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24 Unique Entertainment Ideas for your Wedding

1 day ago 7

Karen Louise Daly

We are in serious awe of how couples have gotten creative with their wedding entertainment in the past few years! Couples are thinking beyond the band, and adding to their live wedding entertainment line up with less conventional acts like magicians, drag performers, tattoo artists, poets, mixologists, fire breathers, Celtic drummers and more.

If you're looking to really impress your guests, and have them talking about your wedding for days, months and maybe even years to come, then this is the feature for you! These are our favourite, unique wedding entertainment ideas that will truly add the wow factor to your celebration and impress your guests, whatever their tastes may be.

Unique Wedding Entertainment Ideas

1. A Cèilidh

We've featured many a wedding over the years that featured a Cèilidh and they look to be a such hoot! A Cèilidh is a traditional Scottish (Cèilidh) or Irish (Céilí) dance party that's very lively and full of fun. It doesn’t matter what age, ability or personality type a person is – everyone loves to get involved and no experience is necessary. A Cèilidh is a great idea for an ice-breaker, especially if you're bringing together guests from different places, plus it gets guests up on their feet and keeps all the action of your evening on the dance floor.

Hiring a traditional a Cèilidh band is essential as they will have an experienced ceilidh dance caller who can explain the dances and keep everyone on track once the music has started. In Ireland, check out Haste To The Wedding, Arundó and McStocker Ceilidh Band. In the UK, check out Licence To Ceilidh, The Brogues and Jiggered.

Unique Live Entertainment Ideas for your Wedding | One Fab Day

2. Magician

Hiring a magician for your wedding can truly make your day unique (dare we even say magical?)! It’s a great opportunity to entertain your guests during the cocktail hour, break the ice at the reception tables, plus get some truly great photographic memories! It's also a fantastic versatile form of live wedding entertainment as it doesn’t require much setting up or large amounts of space to work. In Ireland, check out Shane Black, JD Magicians and Andy James, and in the UK, check out Chris Cook and Entertainment Nation.

10 Unique Live Entertainment Ideas for your Wedding | One Fab Day

3. Caricaturist

This one is guaranteed to get some giggles from your guests! Having a live caricature artist can transform your cocktail reception from a quiet affair to a lively party in an instant. A wedding caricaturist also adds a unique, interactive aspect to your reception, they're fun to watch and your guests will leave with a fun keepsake of your celebration. For Irish-based caricature artists, check out Caricatures.ie, Anita Caricatures and Inkwell Cartoon in NI. Or, if you're in the UK, Wittypics, Caricaturist Luke Warm and Tony's Toons.

4. Vintage-Inspired Wedding Projections

Give your wedding the ultimate cinematic twist with vintage-inspired projections. Think old Hollywood romance, childhood home videos, family wedding footage or black-and-white clips of the two of you projected across the walls as the evening unfolds.

It’s part entertainment, part atmosphere and completely personal, creating those lovely little moments of nostalgia for guests throughout the reception. Run the footage subtly in the background, or save it for a showstopping moment during the cake cutting. Find out how to create your own vintage wedding projector moment right here.

5. Mixologist

You might not necessarily think of a mixologist as a performer, but just wait until you see them at work! They can create completely original concoctions, even using visually stunning techniques involving fire and smoke, and incorporate your personal story into their custom creations while answering any questions your guests may have about different flavour pairings. And, of course, the results are delicious! In Ireland, check out Raise The Bar, Hire A Mixologist and cocktails.ie and in the UK, check out The Mixology Brothers and Mix and Twist.

6. Drag Performers

To get a wedding party going like no other, look no further than a drag performance! A Drag Queen will put on a dazzling live show full of glamour, cheeky banter and beloved songs that will entrance any guest at your wedding! For Drag Queen performers in Ireland and the UK check out our Where to Hire Drag Queens for Weddings feature here.

7. An Interactive Photobooth

Photo booths are always a big hit with guests and there are some fantastic contemporary photobooth hire options now, incorporating interactive selfie mirrors and 360 technology, and even some housed in vintage vans and airstreams. For unique photobooths in Ireland, check out our Where to Hire a Photobooth feature. Some of our faves include Selfie Box for glamorous selfie mirrors or 360 photobooths, BMG Sound for luxury retro-inspired photo booths, and WOW Weddings for Vogue magazine style booths

In the UK, check out The Burbage Booth Company, Airstream Studio and Event Rhino. Don't forget to add tons of fun props and encourage your guests to use your wedding hashtag!

8. Live Drawing, Painting & Illustrations

This is one of our favourite wedding entertainment ideas, as having a live artist will completely wow your guests while entertaining them, and leave you with a timeless keepsake to hang on your wall. If you're in Ireland, check out The Wedding Illustrator for live fashion sketches and illustration, Wedding Painter Ireland for live wedding-day paintings, or The Floral Artist for live bridal bouquet portraits, and, if you're in the UK, try Lissie Art and Ben Hughes Art for live event painting. Oh, and if there's an artist you love that hasn't worked a wedding before, it's worth approaching them for a quote - they may be happy to oblige!

9. Incognito Opera Singers

Incognito singers bring a surprise element to any reception while creating a fun, live interactive experience for your guests, with professional singers who blend into your reception. We've spotted singing wedding guests, hotel staff, waiters, chefs and even a policeman in disguise who burst into song! It's an unexpected, one-of-a-kind act that your guests won't soon forget! In Ireland check out Singers For Hire, Singers Secreto and Eugene Ginty at Segrave Barns. In the UK, check out Incognito Artists and The Best Singing Waiters.

10. Classic Lawn Games

Keep guests entertained between the ceremony and reception with classic lawn games. Giant Jenga, croquet, boules, Connect 4 and even mini golf are easygoing, nostalgic and brilliant for getting guests mingling. In Ireland, suppliers including Wedding Mini Golf Hire Ireland, Caterhire, GiantPartySolutions.ie and Hire All Event & Party Hire offer a range of games for weddings, while in the UK, Garden Games UK and The Lawn Game Company are a lovely option for classic lawn games and wedding hire.

11. Celtic Drumming Group

Looking for something epic to kick things off on the dance floor before your band starts, something to keep your guests entertained during the band's break, or a wow-factor act to end the night? A Celtic drumming group's lively music and energetic performance will elevate the ambience of any reception, and guests from abroad will be particularly enthralled! In Ireland, check out The Hit Machine Drummers, The Rhythm and Beats Drummers and Extreme Rhythm. In the UK, check out Clanadonia and Clann an Drumma.

12. An Anniversary Dance

Celebrate the love stories that have come before yours with an Anniversary Dance. Invite all the married couples at your wedding onto the dance floor, then gradually ask couples to sit down according to how long they’ve been married, until you’re left with the longest-married couple in the room. Give them a little moment in the spotlight, play a special song for them, and perhaps present them with a small gift from the newlyweds. It’s a gorgeous celebration of lasting love and a sweet glimpse of the years of happiness ahead. Best of all, it’s completely cost-free and creates a magical moment your guests will remember long after the last dance. If you’ve decided to include an Anniversary Dance in your wedding, you’ll need the perfect song to soundtrack the moment. From upbeat favourites to romantic slow dances, we’ve rounded up 40+ love songs celebrating lasting romance for your playlist.

13. Printed Pints

Want to give cocktail hour a seriously Irish twist? Pint printing is the fun new wedding entertainment idea putting photos, illustrations, monograms and even guests' selfies directly onto the creamy head of a Guinness. Guests can scan a QR code, choose a photo and watch it appear on their pint in seconds. It’s a brilliant icebreaker, guaranteed conversation starter and makes for some seriously fun wedding photos. For couples looking to try it, PrintMyPint, Social Tag Me and Picture Pint offer the service in Ireland, while The Pint Printers offer pint printing for weddings in the UK.

14. Acrobats, Fire Dancers & Burlesque Performers

Fire-breathers, stilt walkers, fire dancers, burlesque performers and circus or carnival acts are all wonderful live wedding entertainment spectacles to behold. You could schedule trapeze artists to perform overhead during the drinks reception to take your wedding entertainment to new heights, while burlesque performers, fire dancers or fire-breathers are the perfect way to liven the mood after dinner or at the end the night. Your guests wont forget these acts in a hurry! In Ireland check out Tribe Fitness, The Irish Burlesque Academy and FirePoise, and in the UK, Circus Uncertainty and Julia Charles Event Management.

15. The New Orleans Wedding Parade

Bring a little New Orleans magic to your wedding with a second-line wedding parade. Lead your guests behind a lively brass band, with dancing and plenty of atmosphere, turning the journey from ceremony to reception into part of the celebration. In Ireland, The New Brass Kings and Brass Monkeys Brass Band offers fully mobile brass for wedding processions, while in the UK, Das Brass specifically offers New Orleans-style second-line wedding parades.

16. A Spontaneous Poet

For something your guests will truly not have seen before, why not hire a spontaneous wedding poet?! A wedding poet provides provide on-the-spot hand or typewritten poetry while your guests mingle during cocktail hour or the reception. Guests come up with a topic or something that connects them to the wedding couple, the wedding poet will handcraft a poem, and they go home with an amazing memory and keepsake.

Guests get to observe the entertainment of the process, those that participate keep the hard copy of their poem as a gift, while the bride and groom often receive a one-of-a-kind, personalised keepsake. In Ireland, check out Jeff Stanford of Typewriter Poetry and With Ink, and in the UK, Love Spreads, Blank Canvas Entertainment, Pete the Poet and Demelza Live Typewriter Poetry.

17. An Alternative Wedding Band

Looking for a musical element that differs from your traditional band or DJ? If you're in Ireland, why not opt for something like a DJ and Sax duo such as DJandSax.ie, and Tommy Sax or, add a vintage touch with the retro sounds from BMG Sound’s nostalgic vinyl DJ service, The Gramophone Social, or The Rolling Tones Van? For something truly different we guarantee your guests won't have seen before, check out Sing Along Social, who describe themselves as a 'singing party for people who can't sing!' For alternative wedding music acts in the UK, check out Club Class UK .

18. A Wedding Piñata

Swap the traditional cake-cutting for something a little more playful with a wedding piñata. Fill it with sweets, small treats or fun surprises and let the newlyweds, or even the guests, take a swing. It can also double as a fun wedding guestbook, with guests adding notes or messages before the big reveal. It’s colourful, interactive and guaranteed to get everyone involved. In Ireland, check out, Party Sweet Nella, The Party Boutique, Party World, Celebrate It and Woodies. In the UK, Pinyatay, Pinatas London and Kitiya Palaskas. Want to try it? Check out our full post on wedding piñatas for where to find them, what to put inside and lots more ideas.

19. An Audio Guestbook

Looking for something a little different to the traditional paper wedding guestbook? Then you'll love audio guestbooks - a retro-style, rotary telephone where guests can pick up the receiver, and hear a pre-recorded greeting from the couple, before leaving their own voice mail message for the newlyweds after the beep to be cherished for years to come. It's a cute vintage-style addition to your décor and extra bonus points for wise words for a happy marriage from your guests!

There are lots of great audio guest book services available to hire in Ireland such as BMG Sound, WOW Weddings Entertain You, To Have & To Hear and Candy Lady Lisa. In the UK, check out Audio Guest Book, The Telephone Guestbook, At The Beep and CALLEO Audio Guest Book.

20. A Bouncy Castle

Who says bouncy castles are just for kids? Bring a little playful energy to your wedding with a stylish inflatable, giving guests the perfect excuse to let loose and have some fun. Set it up outside for an unexpected reception activity that will have both the kids and the young-at-heart bouncing, laughing and getting some brilliant photos. Every county has somewhere to hire bounce houses, but if you are looking for wedding themed versions check out Party Zone and First Class Castles in Ireland, and The Beverly Events Company and Big Bounce Bouncy Castles in the UK.

21. Mariachi Band

Bring a little fiesta to your wedding with a live mariachi band. Have them play during cocktail hour, or better still, let them roam between tables, serenading guests and creating a brilliant surprise moment. It’s lively, unexpected and guaranteed to get people singing and dancing. Mariachi San Patricio is Ireland's premier and only full traditional Mexican-Irish mariachi band. In the UK, Mariachi Rey UK and Beat Banditos all offer wedding performances, including roaming and drinks-reception entertainment.

22. Wedding Tattoo Station

Take your wedding entertainment to the next level with a tattoo station. Work with your favourite tattoo artist to create a handful of custom designs, then let willing guests choose their favourite to take home on their skin. Prefer something less permanent? A temporary tattoo station or roaming henna artist is a fun alternative.

23. Silent Disco

Turn the dance floor into a silent disco and let guests choose the soundtrack through wireless headphones, with different music channels to suit every taste. Lots of wedding DJs, including our own recommended DJ Aidan Kavanagh, can add a silent disco element to your night, or you can bring in a specialist. In Ireland, Silent Disco Ireland, Book a Silent Disco and Audio Networks offer equipment and entertainment, while Silent Disco UK and The Silent Disco Company are options for UK weddings. It’s a brilliant way to keep the party going without worrying about venue noise restrictions!

24. Fireworks

Oh, we do love when couples go all out with a full firework finish! It's the perfect way to bring your wedding to a triumphant finale. While they aren't a cheap live wedding entertainment option, there's nothing more magical and magnificent than celebrating being newlyweds with a full-blown professional pyrotechnic display. Your guests will love it too. Make sure to double-check that your venue allows for fireworks beforehand, and cross your fingers and toes for clear skies! In Ireland, check out Rocket Pyro and Pyrotechnics.ie. For wedding fireworks in the UK check out, The UK Firework Company and Dynamic Fireworks. We have a post with tips on hiring fireworks and where to get them here.

Looking for more fantastic wedding suppliers? We've got them all, from ceremony singers and bands to stationers and stylists, in The Wedding Book.

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