One thing that many couples worry about when planning a wedding is how to entertain their guests. How are you supposed to entertain 100 people in a room, keeping everyone engaged and making sure everyone is happy while you’re busy taking photos and enjoying your big day? We’ve put together some of our favourite ways to entertain wedding guests in our wedding venue in Kildare, including gifts, interactive activities and friendly competition.
Enjoy a viewing of our beautiful new ballroom space in Osprey Hotel and find out how we can add that extra special touch to your wedding day. Our team are happy to talk through your options and show you our indoor/outdoor ceremony space.
Take Song Requests
One of the main components of an Irish wedding, aside from great food and drink, is music. Entertaining your guests with music is one of the easiest ways to keep your guests happy and encourages them to mix on the dancefloor. Usually, a wedding has a band that starts after dinner has been cleared and a DJ that continues into the early hours, if that’s the style of wedding you’ve planned. When choosing your band, you should ask if they take requests and encourage them to interact with the band by requesting their favourite tunes and making sure you have a full dancefloor all night long. You could also build a playlist for your DJ by asking guests to suggest songs alongside their RSVPs.
Wedding Photo Booth
Wedding photo booths are a great source of entertainment for friends, family and children during weddings. They allow you to capture some of the funniest moments of your big day. guests will love dressing up using props like oversized glasses and wigs and pile into the booth. Usually, the booth operator will print two copies of the pictures, one for the guest to take home as a memento (a great alternative to wedding favours) and create an album for the happy couple to take home. They’re great to keep you going until your professional pictures are ready.
Goodie Bags
Create a unique wedding welcome with goodie bags for your guests. You can personalise the goodie bags. For the little ones, include a game, some sweets, a book and something to colour. They’re guaranteed to buy parents at least an hour of peace and quiet! Grown-up goodie bags might include some table games, a snack, a drink (alcoholic or not), a postcard, a mini hangover ki, a memento of your special day or a thank you note in case you don’t get to speak to them during your busy day. Osprey Hotel Staff can help to distribute your goodie bags according to your table plan.
Personalised Speeches
Speeches can be the highlight or the lowlight of your big day. Encourage those speaking at your wedding to personalise their speeches, tell funny stories about how you met (but not those embarrassing stories you don’t want anyone to hear!), reflect on your relationship and tell jokes. Giving your speakers a time limit is the best way to stop rambling and cutting the number of people speaking to those essential is the best way to ensure guests stay engaged instead of popping out for a drink halfway through. Leave a pen and paper on each table and let your guests take bets on the length of speeches. The winner takes the pot!
Go Above and Beyond
Some couples go above and beyond to entertain their guests on their big day. Many people hire an entertainer or MC to host the evening, introduce the couple, the speeches and the first dance. Couples often have comedians at the wedding, making observant jokes and making guests laugh before dinner starts. We’ve seen magicians, hypnotists and children’s hosts entertaining the crowd, making people feel relaxed and happy. We’ve seen artists creating caricatures on the spot, giving guests something special to take home. Local dance groups could perform for your guests, especially if the organisation is close to your heart. The possibilities are endless!
Arrange a show around of Osprey Hotels ballroom and customisable wedding space. We’re happy to explain our various wedding packages to suit your needs. We look forward to hearing from you and wish you a happy wedding planning!
