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!
- [Wedding] Ranking of Popular Entertainment Acts
- Roundup of easy party tricks. A collection of ideas that require no preparation.
- I want to copy this! Recommended ideas to try at your wedding
- Fun and engaging party acts and performances recommended for women
- A roundup of fun wedding ideas: Make your reception uniquely you with uncommon, personality-filled touches!
- A surprise at the wedding reception. Heartwarming surprise ideas.
- A roundup of recommended table-versus-table games for wedding receptions and after-parties
- Recommended entertainment ideas for a wedding reception after-party
- Recommended songs for wedding reception performance dances: A roundup of popular crowd-pleasers
- Party games that liven up the after-party. Fun recreational activities.
- [Wedding Ceremony & Reception] Performances and entertainment where children shine: wonderful ideas
- Handmade ideas for a welcome board
- Fun Question Examples for Bride and Groom Quizzes at Wedding Receptions and After-Parties
Get the Crowd Going! 10 Wedding Reception Entertainment Ideas (Nos. 91–100)
Dance performance by a maiko
How about adding a Japanese dance performed by a maiko to a Japanese-style wedding reception? In the video introduced here, it seems a professional is performing, but it might also be nice for a friend to try it with kimono and makeup.
Be sure to check in advance whether the venue has a Japanese or Western style.
Blue Man
Blue Man Group is a performance troupe that has been active since the 1990s.
As their name suggests, a trio wearing distinctive bright-blue makeup appears and delivers performance art centered on percussion, striking drums, pipes, and more.
In addition to performing on Broadway, they tour around the world, including in Japan.
If you have experience in wind ensembles or bands, why not try creating your own pipe instruments using PVC piping and put on a Blue Man–style performance? Because it’s a show conveyed purely through music and gesture, people of all ages can enjoy it.
cosplay
For couples who love manga or idols, attending in cosplay is especially recommended.
Dress up as characters or idols the bride and groom love, and celebrate them with all your heart! When you cosplay, don’t be shy—fully embrace the character.
While staying in character, try adding a little performance, like presenting flowers or balloons to the couple or singing a celebratory song.
They’ll surely be delighted to see their friends fully embody their favorite characters!
Ranking Check
“Geinin Kakuzuke Check” is a hugely popular variety show where participants guess whether what they ate, saw, or heard is expensive or cheap.
How about incorporating this ranking check as a fun activity? Work with the venue staff to prepare actual items like high-end and budget cuts of meat, or expensive and inexpensive sweets.
The bride and groom can take part, or you can invite willing guests to give it a try.
Adding a small penalty game for those who guess wrong could make it even more exciting!
clay animation
Here’s a sure-fire crowd-pleasing performance idea that will deliver thrills in proportion to the time you put into it: clay animation, featuring delightfully lively clay-made characters like in Shaun the Sheep and Wallace and Gromit.
The soft, warm expressiveness unique to clay will captivate not only the bride and groom, but likely everyone in the venue.
It would be wonderful to portray the couple’s love story through clay animation, too.
And it might be fun to include a making-of segment at the end of the video showing how it was created!
Yosakoi
The Soran Bushi is perfect for weddings and receptions that bring together a wide range of generations! If many of the bride and groom’s relatives are older, they might find a lineup of only trendy songs and dances a bit dull.
But with Soran Bushi—familiar to people of all ages—everyone can enjoy themselves while moving to the music.
Get the newlyweds involved and dance together to the lively calls of “Soran, soran!”, or add an element of surprise by mixing in a parapara-style Soran Bushi.
Finish by having everyone join voices to say a big “Congratulations!”
air guitar
Air guitar is a competition where participants pretend to play guitar without actually holding one, competing on how convincingly they look like they’re really playing and how intensely they perform.
Multiple participants are recruited in advance, and they play along to songs that are likely to excite the crowd, creating a sense of unity in the venue.
It’s a form of entertainment sustained by the atmosphere of the moment and the attendees’ love of music.
Also recommended for after-parties.