You've planned a fantastic wedding day, and can't wait to enjoy it with your family and friends, but if you're looking to add the Fun Factor, read on!
Here are a few ideas to make your big day one that you and your guests will really love, and will remember for years to come.
Get the Party Started and Dance the Night Away
We've all heard of couples who have secretly practised a carefully-choreographed first dance, and that's great.
But what if you do away with a formal First Dance altogether, and get all your guests involved right from the start? And, what better way to do that than by hiring a professional ceilidh band!
The pressure is taken away from you, and there is none of the awkwardness of one or two people drifting onto the dance floor in the early part of the evening. It's also a brilliant way for your guests to interact with people they don't know, and for everyone to try something new!
Images courtesy of Schuggies-Ceilidhs
The Good Old Photo Booth
The photo booth is ever-popular, and with good reason. There is just something particularly fun about squeezing into a little booth to take some silly photos with friends or even people you didn't know before the wedding - especially if props are involved! The bonus of a photo booth is that most of them offer immediate print outs so your guests can leave with a little souvenir.
Garden Games
Giant jenga, chess or croquet can be a fun way for your guests to pass the time between the ceremony and the wedding breakfast - and even more fun as the evening wears on!
Jenga bricks can even be used instead of/as well as a guest book, and your guests can be invited to write messages on the bricks for you to keep as a fun memento of the day every time you play!
Think of the Children!
If you will be inviting guests with small children, then why not consider hiring a team of professionals to look after them during the day, and the evening!
It's always a gorgeous moment when small flower girls/bridesmaids/page boys walk down the aisle, but once the ceremony is over, what then? Why not have a special area at the venue where they can go to play and be looked after?
And while it's lovely for your guests to have their children with them at your wedding, it can be a long (and dare I say, boring!) day for them, which means that your guests can't always focus on the important parts of the day. I've often felt for the poor parent who has to take their crying child out of the ceremony and misses the all-important "I do", or who doesn't get to really enjoy the wedding breakfast because they are making sure that their children are ok.
Hiring a company which specialises in providing childcare at weddings really is the answer! Your children are safe and having fun - which means that your guests can really enjoy themselves, too: a win-win if ever there was one!
Images courtesy of The Little Wedding Creche
The Humble Treasure-Hunt
The gap between the ceremony and the wedding breakfast can be a challenge, but why not make it an actual challenge!
The humble treasure-hunt is making a comeback and can be the perfect way to keep all your guests entertained, and I don't mean just the children.
Of course, you can have a set of clues for the children with suitable prizes to be found along the way, but you could also have an adult version with different clues and adult prizes - think miniature bottles of spirits, lottery tickets/scratchcards etc., or anything else which would work well for your guests.
A variation on a theme would be a scavenger hunt, where children and adults have to gather particular items from around the venue, or find out particular bits of information. This is often great fun to do in small teams, perhaps a mixture of adults and children - and just watch the competitive spirit come to the fore!
Ceremony Bingo
This works best if you are having a Celebrant-led ceremony as your Celebrant will be in on the whole thing and can explain it to your guests before the ceremony begins.
You would have cards printed with particular words or phrases, and this is where it's great if you choose things which are unique to your story and your ceremony, and it can also be a good opportunity to name-check particular individuals!
At a certain point in the ceremony, your Celebrant will announce that this is where the bingo cards are to be used - usually during the part where they are telling your unique story. In this scenario, the two of you could even join in, too - though be prepared for cries of "Fix" if one of you happens to win!
This sort of bingo would also work well during the speeches!
Hire a Mixologist
Cocktails bars are becoming increasingly popular, and if you've seen a great mixologist at work, you'll know they can get a crowd cheering their fancy moves, and sometimes they'll even use visually stunning techniques involving fire and smoke!
You could also ask them to create something completely original for you, which draws on your personal story, or to recreate a favourite drink which has a special significance for you.
Chocolate Fountain
Although they've been around for a while, there's something about a chocolate fountain that still makes everyone smile! Perhaps it's the idea of unlimited chocolate; or all the little pieces of fruit/marshmallows etc. ready and waiting to be dipped; or maybe it's secretly wondering whether anyone will end up with more chocolate on their clothing than in their mouth...
And as someone who ended up with a serious amount of chocolate cake on the front of my dress after my sister's wedding, I know what I'm talking about! I suppose it serves me right for taking leftover cake home ...