ENTERTAINMENT BIG AND SMALL
Knowing how to pick your wedding entertainment ...When it comes to wedding entertainment, the options are more than endless: they’re infinite, as the umbrella term of entertainment entails anything which entertains. How does a couple pick and choose? How do they know what will work best? Some couples may be stuck on what these endless options even are. Join Western Australia Wedding & Bride’s Alice O’Brien as she runs you through wedding entertainment options, in hopefully an entertaining way, and what each one can bring to your special day.
Deciding on wedding entertainment is never easy, but before you start to think about walking down the aisle to rock music and shocking your guests, the question to first ask yourselves as a couple is: why do we want wedding entertainment? Taking time to understand the why can help you decide on the who.
Image courtesy of @fotografosamuelcruzcontent on Unsplash
Written by Alice O’Brien
LET’S CHAT MUSIC
Imagine your favourite romantic scene from a movie, whether it’s declarations of love in the rain from The Notebook or standing at the bow of a ship from Titanic. Let the scene overtake your mind. Got the scene locked? Now, remove the subtle background music drifting in and out of your head. No lyrics from ‘My Days’ for those picturing The Notebook, or ‘My Heart Will Go On’ for those Titanic lovers. Just silence. Suddenly the scene doesn’t feel as powerful as it once did. There’s no removing the love shared between characters, but as an audience, the emotional build up is somewhat … wasted. This is the power of music. It enhances romance. Simply put; the essence that music carries has the ability to articulate emotions we find difficult to express solely through words. It’s a profoundly magical experience when music speaks directly to the heart, and the wedding is the perfect pairing. Music at your wedding will become a guiding rhythm for the whole day. The melodies a steppingstone through each transition. From the song weaving between guests as they crane their necks to see the bride walk down the aisle, to the song matched with the first dance, and even the music leading the way for dance floor mania. Each signifies and gives space for new emotions, from awe, to love, to party. Music is more than entertainment at a wedding; it’s how your love story unfolds in the universal love language of harmonies. Deciding what music comes with added weight. Options include live music, from instrumental only bands to a one-man acoustic guitar and vocal renditions, to playlists expertly spun together by DJs or maybe even friends lending their voices (but pre-screen their signing vocals first). Within the next couple of pages, you will discover a whole range of musical entertainment to inspire, and here’s a few to open the floodgates for your creative thinking.
Tyler Ian Music: This one-man band provides live music of any sort for any couple. If you have a rhythm in your head, he’ll turn it into a beautiful rhythmic reality.
That Wedding Piano: Bringing musical beauty through live piano to any wedding, Ryan Hunt will sentimentally guide your wedding.
Divergent Divas: Acoustic or DJs – can’t decide? The all-female team does both, so why not have both at your wedding?
Orange Ave Events: The DJ couple who fell in love with each other through music, will ensure each track played is reflective of a love story.
Envy Event Group: Belt it out with musicians, DJs and even full bands, but use the team’s expert knowledge in musical storytelling to help guide you.
LET’S CHAT INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES
Melodies may be leading the steps in a first dance, but the entertainment umbrella doesn’t have a full stop after music. For both the couple and their guests, entertainment, shapes and enhances the atmosphere at a wedding. There’s no denying a wedding, even by itself, carries an ethereal atmosphere, and thoughtfully chosen interactive activities only enhance this. Let’s begin by discussing why couples should include interactive activities through some examples …
EXAMPLES …
Photobooths: A wedding is almost guaranteed to have a professional photographer capturing moments throughout the day, but a photobooth is something more. Let guests create memories with those known and unknown by connecting through the frames within a photobooth. Plus, the photo strips created will be something for guests to treasure.
Performances: Truly express your personality as a couple through specifically chosen performances. From traditional heritage dancing such as a Lion Dance, to having an on-stage magician as cocktail hour entertainment, each choice has the power to capture your guests within your love story.
Catering Experiences: Your guests will need to eat. You will need to eat. But the food and drink don’t have to remain stagnant on a plate or in a glass. There’s the option of a creative outlet in the form of interactive food stations or a signature cocktails list. If Titanic’s Rose and Jack were to be wedded, the list would include an Unsinkable Love Cocktail made with a base of Champagne for their love story. What would your couple cocktail be?
Games: For outdoor weddings with their backdrops of lovely rolling green hills, why not pair the experience with lawn games from lawn bowls to giant Jenga or chess to croquet. No matter the age, games of any variety are bound to evoke a sense of childlike joy and happiness. Let the giddiness of both love and childhood memories wash over you and your guests.
MC: Finally, a wedding MC should never be overlooked. The wedding timeline is a delicate artform, and more importantly, an artform needing to be kept on track. This is where the MC does much more than entertain but keeps the logistical flow of the entire day.
It’s worth dedicating energy to wedding entertainment. Understand which melodies or lyricism beautifully encapsulates your tale. Know how interactive activities reflect your joint personalities. Finally, spend this journey enjoying the creative process of showing your love in a new form beyond words