, capturing the tone and personality of the messenger that written words don’t convey.
Comedian
Hiring a comedian for your wedding can break the ice among your wedding guests, creating laughter and a connected feeling. The best comedians will tailor their humour to your wedding story, making the experience more personal and relative. The Comedy Club has some of the best comedians in the UK.
Virtually Reality
Virtual Reality (VR) glasses are a great idea for weddings, as the couple can create unique environments, such as tours of the location and the ceremony. Besides being one of the most unique wedding day entertainment ideas, it allows distant friends and family who can’t attend to participate virtually.
Frequently Asked Questions about Entertainment Ideas for a Wedding
What is the 30-5 minute rule for weddings?
The wedding 30-5 rule refers to things you do at your wedding that you’d think would take 5 minutes but end of taking 30.
How can I make my wedding fun?
You can make your wedding fun by adding elements that keep your guests entertained. This can be mentally engaging activities like wedding trivia or escape rooms, fun experiences like wedding photo booths, and wedding dance-offs, or visual entertainment like aerial acrobats, ice sculptors, and fire dancers
How do I make my wedding interactive?
You can making your wedding interactive by adding interactive elements like a wedding photo booth, which allows guests to take pictures and upload them to a digital album for your wedding. Another option is digital guest book software, which guests can use to take pictures on their own phone and upload to your guest book and leave a message.
What games to play at a wedding?
Some of the fitting games to play at your wedding and keep in entertaining include trivia, casino games like roulette, vintage arcade games, crazy golf, and mobile escape rooms.
