Here are the wedding entertainment ideas we'd suggest for each part of the day, with honest notes on timing. A quick word first: this guide is run by Fine Entertainments, and the entertainment links below go to our own brands. We run them, so of course we'd recommend them. But the advice stands whoever you book.
The ceremony
Keep the ceremony simple. Music is the main thing here: something for guests arriving, something for the walk down the aisle, something while you sign, and something to walk out to. A string duo or a solo guitarist works well, but a good speaker and a carefully chosen playlist is fine too.
One practical point. If it's a civil ceremony, the registrars will want to approve your readings and music in advance, and in England and Wales a civil ceremony can't include religious content. Check with them early rather than the week before. And save the magic for later. The ceremony is the one bit of the day where nobody should be doing card tricks.
The drinks reception
This is where entertainment earns its keep. You're off having photos taken, often for an hour or more, and your guests are standing around with a glass of fizz. Half of them don't know the other half. A close-up magician walking between the groups is a cracking icebreaker, because it gives strangers something to talk about straight away. Your Auntie Sue and your best mate from uni end up laughing at the same trick, and suddenly they're chatting.
We run Magician For Hire, so we're biased, but we really do think a close-up magician is the best value entertainment at a wedding. They need no space, no power and no setting up, and they work just as well on a lawn as in a packed bar. If you'd like someone specific, Lewis Joss and Jamie Docherty are both Members of The Magic Circle and both perform at weddings around Northamptonshire.
Lawn games are a nice extra if the weather's kind. Giant Jenga, croquet, a few boules sets. Just have a plan for where everyone goes if it isn't.
The wedding breakfast
The meal is longer than most couples expect. Between seating everyone, three courses and the speeches, you can easily be at the tables for two to three hours. Most of that's fine, people are eating and talking. The quiet spots are the gaps between courses, and those are where a magician going table to table works really well.
Ask your magician to start with the tables furthest from the top table, because those guests often feel a bit left out of the action. And give them a rough running order from the caterers, so they're never mid trick when the plates arrive. A good wedding magician will want to know this anyway.
Some couples like a sing-along waiting staff act or a quiz on the tables. Both can be fun. Just don't stack so much on that guests can't have a normal conversation.
The evening: a show
There's usually a slump in the early evening. The day guests have been at it for hours, the evening guests are arriving in dribs and drabs, and the band won't start until after the first dance. A short show in that slot brings everyone together in one room and resets the energy.
For that, we'd suggest Jay & Joss, the illusionist double act from Britain's Got Talent. A stage show works best when it's short and punchy and everyone can see, so talk to your venue about where it'll go and whether there's a small stage or a clear end of the room. Then straight into the first dance while the room is buzzing.
The evening: band or DJ
This is the one thing almost every wedding has, and for good reason. A band gives you a proper live feel. A DJ can play anything, react to the room and keep going once the band would be packing up. Plenty of couples have both, with the DJ covering the band's breaks and the last hour.
Whichever you choose, check the venue's rules first. Some venues have sound limiters, curfews or rules about where a band can set up, and a few insist on their own DJ. Ask for a first dance and a last song, give a short do-not-play list, and leave the rest to them. They read a room better than a 200 song playlist does.
Photo booth, magic mirror and audio guest book
A photo booth runs itself once it's set up, so it's lovely for the evening when guests drift in and out of the dance floor. You get a pile of daft photos, and guests usually get a print to take home. A magic mirror does the same job but looks a bit grander, with a full length screen that suits a smart venue.
An audio guest book is a newer idea and one we really like. Guests pick up an old style phone and leave you a voice message. Hearing your Nan's voice a few years later is a very different thing from reading 'congrats, love from Nan' in a book. UK Photo Booth Hire covers all three, and it's one of ours.
A fun casino
A fun casino is perfect for guests who don't dance. Roulette, blackjack and poker tables with proper croupiers, played with fun money, so nobody loses a penny. The croupiers teach anyone who's never played, and there's often a prize for whoever finishes with the most chips. It gives the evening a second hub away from the dance floor.
It needs a bit of floor space, so check the room plan with your venue. UK Casino Hire is our casino brand if you'd like to see how it works.
Entertaining children
If you're inviting children, plan for them. They get bored during the photos and the speeches, and a bored six year old is louder than any best man. A children's entertainer in a side room or a corner of the marquee, running games, balloon modelling and a bit of magic, keeps them happy and lets their parents actually enjoy the day.
The sweet spot is usually during the speeches and the early evening. Our Party Magicians entertainers do this regularly. Activity packs on the tables help too. And we've written more on ideas for kids at weddings.
The rainy day back-up
This is England, so plan for rain even in July. Lawn games and an outdoor drinks reception look great in the brochure, but you need to know exactly where everyone goes if the heavens open. Ask your venue what the wet weather plan is, and go and stand in that room.
This is where a roaming magician really helps. They work just as well in a crowded bar as on a terrace, so the entertainment doesn't fall apart when everyone squeezes indoors. We've put more ideas in our rainy day wedding plan.
Timings and when to book
As a rough guide: magician during the drinks reception and into the wedding breakfast, children's entertainer during the speeches and early evening, a short show or casino as the evening guests arrive, then the band or DJ through to the end. A photo booth or magic mirror usually runs for a few hours in the evening. Our wedding timeline shows how this fits into a real day.
Book the band or DJ and any show act once you've got the venue and date, because good ones go early for summer Saturdays. A magician, photo booth or casino can often be booked later, but popular dates still fill up, so six to nine months ahead is sensible. If you're not sure where to start, Fine Entertainments can put the pieces together for you.