No matter what kind of wedding you’re planning, whether it’s a glam formal affair or an intimate gathering, it’s good form to keep your guests entertained. And there are SO many ways to do so – whatever the mood. Here’s some of our favourite wedding entertainment, from music to massage.
Capturing your guests
We’ve all been at a wedding with a photobooth and we all know how much fun they are. But have you ever had your portrait drawn at a wedding? Amy of The Portrait Machine does exactly that. She sits in her little booth, you put a ticket in a slot and she draws a super charming doodle of you through a peephole. It only takes a minute or so to do each portrait and you can chat to her in her booth in the meantime, which is surreal and brilliant. Along the same lines as Amy are the magical Roving Artists – Charles or Michael will wander amongst your guests, stopping to cut amazingly accurate silhouettes of them while they enjoy themselves – as Charles says “each group greets me with initial surprise and reluctance, followed by delight and astonishment at the silhouette.” Another wonderful idea for capturing some of the love and joy on your wedding day is to hire the Big Red Box – an iconic British telephone box that serves as an audio guest book. Your guests can go inside the box and record heartfelt (or hilarious) messages for you in privacy – then a few weeks after your wedding you’ll receive a little red box with a USB stick containing all of your lovely messages.


For the kids
If you’re having kids at your wedding, it’s a great idea to have some entertainment tailored to them, like the Amazing Art Cart – run by Dawn and her gang of artists and designers, this little cart will keep children of all ages busy cutting, sticking, drawing and making. Thanks to Dawn’s background in design, the cart is so colourful and fun-looking it’s bound to attract the kids’ attention. If you want to go all out and know the kids will be taken care of while the adults dance the night away, the Little Top is an excellent option. As wedding childcare specialists, they will set up their little tent area and fill it with everything your guests’ kids could want – toys, games, dressing up stuff, art and craft activities. Susie even offers a sleepover option where they’ll set up a wedding creche with a story time area, blankets, fairy lights, a film, popcorn, hot chocolate and of course trained child carers. Then your guests can collect the kids on their way home after they’ve partied the night away.


Bring the noise
Why not bring a carnival atmosphere to your big day with a New Orleans-style brass band? Form a procession through the streets from your ceremony to your reception venue with the Brass Junkies leading the way. Or have them light up the dancefloor later in the night – whatever and wherever they’re playing, you can be certain that their high-energy, good-time music will bring all the joy. Another idea that is unusual (but so much fun) is to do karaoke – but not just any karaoke – live band karaoke. Your guests can get up on stage with a full rock band and belt out one of 200 songs in the band’s repertoire. The Rockaoke crew will make your guests feel like proper rock stars, even if they don’t quite sound like one. Of course, if what you really want is a brilliant DJ that will play a load of absolute bangers and keep your guests dancing all night long, then we highly recommend The Wedding Smashers. Wedding Smashers formed in 2010 when a shared love of Fleetwood Mac, 90’s Pop and UK Garage bonded Max, Lucy and Noah. The crew includes a hand-picked selection of London’s finest DJs, all united in their mission to play the tunes that will get you moving your feet and shaking your hips.


Feel good, look good
If you ask us, weddings are the ideal time to sport a glitter beard. Agree? Hire an eco glitter bar like ecostardust and they will send their artists to your reception to add some sparkle wherever it’s needed! Or if sparkles aren’t your thing, you can always toughen your guests up with some (temporary) tattoos from Hello Doris Loves. They’ll bring a tattoo station to your reception venue and adorn your guests with their fun designs. Want to make sure your guests feel good as well as looking their best? Get Kate of Heilsa Therapies to show up and treat your friends and family to her relaxing massage and reflexology treatments, either from her bespoke therapy trailer or in a cosy spot of your choice.

Think outside the box
When it comes to wedding entertainment, think about what kind of theme you want to go for (we’re not talking about whether you go for lilac or blue napkins – more what kind of vibe you want to achieve). If you want to give your wedding a festival/fairground feel, you could always hire funfair rides so your guests can squeal the night away! There are plenty of companies that do ride hire, such as Chippa. Get some stilt walkers to wander among your guests – in the right setting this will be incredible. And never, ever underestimate the appeal of donkey rides – hire some gorgeous donkeys to take the kids up and down – they’re guaranteed to love it. If you’re going for a South American vibe, swap your donkeys for a llama, like our gorgeous couple Alex & Sam! Think outside of the box so you can really surprise your lovely friends and family.