When it’s your time to bring everyone together, it’s hard not to want something outstanding at your event that everyone remembers! There’s something special about looking around the room and seeing your guests having an enjoyable time at your own wedding or event.
We’ve created a list of four easy entertainment ideas to add to your event that can keep your guests entertained while you’re busy taking photos, eating dinner, dancing, or visiting with everyone else. There’s only one of you, so it’s awesome if your guests can be entertained on their own while they wait for speeches, dinner, or a moment to congratulate you in person.
Easy Entertainment Ideas
We’ll dive into four entertainment ideas, all that can be implemented by your vendor, but offer opportunities to add your own ideas to make them custom. These elements help make your wedding or event unique and finding something that fits you and your partner’s personality will help create a more meaningful, memorable day.
1. Grazing Table Or Food Station – A Delicious Display
Food can absolutely be a form of entertainment! From the time guests arrive, they will eat if it’s provided! Help keep their belly pleased before or after dinner with a delicious display of snacks, desserts, or candy. Create an appealing display with trays and cake stands of varying heights.
An interactive food station, where guests can customize their food creation to their preferences is a win for everyone. Some of our favorite ideas are smores, popcorn, soft pretzels, or a Bloody Mary bar. While these are mainly do-it-yourself and low-maintenance activities, you still will want someone’s eyes on the table, like a coordinator or designated helper, to restock and tidy up from time to time.
Here are a few local Grand Rapids caterers that can help bring your display table or food station to life: Distinctive Catering , Kangaroo Kitchen and Catering, Catered Creations, and The Catering Company!
2. Photo Booth – Complete Customization!
Photo booths are a fun activity with a ton of benefits, whether you’re the creative type or not! Each guest leaves with photo strips in hand documenting the fun they had with the people they love at your wedding! The photo strips can also be customized to include elements personal to your days like wedding colors, a hashtag, or date.
Want to take the customization even further? Create a few of your own photo booth signs or props to use in the booth! Also, with open-air photo booths, you can get creative with your backdrop, or use a unique wall at your venue, for an extra bit of flair!
If you’re not the slow dancing type, a photo booth gives you and your guests a dollar dance alternative. Our Complete Weddings + Events DJ and Photo Booth team will help facilitate a flash photo activity where your guests line up to step in the booth to grab a photo with you and their group! This fun ice breaker gives everyone a chance to get their photo with the couple.
3. Complete Interactive – Guest Engagement at its Best!
With Complete Interactive, your Complete Weddings + Events DJ introduces various activities for your guests to participate in while their answers and submissions are displayed live at your reception. This unique DJ option includes the following elements you can choose from to fit into your evening’s timeline.
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Social Media Wall
Allow all your wedding guests to experience the virtual social media stream of your event, group meeting, or activity. The social wall lets you submit photos and/or messages from your custom url or hashtag to display at the event virtually, or you can integrate Twitter or Instagram so those posts with your hashtag will be displayed.
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Crowd Questionnaire or Trivia
A fun questionnaire on the couple is always a great way for guests to learn more about the couple or see who knows them best! Complete can also provide trivia questions, which is a great way to battle to decide who will be served dinner first or to win bragging rights for the evening. With Complete Interactive, we can show the live rankings on the screen to let everyone know who’s in the lead!
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Polls
See instant answers from the audience as they interact with the platform on their phone choosing from options and sending in their answers from either a multiple choice. We love having guests vote on their favorite songs to help tailor the soundtrack of the evening to the liking of the crowd (with couple-approved choices of course).
4. Outdoor Games
With summertime approaching so fast, and many people opting for the outdoor wedding option, why not consider setting up some outdoor games?!
Outdoor games are a great entertainment option for your guests, no matter what age they are!! Two of the most popular games we are always seeing at receptions are Jenga and Cornhole! Both are great games that everyone can enjoy! These games are easy to play and do not require a lot of activity (so your guests wearing dresses and nice suits won’t have to worry about getting dirty)!
Having outdoor games at your reception will give your guests something to do while they are taking a break from dancing, or taking photos in the photobooth! It is also a great opportunity to have your videographer and photographer get some great footage of your family and friends having a little friendly competition!
Still, need a photographer or videographer?? No need to worry, we got you covered there too! Request pricing here for those services!
Work with an experienced Grand Rapids vendor who will help you implement these elements easily! Learn more about Complete Weddings + Events photo booth or DJ services, and contact us to get started!