Ways to keep your guests entertained

There are many ways to keep your guests entertained at your wedding. Two of the most popular are food and music. Serve delicious food, and play good music - easy. But, there are other ways to keep your guests entertained during your wedding.

Ceremony Fan & Word Search

If your wedding is outside, and in the summer - having a paper fan for your guests is a good idea. To keep them entertained while they wait for you to arrive, make the fan into a Word Search. You can pick words that pertain to the ceremony like vows, I do, etc....or you can pick words that describe you and your hubs-to-be.

He Says, She Says Game

Print out a page that offers quotes, one-liners or facts about the Bride & Groom and let your guests guess who said (or did) what. This game is great for the cocktail hour, or during dinner.

5 Things About

A great way to get your guests talking during dinner is to offer 5 (or 10) things about yourselves. Where you met, first date, who said I love you first, etc. Not only will this table talker get your guests chatting, but it will help those that are plus-one's feel a connection to you as well.

I Spy

Create a list of pictures that you would like captured from your special day and give it to your guests. You can give this to your guests when they arrive, or place it on the tables. You should include an email address you want the pictures captured sent to, or offer a few disposable cameras to each table. The quality won't be that good, but you'll know your guests were entertained tracking down the shots.

There are many ways to entertain your guests, just be sure that you factor this element into your planning. Your wedding is a full day for most of your guests, so make it fun and worth their while. Plus, you want to be the wedding that they brag about to their friends as the best wedding they went to.

Playing games at your wedding

Everyone likes games, and what better time to play some then at your wedding?

Typically hosted by the MC or DJ, wedding games are planned to get the guests interacting with one another, the wedding party and with the Bride & Groom.

The most popular game you'll see at a wedding is the "kissing" game. There are all kinds of ways to get the Bride & Groom to kiss other than the typical clinking of the glasses. I've seen a mass game of scrabble, a spin wheel similar to Wheel of Fortune and trivia about the newlyweds.

I've also seen "Photo Scavenger Hunts" at weddings. This is the game where the Bride & Groom have left disposable cameras on each table with a list of images that must be captured. Think about all the things that can be witnessed at a wedding; first dance, toast to the couple, sleeping flower girl, drunken groomsmen...the list goes on.

Another game that I personally like to watch, but think that it's risky to play is the game where the Bride & Groom swap shoes and answer questions about one another. "Who is most likely to snore?" "Who said 'I love you' first?" This game is very amusing to watch, and the questions can sometimes get quite personal and risque, therefor, I sometimes cringe when this game is played. I'm a big believer that you shouldn't embarrass the happy couple on their special day - and this game might just do that.

What kind of games have you played at weddings? Games are fun, and get people laughing. Be sure to play some on your special day.

Bridal Showers: Games & Gifts

Continuing on with chatting about Bridal Showers....

I like events – so much so it’s my passion and part-time gig, but there are 2 parts of a Bridal Shower that I don’t like very much; games & gifts.

Games:

They are bound to take place at a Shower, they almost always do. The toilet paper dress, guessing the number of jellybeans and quizzing the Bride about her Groom. These games are time fillers and ways to have your guests socialize with one another – we get it. But, what about thinking of other ways to have your guests ‘play’ with one another and have fun? What about having karaoke, or have your shower at a bowling alley or driving range? Think about things that you like to do and ask your guests to participate with you. You don’t have to have the ‘typical’ Bridal Shower.

Different ideas:

Butterfly Conservatory (tour & tea)

Manicures & Martinis (best for smaller groups, all of age of course)

Batting Cages (hot dogs & ice cream)
Outdoor Picnic (play boccie ball or badminton)

Gifts:

The only gift I’m interested in watching the Bride open is mine. I’m sure everyone else is on the same page as me – it’s boring to sit there for an hour (sometimes more) while the Bride ooh’s and ahh’s over her gifts.  Sometimes though, this ritual is tolerable when combined with a game. I know, I said I don't really like them much at Showers, but the Bridal Bingo game makes watching the Bride open her plethora of gifts more fun.

Anyways, I know that the gifts is the main reason to have a Bridal Shower, but I think that there is a better way to do this than have everyone sit and watch. How about you ask all of your guests to take their gift with them to their seat, and then throughout the Shower, the Bride can stop by each table and open the gifts of the guests seated there? This way, you can see what others gave her, and she can spend some time with you during the event. So often guests go to showers and don’t say a word to the Bride who is busy socializing and mingling with others.

Don’t be afraid to try opening your gifts this way. For guests who are curious as to what you got, get a Bridesmaid to gather them up from each table and place them on a large table for viewing.

Need some ideas for your Bridal Shower? We’d love to meet for a Consultation Meeting. Or how about we do all the work, and you & your Bridesmaids just show up? Ask us about our Bridal Shower planning package.