How to Keep Your Wedding Guests Entertained

If you’re also in the same planning boat and are looking for advice and top tips on where to start, what to consider, the how-to’s of planning, and the ins and outs of budgets, etc. etc. then you’re in the PERFECT place because we (Coco Wedding Venues and I) have you covered with our collaborative planning features AND venue search tips.

And just to add to the planning bank, we have today’s feature… How to keep your wedding guests entertained.

If you’re here hoping for/expecting a list of entertainment recommendations/options (music, fireworks, photo booths, live sketch artists, performers, games, activities, etc.), you can stop reading right now! Even though these are all fantastic options and ways to provide entertainment, I wanted to use this feature to focus on structure and guest experience rather than the specifics.

Time and time again, I speak to couples, friends or people in passing (especially when they hear that I’m a Wedding Planner – this happens a LOT!) about the negatives of a wedding that they’ve been to purely because they weren’t kept entertained, i.e. the drinks reception went on too long, the speeches overran, there wasn’t enough food, they were sat on a dud of a table… you get the drift! And the simple truth is that there are easy-fix solutions to all of the above.

So, with this in mind, here are my top tips for keeping your wedding guests entertained!

Obviously, I was going to start with this one, but they really are!

We all love a canapé and the chance to catch up with friends and family, but if your drinks reception is longer than 1½ – 2 hours, your guests WILL get bored.

If your guests are seated for the Wedding Breakfast and your couple photos overrun (I usually allow no more than 30 minutes for this, which is roughly the same amount of time that it takes to move and seat guests) and drinks aren’t provided, it’s safe to say that there will be a few grumbles.

If your Wedding Breakfast has ended but the DJ/Band isn’t scheduled to start immediately (and you haven’t filled this time with any form of entertainment, e.g., cake cutting, cocktail hour, etc.), you once again run into a boredom danger zone.

From the outset, think about your schedule and the flow of the day. Talk to your suppliers (especially your venue, caterer, bar company, and musicians) and ask for their input and advice. If you’re worried about idle moments, you have the time to rectify and/or fill them.

No matter how much thought, care and attention you put into your schedule, things can and do overrun and this is when idleness can kick in.

For example… your group photos may take longer than you expected, you get caught up in the couple photo moment, someone doesn’t get the speech length memo, it takes longer to move your guest’s post-ceremony or pre-wedding breakfast (FYI, I refer to this as like herding cats!)… and so the list goes on!

If you can, enlist an A-Team to help you stick to your schedule, assist with group photos and move/herd those cats! This can be anyone from a (trusted) member/members of your Wedding Party to a planner, venue or caterer.

If your timings overrun, ensure that you have plans to keep your guests happy and entertained (e.g. Can drinks be served earlier or longer? Are there chillout zones or seating so that guests aren’t standing around too long?) OR devise a plan to claw back some time. For example, can speeches take place during food service?

Food and beverages are the easiest way to keep your guests entertained (other than entertainment itself!). They can also be a fantastic source of interactive entertainment.

Food stations, live cooking, roving oysters, family-style or sharing menus, make-your-own desserts, dessert tables, evening food trucks, cocktails, and mixologists (to name a few) will all provide talking points and entertain your guests throughout the day.

And even if you don’t have any form of interactive element to your food and drinks, the key here is to ensure that there’s enough and that everyone (including anyone waiting for group photos) is provided for throughout the day (from guest arrivals, i.e. welcome drinks or refreshment stations right through to those evening munchies).

And on a final sustenance note, canapés are ESSENTIAL.

It’s safe to say that the prospect of creating a table plan fills many with dread, but taking the time (in advance… this isn’t something that should be left to the last minute) to think about layout and groupings ensures that guests provide their own entertainment during the Wedding Breakfast.

There’s nothing more uncomfortable than being the only person at a table where everyone already knows each other or being sat between two guests who spend the evening talking to other people. Think strategically, i.e., group people who get along or have common interests, and be careful not to mix things up or break up couples.

And if you have guests who don’t know anyone else, think about making some introductions, potentially before the day itself.

I kid you not, I’ve been to a wedding where the Best Man’s speech was 55 minutes long, and it was an entertainment DISASTER! Some guests left, some went for a walk, and some appeared in the kitchen hoping to get an advance on the cocktails – it was an excruciating ordeal to behold!

Don’t get me wrong—I love a wedding speech, but unless the speaker is a stand-up comedian, please keep the above in mind and limit the number and length of speeches (between 5 and 7 minutes per speaker is the perfect amount of time).

Once you’ve decided on the number and length of speeches, notify those speakers in advance about your timing expectations and reasons why (I give you full permission to use my 55-minute horror story if you need to!).

In the opening paragraphs, I might have told you to stop reading if you wanted entertainment specifics. BUT, I couldn’t talk about keeping guests entertained without actually talking about entertainment, could I?!

Let’s just say that there are SO many options out there to choose from. The forms of entertainment you book have to be right for you – there’s no point in having a band if you prefer a DJ (or vice versa) or shoehorning a roving entertainer into the drinks reception for the sake of feeling like you need to entertain your guests.

As long as you have some form of entertainment, you’ve filled those idyl gaps, you’ve covered a range of styles and tastes (I’m specifically referring to evening entertainment here), and your chosen entertainment is right for you; that’s all that matters.

Finally, it’s all about the two of you. If you’re happy and relaxed, dancing the night away, mingling by the bar, celebrating with your nearest and dearest, and having THE best day of your lives, your guests will feed off your emotions and joy.