Modern wedding without competitions and traditions: ideas

Guests, Preparation, Articles, Traditions and entertainment December 8 The Bride

Regardless of whether there will be a host at the wedding evening, or the wedding is planned to be intimate, you cannot do without entertaining the guests. How to make these entertainments fun and interesting, read our article.

Photozone

The most common, but no less interesting entertainment is the photo zone. The photo zone can become either part of the Welcome zone or a separate element of the festive dinner program. Here guests can take fun photos in the midst of the celebration or more formal ones for family archives. With the development of social networks, special hashtags for weddings are becoming increasingly popular. Don’t forget to make a sign with the hashtag invented for the wedding so that after the wedding you can look at the photo mosaic of the evening. Particularly pleasant will be the opportunity to print photos right at the evening: it could be just a photo booth with the ability to print or a machine for printing photos from Instagram. The idea of ​​a photo zone should fully correspond to the style and theme of the wedding. Try to pay attention to details and do not forget that key decorative elements should not be located in the area where guests will stand, because then they will not be visible in the photo.

How to entertain guests at a wedding: 13 ideas for different tastes

Entertainment at a wedding is one of the important points in organizing a wedding celebration. How to organize an ideal event that will be interesting and not boring for all those invited: your friends, young guests, and the older generation? We have collected ideas for every taste so that you have plenty to choose from.

Classic entertainment

Live music
will decorate a celebration of any style and format. Musicians will be in demand at a welcome cocktail or buffet table, during a formal outdoor ceremony and at a festive banquet. Agree on a list of compositions that the musicians will perform: let it include both modern songs and the favorite compositions of your parents and grandparents.

Show program

- a popular type of entertainment at modern weddings. Performances by invited artists are what you need for a festive evening, especially if you are planning a large-scale event with a large number of guests.

Which rooms will guests especially like?

• Circus show;
• illusionist show;
• dance numbers;
• music show (including with unusual instruments - drum show, ethnic music, etc.);
• performances by famous performers;
• fire show;
• Laser show;
• cryo show;
• soap bubbles show;
• sand show; stand-up comedy;
• bartender show;
• sports shows (for example, with elements of synchronized swimming in a pool or rhythmic gymnastics).

When choosing the type of show, take into account the capabilities of your venue: fire shows are best organized outdoors, acrobats need rooms with very high ceilings, synchronized swimmers will need a swimming pool, and famous performers require special music and lighting equipment. The main thing is not to overdo it and not turn the wedding into one big concert. Do not forget that on this day all attention should be paid to you, and you and your guests should have time for communication and dancing. You shouldn’t schedule the evening minute by minute and occupy each one with some number: if you have a good wedding host, he will fill the pauses and prevent anyone from getting bored.

Photo zone or Insta-booth

- Another great option for entertainment. A beautifully decorated area where guests can take photos will definitely not be empty during the evening. Decorate it in the style of the celebration, adding recognizable details: your own wedding hashtag and your photos. As for the insta-booth, guests can use it to take instant photos or videos.

Master classes

are becoming more and more popular. For your wedding, you can choose any type of master class depending on your own preferences and the wishes of the guests. Surely, your friends and family will want to make a flower wreath or bouquet with their own hands, make a photo frame, a candle, or mix their own signature cocktail.

Competitions from the presenter

- an eternal classic. Competitions for knowledge of the biography of newlyweds are especially popular.

Original entertainment

If you are bored with classic entertainment and you are sure that your guests will appreciate something unusual, choose original activities.

Tricks

- great entertainment for any celebration. The magician's actions will interest guests of all generations, regardless of how large-scale the tricks will be and what materials will be used for this: people, cards or, for example, personal belongings of the guests.

Cartoons.

Invite a caricature artist to your wedding - he will delight you and your guests with funny portraits.

Active games

will be appropriate if the wedding takes place outdoors, in an informal setting and without a strict dress code. Both children and adults who like to have fun will take part in relay races, tug of war and games of charades.

Giant games.

Huge chess or Jenga is another way to amuse guests. For such games you need enough space: a large hall or an open-air area.

Board games

suitable for more modest premises and intimate celebrations. You can involve all the guests in board games, or you can set up a separate table where only those who want to play can play.

Crosswords

- another good option for a small wedding. They can be part of competitions from the presenter or be a separate number in the program. Riddle words related to your story or wedding, and let your guests guess.

Quests

- an unusual type of entertainment for enthusiasts. Divide guests into teams, give them maps and clues and challenge them to find the treasure or get to the main prize.

Immersive performance

- a new word in the field of entertainment at a wedding. This is a theatrical performance that guests do not watch from the outside, but are involved in it as actors. An immersive performance is difficult to put on and requires professional actors, costumes and props, so you'll definitely need the help of a wedding planner.

"Black list" of entertainment

There are also some entertainments that it is better to avoid at a wedding. We are sure that you would not consider them anyway, but just in case we will remind you.

Vulgar and ambiguous competitions

, may not shock your friends, but they certainly won’t appeal to the older generation. And, of course, these days it is completely unfashionable and irrelevant.

Dress-up fun

, ridiculing shortcomings, bad jokes, can confuse or even offend the invitees.

Food and drink related competitions

, can have a bad impact on the health of guests and ruin their holiday outfits.

Entertainment during which guests can

get dirty or physically harmed. Running in heels, comically throwing water on you, and the like are not the best solutions.

Auctions and other entertainment

, related to the spending of money by guests, are most often inappropriate and put the invitees in an awkward position.

You may also be interested in the following materials:

— Entertainment for a summer wedding: 7 ideas for guests.

— Non-standard entertainment for guests: what will really surprise guests.

— How to welcome guests at a wedding: 3 original ideas.

Photo: Andrey Baida, Roman Belotserkovsky, Maxim Koliberdin, Yulia Kaptelova.

Board games

Board games will be of particular interest at a youth wedding or a themed celebration. Board games can also brighten up the moments of waiting for guests. The main thing is to select game options that are not too long, but interesting. Particularly popular will be games for parties that are not tied to a location, and which can be played both in a specially designated area and in a recreation area, for example, Crocodile, Associations, Danetki. Some games, like Jenga, can be played in two variations: both tabletop and street. If you choose strategies, it is better to focus on those whose total playing time does not exceed 1 hour, and those that can be played with a large group. When choosing board games as entertainment for guests, take care of a special area for playing: with tables, chairs, notepads and pens for writing down scores.

Games

Games can be classified as a separate large category of entertainment program

The choice of games will depend on a number of factors that need to be considered in advance.

1. Wedding venue . For a narrow circle of guests in a small room, board games are suitable - lotto, Imaginarium or solving crossword puzzles about newlyweds. For outdoor events, choose more active ones - darts, croquet, small towns.
2. Season . For a winter wedding, if the company is young and active, you can organize a trip out of town, cheesecake riding, and a competition to create the most creative snowman.
3. Premises . If the event is held outdoors or the guests have several rooms at their disposal, quests will help to captivate the guests. If you divide those present into teams, for example, the groom's side against the bride's side, the guests will play with double the excitement.

Active entertainment

One of the main components of a wedding dinner is an active entertainment program. It is important to think it through carefully so that the host and guests find a common language, guests of all ages are involved in the program, but at the same time, and the evening is not overloaded. Even at the stage of choosing a host, it is worth discussing the format of games and entertainment at the wedding: guests will definitely not like crawling or lying on the floor in evening and cocktail dresses.

Wedding magicians: micromagic and transformation

If active fun and dancing are not quite to the liking of the guests or everyone wants to relax after the active part of the wedding, diversify the banquet with a performance by magicians .

Wedding magician

There is a huge selection of artists of different categories involved in magic tricks and magic. The most popular of them is the illusionist. The illusionist's tricks involve the transformation and movement of objects, the disappearance and appearance of the magician's assistants, and so on.

Other magicians perform tricks with cards, knives and forks, instant dress changes, animal appearances and much more

When contacting the right agency, young people will be helped with choosing an artist. The cost of performing a magician at a celebration depends on the prices of the specific performer. On average, the price will not be lower than 10,000 rubles .

Master classes

When thinking about zoning at a wedding, consider a place where you can organize master classes. What can you pay attention to? First of all, floral master classes, dance, culinary or creative classes. You can even organize cigar rolling, the main thing is that there is a desire, and it suits the concept of your wedding. The more guests at the wedding, the simpler the wedding plan should be, and the more team-based its organization. You can organize a pie baking master class, divide the guests into a couple of teams and then choose the best one. Depending on how fresh and cheerful the guests should be for the MK, you need to plan the time when it will be held. For example, it is better to do floral masterpieces during the welcome buffet or immediately after the ceremony, but dance masterpieces can be moved to the middle of the gala dinner.

Types of zones

Photozone

A classic photo zone at a wedding is a static object that guests can approach and take interesting pictures both on their own and with the newlyweds. An interactive photo zone allows the guest to show their imagination and not just take a photo, but also perform some action, play, and have fun.

For example, a photo zone with removable accessories. Each guest will be able to arrange or hang accessories as they wish and get their own exclusive photo.

3D photo zone

A novelty in the field of decor are the so-called 3D photo zones. These are entire rooms created with the help of decorations that you can go into and take photos. With their help, you can emphasize the style and concept of the entire celebration.

Game Zone

Ideal for summer outdoor weddings. With the help of large-scale decorations, you can recreate any board game in gigantic size or invent a new one. Your guests will be incredibly interested in playing huge tic-tac-toe games or becoming real chess pieces on a large chessboard.

Wish zone

This area itself is interactive. But it will be much more interesting for your guests to write wishes not in a classic book, but, for example, with pomegranate syrup on canvas or burn their wishes on a wooden piece of puzzles, which will later be assembled into a single composition as a keepsake for the newlyweds. You can write on sea pebbles, which is perfect for a wedding with a marine theme, and for a retro wedding - on vinyl records, or even print on a rare typewriter.

Hand-made zone

Currently, various types of needlework are at the peak of popularity. Many girls and even men try themselves as masters of certain products. At the wedding, guests will be able to try themselves as a florist, creating their own wreaths for girls and boutonnieres for men, or as an illustrator, creating pictures for your love story. Both adults and little guests at the wedding will enjoy the master class on creating patterns on coffee; anyone can feel like a barista and create their own decor for a delicious drink.

Culinary zone

Your guests can try themselves in the role of real chefs, preparing real delicious pizza or rolls under the supervision of the chef. You can arrange a competition between teams and a prize - the resulting dish can be divided among the winners.

A very interesting entertainment will be a decorated bar counter, where each guest can feel like a bartender, mixing a signature cocktail according to the recipe from the proposed ingredients.

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Show program

If your budget allows, organize a show program and performances by artists of different genres as entertainment at your wedding:

• magicians
• artists and cartoonists
• sand animation
• dancers
• fire show
• singers and cover bands

It is very important to maintain harmony and not to oversaturate the program with various activities. Proper distribution of congratulations and an active show program will give guests unforgettable emotions. It’s great if you can find artists whose performance will be unusual or new for your guests, for example, a science show or a colorful bartender show.

Paper show for a wedding: unstoppable fun

The paper show is a whole whirlwind of positive emotions, coupled with positivity in the literal sense of the word. A huge amount of finely chopped paper is poured out in whole snowdrifts, filling all the free space. You can throw such paper at each other, throw it in the air, or put it on your head.

Paper show for a wedding

This type of entertainment is great for weddings with a lot of young guests. Children will love the opportunity to run and frolic among the soft heap of paper strips.

Typically, large-scale celebrations use up to 70 kg of paper material. The paper used is special, soft, so as not to cut yourself on the edges. Also in the process are used various options for decorative lighting , cannons or wind blowers to inflate paper heaps.

The program may include not only throwing paper to upbeat music, but also various competitions, for example, a paper battle

It is worth considering that for such entertainment you need an appropriate platform . Open air spaces or verandas are not suitable. A banquet hall is also not the best place, since everything will be on paper. It is better to choose a closed, free room, for example, a dance hall.

Watch the video of the paper show:

Live music

Live music is an excellent addition to an elegant wedding evening with a well-thought-out program or to a cozy dinner for those closest to you. For live music, you can choose any format - from a string quartet to a modern group. It is important that the style of music and songs fully corresponds to the format of the banquet. Live music can accompany guests throughout the evening: from the welcome buffet and ceremony to separate blocks during the wedding reception.

Clowns for a wedding: secrets and life hacks

Clowns can play the same role at a wedding as magicians - to entertain guests after the banquet. Call artists who will perform funny numbers and skits , or those who will tell jokes and stories. No less popular is the parodist who portrays a famous person.

Clowns for a wedding

The choice directly depends on the contingent at the celebration. Children will certainly enjoy the performance of funny clowns in bright costumes, while older people will appreciate a good joke or parody of a familiar figure.

Before making your final choice, it is better to familiarize yourself with the list of people offering their services in the city of the celebration

Study the portfolio, price list, and programs offered. If desired, it is better to meet with the chosen artist and discuss personally all the issues and details of the celebration.

Mime is a separate genre - pantomime artist . Many couples choose this type of art because... touching silent mimes, without using words, can depict a funny or sad scene.

The average cost of working as a clown at a wedding banquet starts from 4000-5000 rubles , mimes charge slightly less - 3000-3500 rubles.

Crosswords and magazines

Printed items can be a great way to entertain guests and provide a small part of the wedding that they can take with them as a keepsake. A printed magazine with facts about the couple or stories about their favorite places and films can be an excellent option to fill the Welcome area and welcome buffet, and then complement the relaxation area. The crossword puzzle is suitable for both the welcome area and the entire wedding evening. Prepare a special prize for the guest who completes all the tasks first. This way, guests will not only be able to have fun and win a prize, but also get to know you better. Don't forget that the crossword should be about your couple and contain relevant questions, for example:

• where did you meet and where did you go on your first date?
• Zodiac sign of the bride or make of the groom's car
• funny questions about your favorite films, or “trick” questions

How to replace competitions at a wedding

The standard holding of wedding competitions without preparation can be replaced with other activities:

• Photo zone. In the hall where the celebration is held, it is necessary to allocate a separate place for photographs. To make the pictures original, they can be taken against the backdrop of special stands or themed mini-corners.
• Video clip. You can use a video booth to shoot an original video with guests. If the budget is small, congratulations and mini-interviews are recorded on the phone or other equipment.
• Game Zone. It is not necessary to hold banal wedding competitions without props (funny, erotic). You can limit yourself to games - board games, quizzes, tug of war, badminton.

The selection of activities for a wedding is carried out taking into account the preferences and number of guests.

Interview and video greeting

If videographers are expected to be present at the wedding, then guests can be entertained with a short interview. They can talk about where they met the newlyweds and how they plan to surprise them in the evening. Short congratulations will be especially touching - small passages lasting 20-30 seconds will remember this wonderful day and all the guests. Even if there is no videographer, then you can safely leave a special camera for recordings and instructions for guests. Next to the photo zone, such a camera will definitely be popular, and you will then be very pleased to watch the video!

Fire and light show

It has gained popularity only recently, as has cryo-show – a fire or fire performance. In such a show, fire performers perform different numbers with fiery props: fans, skipping rope, poles, etc. This show looks very exciting!

But if dances and magic tricks are still allowed to be shown indoors, then for a fiery number you need an open space in the fresh air . Therefore, this show is not suitable for any celebration. But for off-site registration, a fire show at a wedding will be a great end to the evening.

The light and laser show looks no less impressive. Using lasers, artists can draw an entire animated video for newlyweds.

Laser special effects are completely safe, look modern and unusual

However, this is quite an expensive pleasure: the average cost of a laser show will be about 15,000-25,000 rubles .

Laser show for newlyweds at their wedding

The fire show will cost young people a little less - about 10,000-15,000 rubles. But such performances will surprise everyone present and will be remembered for a long time by those around them.

Quest

Quests have literally taken over the entire entertainment sphere! And this is not surprising: at the same time it is the work of the brain, and the release of adrenaline, and fantasy, and logic, and an interesting pastime with friends. There are several options for such quests for weddings. The first is a live quest. There are enough professionals who can help organize a live quest at any wedding venue. You just have to take into account that such a quest will require time and space. Think about this when planning your wedding party entertainment. The second version of the quest is an away quest in a specially equipped container. Yes, now there is such a thing! The quest room will come to you itself, and with it, fun for the guests.

Meeting the bride and groom without a traditional ransom: ideas

Bride ransom is a tradition that is becoming a thing of the past. Original options for meeting a couple in love:

• No unnecessary rituals. The groom drives up to the bride's house in a wedding cortege. He goes up to the apartment, where he asks the bride's parents for their daughter's hand in marriage. This can be combined with a blessing and the presentation of gifts. Such a meeting will look beautiful on a wedding video.
• Extreme ransom. The option is extraordinary and is suitable for grooms - industrial climbers, rescuers, firefighters, rock climbers. They get to their beloved’s apartment through a balcony or window. You can drive a lift or a fire truck to the house and effectively rise to the bride.
• Mini-concert. Men with outstanding musical, vocal or dancing abilities can give a performance. Upon arrival at the bride’s home, you need to ask her for her hand in the process of performing a creative number, demonstrating her talents.
• Buffet. The bride and groom, together with their guests, meet at a designated place (embankment, park), and after a light snack combined with a pleasant conversation, they go to the official part of the wedding at the registry office or the wedding in church.
• Romantic option. The traditional meeting of the newlyweds can be moved from the bride's home to an unusual place. It could be a park, a cafe, an embankment, a square.

If the bride and groom do not want a ransom, their meeting is organized immediately at the registry office or at an outdoor ceremony. The newlyweds arrive in different cars to the place where the ceremony will take place. This moment should be festive, accompanied by romantic music.

Open air cinema

For informal weddings for friends and family or a buffet wedding, an outdoor cinema is a stunning entertainment option. Such a cinema will be a real surprise for guests. You should be careful when choosing films. These should definitely be romantic films or comedies, or maybe melodramas, but not too sad. Still, the holiday spirit should not be lost! You can leave such a cinema in the background, handing over the show schedule to guests at the beginning of the evening, or take breaks in the main program so that guests have the opportunity to enjoy their favorite movie! In the same area you can show pre-edited videos about you. Be sure to take care of comfortable seats for everyone present, blankets and hot drinks so that guests do not freeze.

Mandatory elements of a wedding without competitions

A wedding without competitions - the idea of ​​a celebration in this format is to saturate it as much as possible with interesting entertainment. The celebration should include beautiful toasts, dancing, and pleasant communication.

To defuse the situation, it is recommended to invite artists. The celebration will be richer if professional singers, cover bands with live music, dancers or magicians perform. If there are many children present at the celebration, it is advisable to invite animators.

At the final stage of the holiday, you should not give up the tradition of cutting the wedding cake. This can be supplemented with toasts from guests, words of gratitude from the newlyweds to their parents, relatives, and friends.

Examples of current wedding interactives

Before choosing an interactive celebration, you should think: what will your wedding be like? In any case, it is better to choose different types of entertainment so that guests can move at a certain point in time, then relax at the table. All these interactive events are designed for a large number of guests, so that everyone can express themselves and show off to others.

Mobile interactives

Such interactions imply that guests leave their tables and take an active part in one or another competition. The most common example is a dance competition. This can be a familiar flash mob, but let the moves be thought up in advance not by the host, but by the newlyweds, bridesmaids or groomsmen. And the flash mob itself can start unexpectedly, so that all the guests are surprised and can join in the dancing. You can also interpret a dance battle in a more original way, when one group of guests comes up with moves, and the second must repeat it. Make the groups as diverse as possible: have both your grandmother and your child (if children are invited to the wedding) be there.

Another interesting mobile interactive is a selfie competition, when participants need, for example, to be the fastest to take a photo with the bride and her relatives. A great way to meet people you don't know yet.

Table interactive

Such entertainment allows guests to take a break, have a drink or a snack, without losing their cheerful mood. Remember the competition when the bride and groom take turns “distributing responsibilities”? Who will earn money, who will clean, who will drive their significant other by car, who will cook, etc. A more original alternative to such an interactive activity is the distribution of responsibilities among all those present. These table interactions with guests can be a lot of fun! The invitees will have a good laugh at the groom’s father’s promise to always “decipher” to his son why the bride is offended, the bridesmaids to inform him about discounts in his favorite clothing boutique, etc.

Also table interactives include various quizzes with teams of guests sitting at the same table. This also includes writing a poem about newlyweds, when everyone writes one line, adhering to the rhyme. If the wedding is without a host, his role can be taken in turn by the bridesmaids or other close people of the newlyweds.

Digital interactives

Such interactive experiences can be either mobile or table-based. They involve the use of modern technologies and multimedia: virtual reality helmets, projectors, sound equipment, holograms, selfie booths. And all this is controlled by a computer. Digital interactives can be both mobile and table-based. Recently, they are gaining more and more popularity in the wedding industry.