Under the Current Guidelines, we unfortunately aren't allowed to have Live Music or Dancing at a Wedding Reception for the rest of the year. This is obviously causing a lot of stress and anxiety for so many couples who are in the middle of planning their Special Day over the next few weeks so I wanted to share some alternative ideas for adding some fun to your Wedding Evening. 

Now Firstly I will state that its really important that you check in with your venue and see what their protocols are. I do know some venues are bending policies so before doing anything give your venue a call and discuss it on the phone with them. If it is a thing that music isn't allowed in your venue, talk through some of the below ideas with them and see if they have any issues with you improvising with alternative ideas.

The other big consideration to take before spending any time in creating the below would be the safety of you both, your guests and the venue team. Some items to keep at hand for some of the below would be: 
  • Hand Sanitizer 
  • Sanitizing Wipes - especially if people will be speaking into mics - make sure its disinfected before and after each use 
  • Clear Instructions
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Table Quiz Time !! 

Yes its the return of the popular Table Quiz. During Lockdown 1.0 we all became accustomed to the nights of the family quiz on zoom  !! So its time to get the thinking caps on again. I have seen this in action at some recent weddings and its been fantastic. The guests had so much fun and there was alot of competitiveness between the teams. 
So What do you need : 
  • 1 x MC - this needs to be someone who is quite confident on the mic and will have a bit of fun with everyone 
  • 1 x Score Keeper - this person will be collecting the score sheets and keeping tabs on the scores for updating everyone
  • 1 x Pen for Every Table 
  • 1 x Set of Answer Pages for each Team 
  • A Few Spot Prizes or a Round of Drinks for the Winners

I know time is limited for a lot of couples so I have taken some time out to put together a full quiz for you. You can click on the link Below to Download your FREE Table Quiz

Special Messages from People who cannot make the Wedding 

This could be a perfect time to share some wishes from people who cannot be there on the day. This could be a job that your bridal party take on or a friend or family member. They would reach out to some of your nearest and dearest and they would record a little message for you both and then these would be shown on a screen for you to see on the day. This can be a little emotional so make sure the couple are happy with this. 
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Also Top Tip: Check in with your venue to see if they have a projector and screen and does it have the option to play sound over their systems so everyone can hear 

Two Fat Ladies ...... 88         
​BINGO !!! 

Whether your waiting on Kelly's Eye or Downing Street, Bingo has always been a firm favorite for so many people down the years so why not add some fun to your day with a homemade version. You can download Bingo Sheets online and the Wheel can be bought in any toy shop. Again you will need someone confident and fun on the mic that will keep the show on the road. 
For this you will need 
  • A Bingo Number Wheel 
  • Bingo Sheets 
  • Pens for Everyone 
  • A few Spot Prizes 
  • A MC who is confident and fun 

Board Games Corner 

Last Week, we had a wedding that had a selection of Board Games for their guests to enjoy.  They encouraged the guests to use them and beside each was a jar of hand sanitizer and some sanitizing wipes and a small bin. Jenga, Snakes and Ladders, Connect Four, Guess Who, Chess, Draughts are all perfect for adding some fun to your wedding day. Tensions were high at one stage when the Jenga was balanced on one single block. All the guests watched on and once it collapsed you could hear the guests reactions and the fun it created. 
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Get the Guests Involved 

These 25 guests that are with you on your wedding day are your nearest and dearest. These people have a strong connection with one or both of you. Why not get them involved and get them all to share a memory. It could be a childhood story, it could be how they met your other half or it could be a funny story from recent years. They might also want to give you some words of wisdom or share some advice for the future. This makes the day really personal and brings both families closer. 

The other way of getting the guests involved would be for them to share a party piece. This could be wrote on their menus that after the meal we hope you can share a party piece with us all. 

How well do you know each other ? 

This is a fun interactive quiz for the couple on the day. It can also reveal some interesting facts to your guests on the day aswell. I am sure you have all seen the "Mr & Mrs TV Show" where you and your partner get asked questions about each other in a bid for you to claim how much you know about each other or sometimes how little ... but thats the funny part. My advice would be to give the job of the questions to your bridal party and let them do all the work. 
Click on the Link Below to a FREE Downloadable List of Questions already done for you !! 

It's the Most Wonderful Time of The Year

Why not add some festive cheer to your Day !! Last week I had a couple that had a really large venue and needed to fill the room so we set up a movie corner. We got a large screen and a projector and played all the old classic Christmas Movies on it. The Younger guests loved it then later in the evening we played a youtube playlist of all the couple's favourite songs. 

Share Your Memories 

A Wedding Day is a time to treasure all your memories, look how far you have both come and maybe reimince on some special times. A lovely way to do this is to have a slideshow of some of your photos and videos from all over the years. Put them together and project them onto a screen for everyone to watch. This could be in the background looping or could be part of the evening events 

Don't Forget about the Background Music 

Although we aren't allowed to have Live Music on the day its really important to have a playlist in the background to add to the atmosphere.

​I want to give a big shout out to DJ Paudie Walsh who has only gone and created a Wedding Play List for Everyone to use for FREE on his spotify !! Well Done Paudie its a great resource for so many couples. 

A Very Special Message from Someone Special 

On my Wedding Day I was so shocked and surprised when the below message popped up on the big screen !! Everyone got such a laugh from it and its still a talking point three years later. I was so thankful to our best man who organised getting a wee message from the main man Daniel O'Donnell for me. So if you are part of a bridal party why not look into something like this for the Wedding Couple !! 
These are just a small few ideas that might get you thinking outside of the box. I know its very disappointing that live music cannot go ahead at the moment but you will still have a wonderful day and still be creating memories that you will treasure so keep an open mind and remember if I can help in any way please let me know. 

Gráinne