21 fun and unique ways to entertain your wedding guests

In amongst the craziness of wedding planning, it’s all too easy to forget about keeping your wedding guests entertained while you're off having your wedding photos taken or doing the rounds talking to everyone. Deciding on things to do isn’t an easy thing, there are so many unusual and unique ways to entertain wedding guests. So if the question of how to entertain wedding guests is rolling around in your head, we don’t blame you. Fortunately, now you’ve got plenty of fun entertainment ideas for wedding guests right here at your fingertips.

Whether you’re pondering things to do before the wedding feast is served, or stumped for ideas on how to entertain your wedding guests while you’re having your post-vows photos taken, we’ve got the bases covered. From wedding games and rides to photo-related reception entertainment, we’ve even thought up some unique wedding activities to help out any wedding guests who are keen to avoid the dance floor.

Wedding entertainment should be exciting and fun, no one wants to see any yawning bored faces on the happiest day of their lives, do they? It’s a good idea to tailor entertainment to your guests. Some of the more rogue options might not suit elderly relatives and kids, so you’ll also find a range of fun activities for wedding guests of all ages.

Fun wedding activities don’t have to break the bank either, there are plenty of simple and cheap things to do at weddings that are just as stimulating as expensive band sets and over-the-top drinks stalls. To avoid any awkward waits or pauses, many of the options below are perfect activities for wedding guests between the ceremony and reception. These wedding entertainment ideas are sure to break the ice between guests who might not know each other. That’s the aim of the game, right?

Games & Rides

No matter how old your guests are, games are guaranteed to inject a bit of fun into proceedings. Whether you're looking to get people's adrenaline up, or hoping to spur friendly competition, these wedding entertainment ideas are sure to get people smiling. 

Throw some axes

What: If there’s a better way to get the adrenaline going at a wedding, we’d like to see it. Axe throwing has become a very popular way to entertain wedding guests, and it’s certainly one of the more unusual options out there. No matter how dysfunctional your wedding party guests are, there’s very little danger. All the while you’ll have an instructor on hand to keep things safe. It’s a chance to encourage a little friendly competition, but it’s also a great stress reliever for the happy couple (and their parents!).
How much: From £465 for two hours
Book now: UK Mobile Axe Throwing

Host a pub quiz

What: If you’re looking for low-cost entertainment, hosting a pub-style quiz is a brilliant and unique way to entertain wedding guests. Whether you go for general knowledge trivia or have questions that relate to the happy couple, this is a great way to entertain guests either at their table before the food is ready. While you can hire a quizmaster, you could also assign the task to a little brother or cheeky friend, meaning it can be totally free and you don’t have to do any work at all!

Play giant Jenga

What: Instantly bring out the child in everyone at your wedding with this giant tumble tower, which is bound to bring a bit of nostalgia to proceedings. This is a great one to have outside for a game pre- or post-dinner. You can be sure that this will also go down a treat with any younger guests in attendance. Having garden games like giant tumble towers can be a great way to fill any awkward moments between ceremony and reception, so your guests won't feel awkward waiting for you to finish having photos taken.
How Much: £52.50
Buy now: Giant Tumble Tower

Host a game of Prosecco Pong

What: There's so much formality at weddings and we love that. However, sometimes when the gentle sipping of Champagne is over and it's getting a little later in the evening, people start to want to let loose a little. This is where Prosecco pong comes into play. In no time it will have your guests getting competitive with people they haven't met before, and downing glasses of fizz - what better way to bond? Just make sure you supply some cheap bottles for this one and keep any spare quality fizz for you to enjoy at a more fitting time!
How Much: £18.07
Buy now: Prosecco Pong

Include wedding trivia table sets

What: That moment when your guests are sat down at their tables waiting for the food to arrive can be a little awkward when no one knows each other. These little trivia games are a fantastic way to break the ice and will be sure to spark some hilarious conversations. There are lots of different variations online, but we love the ones with jokes inside. Alternatively, why not get a friendly helper to prepare handfilled boxes with your own special questions to add a more personal touch to the event, and save a few quid while your at it.
How Much: £15 for four boxes
Buy now: Wedding Table Trivia Set

Hire a casino table

What: If it's a bit of after-dinner glitz you're looking for at your wedding, why not hire a casino table so that your guests can have some fun Vegas-style? You don't need to worry about money changing hands as there are plenty of cashless casino options, with everything from roulette wheels to poker tables available. If you've got any card sharks in the family this is the time to shine. Casino games can also help people warm up to each other a little, something every wedding needs when the guestlilst blends different, family, work, and friend groups together. 
Book now: Ace Party Casino Hire

Take a spin on a carousel

What: This isn't one for all budgets, but if you're really wanting to inject some magic into your wedding, hiring a carousel or any fairground ride is always going to be a winner. There's just something particularly special about seeing people of all ages, dressed up in their smartest attire, riding around on fake horses until late in the evening. Guests are also likely to want to take videos and pictures with it, meaning you could gain a whole cache of images filled with your guests having the most fun at your wedding. It's also a great option for weddings which include kids and families on the guestlist. 
How much: From £2500
Book now: Carousel Hire Chippa

Book a bouncy castle

What: A great option for those who perhaps can't afford to hire a carousel but still want a bit of child-friendly fun at their weddings. Don’t underestimate the power of a bouncy castle! During the day, this can be the perfect way to keep kids entertained, but once the adults have warmed up (read: had a couple of glasses of Champagne), they’ll be ready to let their inner child out. Just remind everyone to take their stilettos off…. No one wants a deflated bouncy castle on the big day.
Book now: White Bouncy Castle

Live Entertainment

It's important to keep things fresh and exciting, and a great way of doing this is by putting on some live entertainment for your guests. There are so many different types of entertainment to choose from, but these are some of our favourites.

Enlist a magician

What: This is another one well suited to events that have kids in attendance, but it's just as much fun for adults too. Magicians are always an absolute hit at weddings, particularly when they go around table to table performing tricks, as they can also act as a real conversation starter. Magicians can be hired at all different price ranges too depending on whether you want simple card tricks or something a bit more spectacular. You could even look into hiring a roaming magician to make the rounds after dinner and dazzle people with the unbelievable. 
How much: From £550
Book now: Magicians

Get a live band

What: The music is such a key part of the entertainment at a wedding, and as much as a decent playlist can do the job, there's something a bit more special about having live music; I mean imagine doing your first dance with a live accompaniment. There are all sorts of different types of musicians that you can hire for your wedding too depending on the vibe. Maybe you fancy an old-school big band, or perhaps something heavier which will have all your guests rocking out. If you have a favourite artist, you could even get in touch with a tribute band, making sure all your hits are in the setlist.
Book now: Live Bands

Hire a wedding DJ

What: If a live band isn't quite your thing, hiring a DJ is well worth it for a wedding. Not only does it mean that you don't need to worry about a playlist or who's keeping an eye on the music, but it also gives guests the chance to make requests and put on some songs they knew you used to love in the past. This also happens to be a slightly cheaper alternative than hiring a band for a full evening, so to keep costs down you could do both and add a chance of pace to the night.

Have circus entertainment

What: To really wow your wedding guests, hiring a circus performer for late-night entertainment could be just the ticket. With everything from jugglers and sword swallowers to fire breathers and aerial performers available for hire, you can really give your guests something to remember. If you've got a large venue booked for the reception, this is also a great way to ensure there is plenty going on to fill the space and encourage guests to move around and get the most out of the night. This is also perfect for those who are planning a festival themed wedding reception. 
Book now: Circus Performers

Organise a fireworks display

What: Who doesn't love a big old fireworks display? Something about them just brings a real sense of occasion, which is exactly what you want at your wedding. All those colours and lights can also be pretty romantic, and add a bit extra excitement too! They're also a fantastic way to end the reception and get everyone together one last time before people start heading back home. Depending on how big a display you want you can either buy your own fireworks or hire a company to put it on for you.
Book now: Fireworks

Photos

Photos are a big part of any wedding, but there are a number of ways that you can turn taking snaps into a form of entertainment in itself. Here are a few ideas which'll have everyone wanting to get behind and in front of the camera.

Make a picture-taking scavenger hunt

What: A low effort solution that can give you hundreds of extra wedding photos (without any photographer fees), tasking your guests to create and capture brilliant images is a great way to keep them entertained. All you’ll need to do is print cards that ask for videos of ‘the worst dancer’ or ‘best wedding jokes’ and get candid photos of the wedding party. You can even ask for them to be uploaded with an Instagram hashtag specific to your wedding! There are lots of places that create bespoke wedding photo challenge cards, but if you're keen to have some cheap wedding entertainment, editing apps allow you to make it yourself too.
How much: From £5.79
Buy now: Wedding Photo Challenge

Set up a photo booth

What: The good old photo booth – its popularity never seems to cease, and with good reason. There's just something particularly fun about squeezing into a little booth with friends or even people you didn't know before the wedding, to take some silly photos. The added bonus of a photo booth is that most of them offer immediate printouts so your guests can leave with a little souvenir. These days you'll find a whole host of photobooth, from ones that upload images to an online folder to ones that can be set up to blend in with your decor. 
Book now: Photo Booths

Give out disposable cameras

What: Another simpler way of doing photos in an entertaining way at your wedding is to buy a bunch of disposable cameras and put one on each table. This not only allows guests to be in as many photos as they want but also gives them a chance to get behind the camera. There's something really atmospheric and magical about film photos, so it'll be a nice contrast to professional wedding photography. Plus, if you're looking to go a bit extra, you can order bespoke covers with the name and date of your wedding so each camera fits in perfectly with your theme. 
How much: £16.90 each
Buy now: Disposable Cameras

Offer photo props

What: Regardless of how you decide to do your photos, props are a fantastic way to add a bit of extra fun to your pics. Scatter everything from fake moustaches to personalised signs around the tables and you'll be sure your guests will be smiling without needing to say cheese! There are so many different types of wedding photo props out there, from vintage and romantic ones to sleek modern designs so you're bound to find some that can add a little context to the pictures from your day and get people acting a bit silly while you're at it. 
How much: £6.99
Buy now: Wedding Day Photo Props

Food & Drink

One of the biggest decisions you'll make about your wedding is how to do the food and drink. There are plenty of fun and quirky options to choose from, but we've chosen a few which we think count as entertainment in themselves.

Have a fondue station

What: It's always a good idea to plan for hungry guests a few hours after the wedding feast, whether it's for your friends with massive appetites or just to give people an option to line their stomachs throughout the evening. DIY food never fails to go down well with guests at weddings and we think that the cheese fondue is the king of DIY food. All you need is one fondue set for each table and plenty of different bits for dipping, and everyone at your wedding will be dunking until their heart's content. Just be careful with allergies, if you have guests with coeliac disease it's a good idea to avoid including bread in your dipping selection.
How much: £199.00
Buy now: Cast Iron Fondue Set

Set up a DIY cocktail bar

What: In the same vein as a fondue, a DIY cocktail bar is another fantastic way to keep everyone entertained, as well as making sure their glasses stay full. Stock up on a range of spirits, provide plenty of different mixers and garnishes, and maybe chuck in a cocktail shaker or two for good measure, and your guests will fancy themselves as mixologists in no time. To make sure people don't design the most disgusting cocktails possible, why not also include a few printout cards with delicious easy cocktail recipes. This also gives the opportunity to design a signature wedding cocktail which your guests will remember. 

Let the chocolate flow

What: No one ever tires of a chocolate fountain. You don't have to be a kid at a wedding to be thrilled with the mere idea of free-flowing chocolate. They’ve been around for a while now but they still just have a certain wow factor to them and work brilliantly as the centrepiece of a dessert table. Depending on your budget you can either buy a chocolate fountain so you have one forever, or hire a huge one from the many companies that offer them. If you're big chocolate fans, you could even offer three different fountains with milk, dark and white chocolate.
How much: £39.99
Buy now: Electric Chocolate Fountain

Put on a candy buffet

What: If there's one way to get people at your wedding as excited as kids in a sweet shop, it's by, well, creating the feeling of a sweet shop! A candy buffet not only looks incredibly enticing but also means that guests can just pop off and grab a sweet or five whenever they're feeling peckish. This candy buffet kit comes with everything you need to create that sweet shop effect; all you need to do is stuff the jars full of all your favourite childhood candy. This foodie wedding entertainment could also subsistute wedding favours, so your guests can be well fuelled on the journey home. 
How much: £35.99
Buy now: Candy Buffet Kit

Keen to allow your wedding guests to let loose and celebrate? Why not pull out all the stops and throw a festival-themed wedding?