What ‘fun’ wedding activities were actually fun?

[Blinko]

I am in the throngs of planning my wedding and trying to think of fun activities my guests can enjoy. It’s a late Summer wedding in a country house.

We are doing a pub quiz (teams will be the tables) as that’s how we met. There will be a prize as I just think that gets people actually into it.

There is a very pretty lawn so we will be putting out croquet, boulles, quoits etc.

And setting up board game (along with some of our fav snacks) on each table as that’s a big part of our family get togethers.

What fun activities have you ACTUALLY enjoyed? I’ve personally enjoyed tug of war at barn wedding but that wouldn’t exactly fit our vibe.

I know some will say all these games and stuff are just not necessary butI personally enjoy them. And just want the option of doing them

Sadly I haven't been to many weddings and none with activities apart from a disco.
I think your wedding sounds lovely OP as long as nothing is compulsory.

I love the pub quiz idea. I think that would fit well into a wedding and be a good icebreaker at tables of people who may not know each other.

I love a ceilidh at a wedding (or any occasion).

I agree with a pp that the only good group activity at a wedding is a ceilidh.

I went to a wedding with a quiz, it was annoying—and I absolutely love a quiz (my pub quiz team are reigning champions). Everyone was pissed and not at all in the mood to focus on questions when we just wanted to chat and catch up with family.

Just provide plenty of food and drinks, have a good DJ, and it will all flow from there. The board and lawn games for people who want them are a good idea, but not a big group quiz.

I think it sounds great OP. Never been to a wedding with a pub quiz but would love it. Presumably it will be pitched at the right level so that most people have a reasonable chance of getting a least a couple of answers. And I think most people seem to have overlooked that you said the games would be for those who don’t fancy dancing, rather than instead of dancing. From some responses you’d think that you were planning to tie your guests to chairs with no food or music and force them to play board games.

I think your plans sound great and really not forced fun at all. Enjoy your day!

Do you think I will be holding a gun to people’s head forcing them to play scrabble?

To the people not interested in playing the board games they will merely be a colourful box in a different room with drinks and snacks. Most non-egotistical people will realise it’s catering for the people who don’t/can’t dance the night away.

my sisters wedding, in the church, the vicar did a game of Mr & Mrs after the service before they did the signing. They both sat back to back with one of their shoes and one of the other persons shoes and then depending on their answer held up the corresponding shoe. It was more like who made the first move, who said I love you first, who snores, who's always right, who is the best cook etc. It was fun.

My sister has an idea that she didn’t end up doing at her wedding but I’d have done it at mine if we weren’t already married.

She thought that instead of small favours for everyone spend the whole favour budget on two or three big prizes. Then on the inside of everyone’s place name write a unique number.

Then at the top table draw the numbers and then people have the surprise of looking under their place name and then winning a decent prize. Bottle of champagne or whiskey even flight vouchers.

She went with traditional favours in the end

At our wedding we got married at a venue similar to yours in the summer. We had an evening hog roast and unfortunately after all my wife’s effort it’s what people remember the most. Not exactly a fun activity but appeared to keep the men entertained on the lawn.

I like the idea for pub quiz and the board games, even more so if I don't need to move from the table I've eaten at. I would do them after the food and speeches.

I have close family with mobility/MH issues who find it difficult moving from one area to another so this sounds perfect! They aren't able to dance either so this then chance to talk to relatives not seen in a while.

The plan would be for the groomsmen to put out the board games on the dinner tables whilst most people moved to the disco room.

I personally think that sounds like a laugh!

I went to a wedding which had children's activities after day meal before evening disco. Party games and circus stuff, jumping balls.
Funniest thing was that some of the tipsy adults joined in. There were several adults in there wedding suits and dresses racing across the lawn on the bouncy balls.

I think a quiz (good mix of questions), and lawn games is plenty. Board games, fine if they mean something to you and work well in your families but it feels a bit insular whereas lawn games are a bit more welcoming and easy to step into. Conversation ease of joining groups and dancing is key, rather than loads of siloed activities.

The standing around waiting, e.g. during photos, has to be carefully planned:

Make sure the photo session is as short as possible.

Make sure it will be neither too hot (summer outdoors without shade) or too cold (anytime except summer outdoors, or a poorly heated indoor venue).

Make sure plenty of water and soft drinks are free and readily available - it can help prevent people getting drunk too early in the day.

Make sure there is LOADS of canapes and/or bowls of snacks. Keep the food coming.

People won't mind standing around chatting if they are being well fed.

Hmmm I love a quiz but I would be unsure about this. Sounds as tho everyone would have to do it and no chatting or the questions won’t be heard? Not ideal perhaps if you were not keen (which sone would not be, even if you and your friends love them?). Also hard to pitch it right for a mixed group at a wedding.

Garden games sound fine as long as you are not spending £££ as I suspect they will amuse a few for a short while.

Board games again I love and sounds like a good idea for non dancers, but choose with care; they need to be easy ones that are quick to play. You might find low take up on this tho so again, don’t spend too much.

I’d make the quiz maybe a sheet to do as and when. And please make it generic - I went to a friends big birthday recently and he had (or his family had) done a huge quiz all about him - what he liked, where he’d worked, what uni he went to, which bands he had seen… it was bizarre and impossible and so so dull esp when the answers were read out.

I think you might find there isn’t a spare hour to read out a quiz. Or the full engagement you need tbh.

Totally agree with this. I've been to a couple of weddings where they had a ceilidh and it was far and away the most wedding fun I had.

They have them in Wales too so a Welsh link would also work.

(I really loved letting off Chinese lanterns too but they are a fire risk and terrible for the environment in lots of ways)

How many rounds of quiz are you thinking? Don’t must pub quizzes last a couple of hours. I would do a picture round so that can be put on the table to start with but wouldn’t do too many rounds. And if you are doing a quiz I would probably curtail the speeches to just a toast

Honestly? If I arrived at a wedding and saw we were going to be encouraged to do quizzes and/or contrived fun I think I'd cry?

The Holy Trinity for a great wedding are: Good food. Good music. Free flowing booze.

Gavel.

I went to a wonderful wedding (in a castle!).
There was a guy in the city where the couple live who did amazing music quizzes and he came along after the meal in the early evening. It was fantastic, and I remember it as the best wedding ever. I have a smile on my face just remembering it now.
The bride organises city wide events so I should have known it would be amazing.
She's just planned and delivered an IWD event, she's fabulous, very lucky to be her friend.

As long as people aren't forced to do the pub quiz, it's absolutely fine and a nice personal touch considering that's how you met. I really wouldn't want to do it though.

It's all about the music, food, alcohol and dancing for me.

It’s not a strict quiz. We want people to chat/joke/cheat/call out. The questions will be read out on the sound system. Of course I’m not going to expect dead silence. It will be 15-20 minutes. The vibe will be extremely light hearted.

There are some right misery guts on here today…

If a 15 minute pub quiz causes ptsd then guests can excuse themselves.

We had casino tables in the evening for people who aren't into dancing, it was less than £300 but people LOVED it. They provide croupiers and everyone gets a certain number of chips to play with. Winner at the end of the night won a big bottle of cheap fizz.

I don't drink or dance and I would attend a standard wedding out of obligation only but would hate most of it.
I'd love the games! It's a great social lubricant for people who aren't very social, something to focus on and do with your hands rather than just forced conversation.
I quite like jigsaws for that too.....
Really depends on the demographicof your guests I suppose.

I love quizzes and I get why you would like to include one, but the timing here is your challenge. You're not going to get through a quiz in anything less than 45mins - from explaining why and getting people to focus, the how it will work etc. Before the speeches and food - just prolongs the agony of waiting for those giving the speeches and people will be hungry. Between main and dessert courses - might not go down well in the kitchen. After the meal - people will be nipping off the toilets / out for a smoke and will be generally milling about. And as timings often over run so you might be hitting the music (DJ or band) setting up.

Lawn games alongside the welcome drinks, whilst photos are being taken, could work.

One of the best weddings I went to had a ceilidh, with a brilliant band and caller so it didn't matter if you didn't know the dance, learning it was part of the fun.

But honestly don't worry about games and activities. Good, plentiful food, dancing and catching up with family and friends you haven't seen for a while are the important aspects for me, and as I say I love a quiz.

Ok well I don’t mean to be miserable - tbf it wasn’t clear you were thinking of a 15-minute quiz where ppl shout out the answers. I mean that’s fine, not as long as some speeches probably! I thought you meant something longer and more serious.

Anyways you need to do what you want eh. Your wedding after all.

Multiple quizzes? No.

And the board games are being put out when the disco starts

So the only thing you would see when you arrive at the drinks reception are a few lawn games. Hope your constitution would allow you to put up with the sight of that. The horror!