30 Alternative Wedding Entertainment Ideas for 2021

Inspiration And Ideas For Any Couples Looking For Alternative Wedding Entertainment Ideas For Their Kick-Ass Wedding!

[Updated for 2021]

A wedding is a day full of laughs, joy and celebration. It is also a chance to show off your awesome personalities. Entertainment can contribute to both of these areas. It can boost the energy of your day as well as being a ton of fun. They also act as a great ice breaker for guests who might be meeting for the first time. And with so many awesome alternative entertainment ideas out there to pick from you’re bound to find something for you.

Whatever your passions or interests there’ll be something out there that could take the form of entertainment on your wedding day. From a silent disco to axe throwing to a bouncy castle, the sky really is the limit. Below is a selection of some of my personal favourite alternative wedding entertainment ideas.

In order to offer you the very best range of ideas, I’ve teamed up with some fellow wedding photographer buddies. Each photo has been credited to the awesome photographer who captured it.

Bouncy Castle

Photo Credit: Lesley Burdett Photography

Bryony and James had a church wedding followed by a ‘Wedstival’ complete with a lakeside view, tipis, wheel barrows full of ice and booze and a Vintage Caravan Photo Booth. This shot beautifully captures Bryony (who recently had a hip replacement) enjoying herself with her crazy bridesmaids.

Giant Bubbles

Photo Credit: Matt Badenoch Photography

The giant bubble maker was a huge hit at Alice and Jack’s wedding. It proved a little tricky for some of the guests to master, which only added to the laughs. Alice and Jack put on so many fun bits of alternative wedding entertainment for their guests. Several of which you’ll be able to see in the list below.

Space Hoppers

Photo Credit: Matt Badenoch Photography

One of those things designed for children, yet adults seem to have more fun with. Space Hoppers should be a must for any wedding with an outdoor element. Beth and Richard sure made the most of them at their awesome wedding.

Giant Kerplunk

Photo Credit: Kate Jackson Photography

This outdoor wedding was a total DIY shindig, so naturally they had lots of DIY lawn games to keep everyone entertained during the drinks reception including this giant Kerplunk game. They used garden sticks, ball pool balls and garden wire to create it and it only took a couple of minutes to assemble. It quickly turned into a Kerplunk drinking game.

Axe Throwing

Photo Credit: Chloe Lee Photography

Natasha and Matt had a super lovely relaxed back garden wedding. Matt and his dad spent a lot of their time growing up throwing axe’s in the garden so it was important to them to get their guests involved and join in with something that means a lot to them. Top tip though, make sure you keep the target away from fairy lights (oops) and make sure no one walks behind before you throw!

Sack Racing

Photo Credit: Kate Jackson Photography

A barn wedding with a huge field to play in during the height of summer = sack racing of course! Helen and Tom bought some cheap hessian sacks from a local garden store and that was job done for this wedding entertainment. Despite the fact it was the hottest day of the year everyone got stuck in and it kept us all entertained.

Reverse Sack Racing

Photo Credit:  Emma & Rich

Laura and Andy had some games planned. Sack race, egg and spoon and they started with a game of hangman. In the game of hangman they made their parents play and revealed they were pregnant and their folks were going to be grandparents! Then when it came to the sack race Laura didn’t want anyone tripping over and thought it would be fun to put the sacks on upside down!

Beer Pong

Photo Credit: Matt Badenoch Photography

A classic that never fails to get the crowd going at a wedding – beer pong. In this case wine and a few other surprises were added to the mix. Alice and Jack put together a mini arcade as wedding entertainment for their guests which included beer pong, air hockey and darts.

Air Hockey

Photo Credit: Matt Badenoch Photography

Another arcade classic from Alice and Jack’s fun filled wedding – Air Hockey. This one proved a fun activity for all the age groups.

Skate Boarding

Photo Credit: Matt Badenoch Photography

That’s right, Sophie and Jem enjoyed part of their wedding at a skate park. Skateboarding and it’s community had been a big part of their lives and so it made sense to include it in their day. Photographing Jem showing off his skills in his epic blue suit was a real treat.

Tug Of War

Photo Credit: Emma & Rich

Helen and Peter had their reception in the bride’s parent’s garden. They had borrowed loads of things from the village hall and fete committee (chairs etc) and decided to borrow the tug of war rope too.

Karaoke

Photo Credit: Bai & Elle Photography

Seb and Liam had a very non traditional wedding in The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff. The dress code was “come as the decade you were born in” resulting in some amazing outfits! The highlight of the night was the karaoke! They both love karaoke, so it was a no-brainer to have it included on their big day! Everyone sang their hearts out and gave an epic performance, including the grooms, so it was more like watching a small gig than a karaoke session!

Morris Dancing

Photo Credit: Paola De Paola Photography

Lauren and David’s wedding took place in a barn in the Cotswolds. The reason why they had the Morris dancer is because David used to do it as a young boy. To begin as it was a surprise the guests where really puzzled, but then were asked to join in and they really enjoy it.

Silent Disco

Photo Credit: Corina Oghina Photography

Lara and Dan had an epic festival wedding at a working farm near London. To keep things quiet after working hours they had a silent disco party. Dancing in the marquee or outside by the late, listening to tens of voices singing freely in the night and seeing happy faces light up by headphones colourful lights made everything so beautiful and surreal. A must have entertainment idea if your want to keep your neighbours happy about noise.

Fancy Dress Costumes On The Dance Floor

Photo Credit: Matt Badenoch Photography

This is a personal favourite of mine. I’ve been to several weddings where they’ve bought out a box filled with fancy dress goodies and every time it’s led to so many awesome moments. Grandma busting out her moves in a tutu to your dad air guitaring in an Elvis custom. It also boosts the energy and provides so many giggles and laughs. Here’s a photo of Alice and Jack doing their thing at their awesome Alice in Wonderland themed wedding.

Limbo On The Dance Floor

Photo Credit: Matt Badenoch Photography

Another fun addition to the dance floor at weddings – the limbo. A great way to get a little bit of competition going between your guests. The inflatable Limbo stick is a popular cheap buy off amazon or if you fancy a spontaneous limbo session then a couple of ties tied together works great too.

Swing Dancing Class

Photo Credit: Matt Badenoch Photography

To boost energy levels after a kickass wedding breakfast Harriet and Matt had a genius idea. A surprise Swing Dancing Class! Not only did this allow them to share their passion for dance with their guests but it also ensured an epic dance floor by getting everyone involved at the beginning.

Ceilidh Dance

Photo Credit: Matt Badenoch Photography

If you want to guarantee a packed dance floor full of energy then a Ceilidh (a national Scottish dance) is a great choice. If you haven’t seen a Ceilidh at a wedding before, the band teach you the routines before adding the music and letting you loose. Michelle and Dan’s guests sure had a blast with it.

Unicorn Vodka Ice Luge

Photo Credit: Cuckoo Wedding Photography

This unicorn ice sculpture dribbles out the drink of your choice from its sexy cold lips. Everyone got a bit too excited about this. There were games to work out the best way of drinking it fast. Through out the day the ice sculpture slowly got smaller and smaller which was quite funny. The unicorn certainly got people very very drunk.

The Great Wedding Bake Off

Photo Credit: Andrew Billington Photography

This was part of a beautiful DIY wedding day on a farm. As well as laying on games, cocktails and entertainment Amanda and Tom decided that their guests could bring dessert and so organised ‘The Great Wedding Bake Off’. Each couple or party had to bring a cake or dessert which was then voted on by each table and the winner crowned at the end of the meal. A great way to entertain, involve and feed your guest for free – genius!

Wedding Cake Piñata

Photo Credit: The Soft Season

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of wacking a Piñata you’ll know exactly how satisfying/fun it can be. It also provides great entertainment for your guests as they enjoy your attempts to connect with the Piñata while blindfolded. An added bonus is that you can have Piñatas custom made into nearly any form that matches your wedding theme.

Ice Cream Van

Photo Credit: Matt Badenoch Photography

Who doesn’t enjoy a lovely cool ice-cream in the summer? Michelle and Dan provide an ice-cream van for their guests and it went done a treat!

Circus Entertainer

Photo Credit: Matt Badenoch Photography

Hattie and Simon hired a circus entertainer for their outdoor festival wedding. He put on a thoroughly entertaining performance and got a number of guests involved. They timed his performance perfectly after the lunch to boost energy levels after a tad too much food and wine.

Mexican Wrestling

Photo Credit: Cuckoo Wedding Photography

This was a very strange wrestling themed wedding. Instead of speeches and music, 5 fights took place between some the current British champions of Mexican Wrestling. The best men were dragged into a fight and the bride and groom even got involved in the end. No one was hurt (we think), but grandad did get shouty and tried to get into the ring at one point.

Hypnotist Class

Photo Credit: Chloe Lee Photography

Claire and Vince’s country fete wedding came complete with a comedy hypnotist, which was something new! There were a lot of volunteers ready to join in, including the groom, all ending up doing some crazy things. This is a great alternative entertainment idea for all guests to watch or participate in and is guaranteed a LOT of laughs!

Balloon Twister

Photo Credit: Matt Badenoch Photography

Not just for kids parties a balloon twister makes for great entertainment at a wedding. At Hattie and Simon’s festival wedding the balloon twister received several interesting requests from the guests, the most of elaborate being a a monkey picking bananas from a tree in the form of a hat. He nailed it!

Wedding Photo Booth

Photo Credit: Benjamin Toms Photography

Photo Booths are a great form of entertainment for your guests, especially when the party kicks off. They also provide you with some fun photos you can enjoy the following day. An extra fun bonus is when you get a photo Booth with fancy dress. If you’re planning a London wedding and looking for a local Photo Booth Hire in London, Absolute Booth is a great option.

Animal Masks For Wedding Guests

Photo Credit: Cuckoo Wedding Photography

The wedding was animal mask themed and the couple spent 3 months making all of these themselves. Each one was individually created and designed. There were some very strange masks included in the collection, which totalled about 50 in all. People kept them all day and the kids and adults all loved playing with them. The masks were donated to the theatre group that was based at the reception venue after the wedding.

Glitter Face Painting Station

Photo Credit: Chloe Lee Photography

Leah and Rea had an epic wedfest complete with glitter station AND a silent disco! Rea wasn’t so sure how the glitter would go down with guests, particularly the guys, but as you can see everyone dived face first (literally) into the glitter world!

Temporary Tattoos

Photo Credit: Matt Badenoch Photography

A great way for your guests to have some extra fun and get creative. Michelle and Dan placed the Temporary tattoos on the tables which their guests made full advantage of while waiting for the food. Temporary tattoos also act as a brilliant icebreaker for guests meeting for the first time.

Personalised Wedding Games

Photo Credit: Matt Badenoch Photography

Sophie and Jem’s alternative wedding had so many awesome personalised elements that even at the end of the night I was still finding news ones. One of the coolest things they did was create a load of personalised DIY wedding games. These included ‘Spat the Sibling’ (in honour of their brothers and sisters) and a hoop game were the pegs (photo above) were made to represent close family and friends. The level of detail even captured what they were wearing on the day of the wedding.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my list of 18 alternative wedding entertainment ideas for 2021! There are so many different types of entertainment out there from the weird to the wonderful that you’ll hopefully find the perfect fit for you and your wedding. Be it one of the above, or a type of entertainment that no one has ever tried before.

Thanks again to all the awesome wedding photographers who kindly provided their images for this post.

Did I Miss Any Alternative Wedding Entertainment Ideas?

If you’ve seen an awesome type of wedding entertainment that I’ve missed out then please let me know in the comments below. And please do feel free to share this post with anyone else you think would benefit from it.