NO DANCING?! 10 fun ideas for your wedding reception that don't involve a dancefloor — Offbeat Wedding Stationery for Alternative Couples

This article was originally written during the Covid-19 pandemic, and was catered towards couples who were getting married when there were still a lot of rules around socialising, social-distancing and a restricted guest count. It’s framed with this in mind, but the ideas all still stand regardless of Covid. You might not want a dancefloor, not have room or just want to break free of expectation - all of these are valid and your wedding day should just be about how you want to celebrate. I hope these ideas help and inspire you to do it your way!

Restrictions on weddings are finally lifting and we are all raring to celebrate safely together again. You might be really disappointed that after waiting all this time, you’re not allowed to even sing and dance at your wedding reception - and rightly so. But before we let ol’ BoJo dampen our spirits, let’s take a look at some alternative, Covid-rule-compliant entertainment that your guests can throw themselves into.

It’s worth noting before we kick off - Everyone coming to your wedding is:

So excited, happy and grateful to be part of your day, especially after they know how you’ve waited, booked-rebooked, stressed and worried;
Not there to judge you;
Supportive of you;
Wants to have a good time and will go with the flow.

Please don’t pile pressure on yourself or stress over what other people will think and do. My personal experience showed me that everything you could catastrophise in your mind whilst planning - yeah, it doesn’t happen. People want to support you and are going to be keen on rolling their sleeves up and mucking in. Besides, dancefloors aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, and they do not the party maketh! Ours was actually empty a lot of time - not close enough to the bar for some of our guests!

With that in mind, what can you do at your wedding reception if you’re not allowed to dance?

1 Video of your first dance

Okay, so public group dancing hasn’t got the green light, but there’s no ban on you two dancing in your own kitchen. Set up your fairy lights, prop up your smartphone, play your song and dance. Then at the reception, play the video on a big screen or even get your wedding party to batch-text it to people to watch at the time you would have danced. It’ll be a cute momento for guests and could even include a thank-you message in it too.

2 Pub quiz

During lockdown, quizzes via video chat took off in a big way, eh?! It wasn’t just the devout pub quiz team either - seemingly everyone had a go, however Zoom-phobic they might have felt! It’s easy to plan in advance, there’s loads of material online so you don’t have to start from scratch. You can add more of a personal spin with questions about where the couple met and things about their relationship. Try to strike the balance between sentimental and funny, just as you would with the speeches.

3 Pimp your speech

Speaking of which - there’s probably a little extra space for these to be a more elaborate source of entertainment, should you wish. I get it - standing up in front of a whole bunch of people to perform is some people’s idea of hell on earth. However, if you have a groomsman who does a bit of stand up, an aunt who puts together one hell of a slideshow or even a beatboxing bridesmaid - now’s the time to call in some favours! These could end up being some of the most memorable, personal and fun elements of the wedding if you have people in your wedding party who are up for it.

4 Build-your-own-cocktail bar

You all knew that at some point this list would turn to booze, right?! Never fear - it could include virgin options too. Your venue might be able to help you here, so ask them if they have a mixologist or even someone who can flair - that’s always a great show when done well! Your bartender could mix up some base cocktails, like gin and tonic or prosecco, and your guests could add fruits, syrups, botanical garnishes and - lest we forget - cocktail umbrellas!

5 Photobooth

Okay, so you’ll need to be able to sanitize props in between uses and socially distance. Hang or prop a backdrop somewhere, get your guests to pose and hey presto - it’s a photobooth! You could even include some tape measures or metre rulers as a cheeky nod to the rules. It’s easy to send round a Dropbox link or have an open Facebook album if you’d like people to share their snaps after the day.

6 Treasure hunt

Whether it’s Easter eggs or The Crystal Maze - hunts are FUN. You can also plan this and set it up ahead of time so it’s zero stress. You could hide pictures of you as a couple, miniature bottles of booze (unless there are kids around), sweets, bar tokens… Get creative and ask your wedding party to help out too.

7 Lawn and fairground games

Bowls, giant chess, ring toss, jumbo Jenga, a coconut shy, hook a duck… There’s lots of fun games you can play outside and some venues even have these in place themselves. You can organise them yourself, borrow from friends or hire items. Again, you just need a little preparation to keep things sanitized between uses.

8 Parlour games

I always just thought this was confined to Cherades - which, by the way, is a great go-to. There are others though - like Six Degrees of Keven Bacon (this name made me chuckle) - which would be fun in small groups. You could write prompts and rules and get each table to play games together. They’re great ice-breakers too! Here’s a good list of different parlour games. Not everyone drinks alcohol or wants to drink a lot of it but I’m pretty surely a creative mind could turn any of these into drinking games should each group fancy it!

9 Bingo

Ah, Bingo, so simple and yet very immersive - People get very competitive and excited for something that really is a game of chance! You can personalise this by having phrases the couple say, pics of them in different holiday spots, names or images of the people in the wedding party - basically anything goes! You could have food and drink prizes that are easy to organise and it’s a game that anyone can play.

10 Fireworks and sparklers

A fantastic way to send off the couple AND it’s outdoors - win win! Even before the pandemic, it was the most magical end to a wedding I’d experienced (especially the bride’s reaction as the groom had organised it as a surprise!) A bright, happy moment to end a memorable day.

Have you got other ideas? Or any questions? I’d love to hear what you think and as always, if you need anything - just get in touch! Carly x

Photo credit - Top image of couple and confetti is by Epic Love Story.