To be completely honest with you, the wedding party is one of my favorite things about a wedding. When I get a good group of people that are just there to have a good time, that are real chill, it makes my day so much better. When I can laugh with the girls or crack jokes with the guys, it makes the day so much easier. I’m sure you want that experience with your wedding party as well. Today, we are going to be talking about Fun Things to do with Your Wedding Party
Importance of Your Wedding Party
In general, the wedding party should be made up of your closest friends and family members. Why would you pick someone to hang out with you all day if you didn’t love them? These are special people, many of which you may not have seen you in a long time. If you’re getting married a little later in life after college, it might have been 5 years since you’ve seen them. This is a special time to get to connect with them again, hang out, have a good time, and create a bunch of memories.
Before the Wedding
Before the wedding even happens, there are chances to really connect with your wedding party. Most people will do a bachelor or bachelorette party. People usually make it a trip, and it’s a big deal. There are a few really good things about these. One, it’s a chance for everyone to get to know each other before the wedding. Many of your people in the wedding party might not know each other. Two, it’s a chance to really focus on the group. The wedding is awesome, but there will be tons more people there. These trips are more focused on the group.
Another good opportunity is the night before the wedding. There’s usually a rehearsal rehearsal dinner, but if you can go out and do something fun afterwards, that’s a plus. It might be something as simple as watching a movie or going to a bar. You could do something really special as well. One important note is to not go nuts. You don’t want to feel horrible on the actually wedding day.
General Wedding Party Tips
There are a few things you need to keep in mind if you want your wedding party to have fun. One, make sure you have enough time. Give everyone enough time to hang out and have fun. For the guys, they can just show up and do whatever until it’s time to get ready. For the girls, they usually talk and hang out while doing hair and makeup. Either way, it’s good to have that time together. It’s also important because you don’t want to fall behind in your schedule.
Another big thing is to not give people a ton of jobs or responsibilities. If you give them a hundred things to do, how are they going to enjoy the day? I’ve just seen it too many times where the maid of honor looks more stressed out than anyone else because she’s in charge of having to make sure all these things get done. Don’t do that.
The last thing is to make sure there is food for sure and probably booze. If you think about most good times, there are usually part of it.
Fun Things to do with Your Wedding Party
Music and Dancing
The most common thing I see during getting ready is music being played. It sets the mood, and often, I see a few people dancing around. Make sure to give everyone enough space to really open the door for dancing. Also, to make things even better, create an old school playlist.
Sports
Most weddings are on Saturdays, so the most common things the guys do while hanging out is watch sports. Try to find a room for them that has a TV already set up. If not, they will often whip out a phone and do it that way.
Drinking Game
A few months ago, I went down to where the guys were hanging out, and I was so surprised by what I saw. They were playing the drinking game Pile. Instantly, I started thinking of my friends because we played it a lot back in college.
Now, I’m not saying people need to get hammered, but it is something for people to do. It’s especially fun when it’s something you all connected with in the past.
Story Time
Anytime I get together with my friends, we start telling stories of the crazy things that happened in our past. There’s something really fun about reliving things together. As you go through the day, make sure to tell some of the best stories you have. You’ll be surprised how many ones they forgot about.
Karaoke
There’s a reason why karaoke is popular at bars. People love to sing, especially in groups to songs they know. You can rent a real karaoke machine or I’m sure there are apps you can get for your phone. Either way, it will be a great way to pass the time.
Catch Phrase
Growing up, my friends and I had a ton of inside jokes and catch phrases. This can be a fun game for the day. Decide on a catch phrase, and the point of the game is to use it as much as possible throughout the day. See how you can blend it in to each situation.
High-Five
Another fun game is called high-five. It’s simple. You go around and try to get people to high-five you, and you keep score. You get 1 point for every person you know and 3 points for people you don’t know. Now, this might not be the best game with Covid going on, but in a year or two, it will be back!
The Grand Entrance
The Grand Entrance is a great opportunity for your wedding party to be creative. Usually, they pair up and create an interesting way to come in as they are introduced. It could be dance moves or something interesting like shotgunning beers.
Dance Circle
Once the dancing begins, it’s time to really have some fun. One thing I love is when they form a dance circle. It’s kind of like a dance off. They form a circle and someone hops in the middle and does some kind of dancing and then someone else comes out and tries to do something cooler than what they did.
Photo Booth
Photo booths are good for a lot of things, but it for sure is helpful for your wedding party. The entire wedding party can get together, put on some props, and act crazy. The best part is that they can get prints afterwards. Then, they have something to remember the night.
Recently, I was photographing a former student’s wedding, and to make things even better, I taught most of her bridesmaids. At the end of the night, we all got in the photo booth. I love the print I got, and I plan on keeping it for a long time.
Creative Photos
At the end of the night, I like to do creative portraits with the couple. Sometimes I can get the wedding party involved. I’ve had the wedding party help out with sparklers, I’ve had them spell things or shoot off fireworks. They love doing this and they feel like they are really part of the photo.
Make it Your Own
These are just a few ideas of fun things to do with your wedding party. Think about who you are and everyone’s personalities. Some of these ideas only work with outgoing people, so if your group is reserved, it will be awkward and not fun.
In the end, it’s all about interacting and having a good time with your wedding party. As long as that happens, it will be a day to remember.
