How to Stop Guests Leaving Early at Your Wedding?
Nerves before your big day are inevitable – after all, two families are coming together and you and your partner are celebrating your love for each other in front of everyone.
There’s also a great deal of planning involved and, with so much to organise and remember, you’re bound to be worried about forgetting something right up until the last minute.
Of course, there’s no definitive “how to have a successful wedding” guide, as every couple – and therefore every event – is different. Your wedding guests will appreciate that the celebration will be in keeping with your tastes and preferences to a degree.
However, it’s still up to you to keep those same wedding guests entertained throughout, which can feel like yet another pressure.
Luckily, our team at Twisted Entertainment have provided live acts for more than enough weddings to know just how to keep everyone enjoying their experience!
From wedding entertainment to food to social interaction, this handy article will help you to come up with the perfect event that will suit all attendees.
Make Sure Your Music is Spot On
One of our top wedding tips is to arrange your entertainment early on (around 12-18 months in advance so you don’t miss out on your favourite acts) and make sure it’s just what you and your guests will want.
Of course, although wedding entertainment can make or break your celebrations, you have loads of scope and opportunity to select the perfect act. There are scores of great options out there – and as long as your performers are organised and professional and you love what they do, it’s very difficult to make a “bad” choice.
It’s up to you if you want a romantic string quartet or harpist for your ceremony or reception – or if you’ve decided it’s all about the massive party band at the end of the night!
You may want to consider whether you’d rather have a live band or a DJ to accompany your evening celebrations – but there’s flexibility there too. For example, many couples decide to start the night off with a live act and switch to a DJ later on for consistent floor-filling hits.
If you want to take advantage of the top 2019 wedding trends, why not book a solo saxophonist? These performers have come to the fore on the wedding scene recently thanks to their ability to vary their sound from bright and energetic to soulful and sultry.
Or perhaps you should opt for the joyous sound of a full gospel choir? It’s a celebration after all, and these skilled vocalists will make your heart swell with glee.
Your preferred style of music will add a powerful dimension to the chosen theme or vibe of your wedding, so it’s important to think carefully about who you hire.
There’s something magical about live music that keeps its audience enthralled, so this is a great way to keep your wedding guests entertained throughout the event.
Provide Entertainment for Guests
Variety is a vital ingredient in a great wedding – so when it comes to entertainment, why stick to music alone?
After all, it’s very difficult to cater to everyone’s tastes and keep all attendees engaged throughout if you’re relying on only one activity – especially when you’re planning to have little ones at your event.
Activity-wise, our top wedding tips include:
- Magicians
- Affordable board games of any size (giant Jenga will always be a hit!)
- Outdoor activities for all the family, such as lawn games
- A fun wedding photo booth, complete with props!
Ice breakers are a must, as many of your guests will be meeting for the first time – plus, at some point the photographer will need to take the happy couple away to snap a few gorgeous pictures of you alone together, so you need to be confident that your attendees will be kept occupied!
Don’t Let Guests Go Hungry
It’s amazing how peckish people get at weddings! It’s no surprise, though, as all the travel to get to the venue, the excitement of the day and all of the activities they’ll enjoy are enough to have anyone working up an appetite!
The wedding food should be a highlight – and it needs to keep coming. People’s routines are different and some have bigger appetites than others, so you need to ensure that there is access to food throughout the day.
Light snacks and canapés are perfect for drinks receptions and other periods of circulation and chat earlier in the day – and, of course, you can’t forget your wedding feast later on!
Creative food options are a major trend at the moment, from cheese stacks and dessert tables in place of a wedding cake to food trucks, doughnut stands and plenty more besides.
You might also want to provide everyone with a late night snack to keep the energy levels high – an approach that is also becoming ever more popular.
Remember to cater to all requirements, including allergies and meat-free diets.
Stick to Your Schedule
Your guests will always like to know what’s next and when it’s happening, so sticking to a clear schedule is very important.
Everyone who has ever been a bride or groom knows how amazingly fast time flies at your wedding – so you need to keep an eye on it, as taking photos or chatting to relatives can get distracting!
Leaving guests without entertainment means risking them becoming bored, and that’s something that no one wants. Keep speeches and toasts short, and ensure there’s always something else to look forward to.
Have More Than One Room
Entertaining a large number of people from a variety of different backgrounds will mean that not everyone will have the same tastes or priorities, and that’s fine.
You may be looking forward to going wild on the dance floor, but some of your older guests – and perhaps attendees with small children too – might need to find a more chilled out spot for a while.
Your attendees are more likely to stick around if they can move between rooms for a change of scenery or a bit of a break occasionally.
It’s a smart idea to ensure that the bar and the dance floor are close to each other too – as this will tempt guests into staying for just one more boogie… and then perhaps another…
Interact with Your Guests
There will be people present who you haven’t seen for ages, and it might be tempting to spend all of your time catching up with them. However, it’s important to circulate and spend a little time with everyone. After all, they’ve come to celebrate your big day with you – and some may have travelled quite a long way, so it’s important to thank them!
Of course, you won’t have time for in depth conversations with every individual, and most of your guests will understand that. Keep it brief, and if you find you’ve got a lot more to say, why not contact them afterwards and arrange a personal get together at a later date so you can fill each other in on what’s new.
The majority of your guests will understand that ultimately, this day is about you and your beloved celebrating one another. However, it’s important for you to remember that everyone there will need to feel appreciated and entertained – plus, it takes a little pressure off you!
To keep everyone happy and to prevent early exits on your big day, we highly recommend that you:
- Spend a lot of time and effort planning your music
- Think up alternative entertainment so your guests can enjoy the variety
- Ensure there is good food available all day
- Make a clear schedule and stick to it religiously
- Spread the attractions out across rooms (ensuring there is at least one quieter space)
- Spend time with every single person there
Following steps will help to relieve a little of the stress and nerves that come with entertaining the full complement of family and friends, and will ensure that your wedding day is a roaring success!
