Get the Crowd Going! A Collection of Fun Wedding and Reception Entertainment Ideas
It’s exciting to be asked by the bride and groom to put on a performance at their wedding reception or after-party!
But the more you want to make them happy, the harder it can be to decide what to do…
Key points to keep in mind for wedding entertainment are: avoid vulgar acts and overly inside jokes; aim for about 10 minutes; don’t exceed the allotted time; think of something the couple will genuinely enjoy; and above all, focus on “what will make the two of them happy.”
In this article, we’ll introduce entertainment ideas that convey your heartfelt congratulations!
We’ve also gathered ideas the bride and groom themselves can do, so be sure to read to the end!
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Get the Party Started! Wedding Ceremony and Reception Entertainment Ideas (71–80)
handbell
Handbells are instruments with roots in British churches.
Their clear, beautifully resonant tones make them perfect for wedding scenes! Why not perform a handbell piece to create a dreamy and charming entertainment segment? While you might picture handbells being played by a large group, there are pieces that can be performed with just three people, and conversely, pieces that work with even more performers.
Choose which piece to play based on the number of participants and the time you have to practice.
Calligraphy performance
Calligraphy performances—often done by professional calligraphers or high school calligraphy clubs at cultural festivals—feature dynamic brushwork using large brushes and paper, and you can’t take your eyes off their movements.
For the characters to be written, something related to the bride and groom or to marriage would be ideal.
Performing in a quiet atmosphere is fine, but playing music adds rhythm and makes it livelier, so it’s recommended.
Be sure to take precautions like laying down a blue tarp to prevent the venue from getting dirty or wrinkled.
Illusion Dance
The enduringly popular illusion dance.
If you wear a full-body suit with different colors on each half of your body and dance, it creates the illusion that one half of you has merged with the person next to you, forming a different persona.
Even people who aren’t good at dancing can get maximum impact with simple choreography, so it’s recommended.
Hardly any practice is needed beforehand.
Full-body suits are easy to get online, and even just wearing tights with each leg a different color is effective.
Wearing sunglasses or masks to unify everyone’s facial impression makes it look even weirder.
The Chosen One
Write conditions like “someone wearing a red tie,” “someone in a blue dress,” or “someone who knows both the bride and groom” on slips of paper and put them in a raffle box.
All guests stand up—game start! Have the bride and groom each draw a slip, and only those who match the listed conditions remain standing.
Repeat this several times, and the last person standing—the so-called ‘chosen one’—wins a fabulous prize! It’s a simple game that everyone can enjoy peacefully without hard feelings.
And it feels great to be chosen! Give it a try.
Nankin Tamasudare
Nankin-tamasudare is a form of street performance and traditional entertainment that uses a bamboo sudare (lattice screen) to create various shapes.
Because the performer transforms the sudare in time with a song, having the audience sing along can heighten the sense of unity and make the atmosphere more lively.
Many moves involve spreading the sudare wide with momentum, so you can create a dazzling effect that uses the space broadly.
Since it’s a performance most people rarely get to experience, it could be fun to have the bride and groom try the tamasudare themselves after the routine is over.
Memory Play
Memory Play, which was featured on TV and became a big talking point.
In the scene where the bride reads her letter, a child actor suddenly appears and reenacts episodes from that time—a surprise performance.
While it’s generally done by the bride and groom for their parents, there are also cases where the parents surprise the couple with it.
This theatrical piece that brings a lifetime of memories rushing back is sure to move you to tears.
NEWS ZERO-style movie
How about creating a parody video of the popular nightly news program ‘ZERO’? Use compositing techniques to make a funny video.
Tailor the news stories to the bride and groom to get the whole venue excited.