What do you do at a wedding instead of dancing? (2024)

We anticipate that the majority of guests at your wedding will enjoy getting their groove on the dance floor when the mood strikes, but we respect that not everyone has this interest. However, dancing is often the main form of wedding entertainment, which might be scary for couples who aren't particularly rhythmic.

Here is a list of activities that can be substituted for dancing at weddings if the notion of getting down on the dance floor gives you and your future husband the willies, or if you're planning on having a small, private ceremony and reception where a wild night of revelry isn't in the cards. Remember that there is no one right answer; the type of entertainment you choose for your wedding reception will depend on the event's level of formality and location. If you put some thought and effort into it, you can make your special day as memorable and enjoyable as you want it to be.

Let's be honest: not everyone has the ability to applaud in four-count increments. Don't waste money on a DJ when you can create an alternative, enjoyable experience for your family and friends who aren't rhythmically gifted.

While dancing is typically encouraged at a wedding reception, that doesn't imply you have to join in. A wedding with a vacant dance floor is a sad sight indeed. But some people just can't stand the thought of dancing. There's a chance you don't even enjoy dancing. If you don't want to spend four hours on anything, why waste your time and money on it? Are you reluctant to give up dancing entirely? Compile a lively playlist and provide some interesting pursuits.

It's your special day, so feel free to do as you choose; just be sure to give your guests plenty of notice. Here are some non-dancing wedding activities that can really amp up the excitement level.

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Why Do Some Weddings Not Include Dancing?

There are a variety of reasons why some couples may choose out of having dances during their wedding. Firstly, they wish to deviate from the standard wedding script in a number of ways.

There are those for whom it is a mainstay, while for others the novelty has worn off. It's also possible that neither member of the pair, nor anybody else in their immediate circle, can dance. They can have mobility issues due to illness or a wheelchair.

Last but not least, cultural and religious considerations may play a role. Having dancing at such ceremonies is considered disrespectful in many cultures. Moreover, it is forbidden by some of the world's most prominent faiths. By eliminating the need for dancing, you're making the event more welcoming to everyone.

Your wedding's main event should be something that brings everyone together and leaves a lasting impression on everyone. It's time to get creative if dancing isn't your thing. Good thing I'm here to lend a hand.

Explore Some Options for Wedding Entertainment:

Get-Together With co*cktails

Have a co*cktail party featuring lots of appetisers instead of a sit-down dinner. Your guests will socialise and have fun without feeling rushed to get from the dinner to the dance floor. Make sure the hors d'oeuvres or food stations are substantial enough just to keep friends and family from feeling hungry if you opt not to have fancy dinner service.

Consider Bonfire

A campfire is a wonderful way to rejoice and stay warm at a summer wedding or a gathering at a summertime camp-style site. It will transport your guests to a simpler time and offer them a topic of conversation for years to come. While a bonfire is a great way to bring people together, nobody enjoys being bombarded with smoke for hours on end. To sweeten the deal, set up a station for making s'mores and playing some campfire games.

Garden Sports

The right garden games might be the perfect complement to a sophisticated outdoor bash. co*cktail hours and receptions sometimes feature lawn activities like croquet, corn hole, a ring toss, bocce ball, and even horseshoes. After the sun goes down, why not transform a portion of the site into a bright neon-themed carnival or a well-lit game of miniature golf?

Strike a Picture Perfect Pose

Even at weddings where dancing is present, picture booths and picture walls are highly sought after to ensure that guests have something to do if they choose to avoid the dance floor. If you don't want your guests to have to wait too long, you can rent or create an extra photo booth, and there are even interactive photo booths out there to keep people occupied as they wait in line and enjoy the party's other activities.

Night of Games

If you're the type of couple who regularly hosts game nights for their loved ones, there's no reason to stop the tradition for your nuptials. Provide vintage board games, but don't force your guests to play. Some people don't really care for videogames and would rather just have a conversation. As with every aspect of a wedding, you want to make sure your visitors have a fantastic time and don't feel obligated to do anything they don't want to.

Perform a Song

Karaoke can get the party started even if no one is dancing, and if people want to get up and move to the music, they can. You may have the greatest of both worlds with this option, and it's especially fitting if you and your new fiance are known for your zany sense of humour and love to sing karaoke at parties.

Live Performance

There may not be room for dancing, but your guests are still expecting to hear fantastic music. Hire a band or a singer, but ask that they play music that isn't designed to get people up and dancing. You could have a rock concert at your wedding by hiring a rock band, or you could have a jazz club by booking duelling pianos.

Casino Night

Casino games at a wedding can be lot of fun, and they'll definitely be remembered by guests, but you can not let them gamble with real money. To introduce a touch of casino to your wedding reception, think about incorporating some table games. It's possible that, in addition to favours, awards could be offered to the most deserving victors.

Kids' Classics

Scavenger hunts and games of Grab the Flag will make the evening feel like a throwback to summer camp. Make sure your visitors know to bring extra clothing just in case. Runaway bridesmaids with high heels belong in horror movies exclusively.

Stations for DIY Projects

Do they have a cunning crew of allies on their side? Forego the DIY trend that has replaced the food station. Tables might be stocked with materials for guests to create unique favours. Mini bunting, yarn-wrapped votives, embellished matchboxes, and photo booth accessories are all great craft projects for a large gathering.

Aquatic Activities

Are you planning a wedding ceremony on the shore of a lake or the ocean? With a summer wedding, you may take advantage of the outdoors. Canoes, paddleboats, and jet skis are all available for rent. Invite your pals and remind them to bring sunscreen and swimwear.

Watching Films on a Huge Screen

The screen could be installed either inside or outside. A mini-marathon of your favourite romance films or shows is in order. Distribute candy in the form of a movie concession and have soft pillows available.

Enjoy the Change of Season

For Halloween, you can turn your location into a "haunted house" or a carnival like the ones held in schools. Fun holiday activities include sugar cookie crafting and street-wide carolling. Embrace the season and throw a party with a theme if you're celebrating your nuptials around the holidays.

Let Your Guests Do the Talking

Make it feel like a lounge by turning down the lights and leaving the chairs out. Allow background music to set the tone, but encourage relaxed, friendly conversation among guests. The timeline for most weddings that also serve as reunions doesn't allow for much small conversation beyond "Hello!" and "Thanks for stopping!" Spend time with your grandparents, reconnect with coworkers from your high school days, or relive a college memory. In a nutshell, spend time with the individuals you care about the most and have fun doing it.

Experience the Arcade Games!

If you're going for the old-fashioned, formal wedding route, I wouldn't recommend this. Why don't introduce the game to the people you care about so you can share your passion for gaming with them? Find a mobile arcade game company by searching the yellow pages. Use video games like laser tag, DDR, Super Mario, and Pinball to keep your guests entertained and your wedding a real game-changer. If you can't afford it, consider something more traditional like a life-size model. The games of Jenga, Sorry, Hungry, and Hungry Hippo. Games like leg races and double dutch are fun for people of all ages.

Take the Party Somewhere Else

Your reception does not require a ballroom. Throw a party that no one will forget by going somewhere out of the ordinary, like a roller rink, carnival, ice rink, casino, etc.

Don't Overcomplicate Things

The only things required of you during a wedding are to offer drinks and greet guests. If you want to keep it brief, that's fine. Just make it obvious that cake is the sole item on the menu by including that information in your programme or on any related signage.

Allow the Bookworms to Read

Hold your receptions at a nearby bookshop or library, though this idea would likely only fly for modest nuptials or as an extra event rather than a complete replacement for dancing. Invite your visitors to read the books that have had the most impact on your life. Book-themed co*cktail names, performances by local poets, and bookmark party favours are just a few ideas to get your guests in the literary spirit. Don't be afraid to take things at face value.

Comfort food: Hotpot

Cooking your own meal at a restaurant is a universal practise. A hotpot is a popular meal in countries like China and Taiwan. You can have a wide variety of options for customers to use when heating water to prepare meat or veggies.

The host is open to the visitor's suggestions. There is no limit to the variety of flavours, preparation styles, or dietary preferences that can be accommodated by the meal. You may have even more fun by providing chopsticks, and this is a terrific chance to show people to your own cuisine or a new one. You may either have them at a restaurant where they'll handle everything for you, or you can host them at your own location.

A variation on this theme involves having staff members talk to guests about the food they are eating and how it is prepared. The dinner at a wedding will undoubtedly be more lively and enjoyable if guests have something to chat about. If you don't have time for a long wedding reception and instead want to focus on the cuisine, this is the perfect solution.

The Famous Korean BBQ

Once again, this is a fantastic approach to encourage socialisation without the need for dance. Korean BBQ is quite similar to the usual way of BBQ, with the exception that the grills are much smaller and the eating is done communally around a table. What's more, you guys do everything from prep to cooking to plating on your own. We did this as a group.

There are a lot of condiments and sides, such kimchi and steaming eggs, on the table. It may be a wonderful cultural experience as well, since it makes use of cuts of vegetables and meat that some people may not be familiar with. Modifications would allow it to be used with standard barbeque grills. In addition, it can be simply adapted for vegetarian or vegan diets.

Those who are interested in the BBQ wedding concept but aren't sold on the Korean twist might opt for a similar celebration using traditional American fare instead. At the very least, the kids will enjoy themselves, particularly if they are able to pitch in with the cooking.

Check out some of Melbourne’s best Wedding Singers to help you celebrate on your special day.

Sweat It Out

There are many fun activities that can be played by everyone, but these are some of the easiest to organise. In addition to bringing people together, team games are also a lot of fun. If the couple or their families share a passion for one of these sports, having the wedding in one of these locations could be the icing on the cake.

As an alternative to only playing the game, you could also have the wedding at one of the venues. The vast majority of sports teams, especially at the minor league level, would be thrilled to honour you with a ceremony or a special mention during the game. The summertime setting of minor-league baseball games might be ideal.

Crime Fiction Mystery Games

If both you and your attendees are the puzzle-solving type, a detective story wedding is sure to be a hit. For example, the congregation could hire actors (or enlist family and friends) to play out scenarios that would help them solve the issue.

Even if you're just inviting a limited number of guests to your wedding, you may still have a fun mystery night by assigning roles to everyone there. Complete screenplays, with accompanying audio files if necessary, are available for purchase online, and you can also compose your own.

A Hunt for Hidden Objects

This could be an updated take on the classic treasure hunting format or a return to the original. You could give them specific instructions, such as "Take a picture hugging a fireman," and then have them go out and do it. Yet, you might also enquire. Instances, for instance, "Can you tell me the bridegroom's favourite dish? Look for the lady who is sporting the couple's favourite sports team's hat "etc.

This is meant to be entertaining for your enjoyment. A contingency plan in the event of bad weather is a good idea, but it depends on the setting. That's a fantastic plan, at the very least, for the wedding's younger guests who might be bored with the standard fare.

Indoor Games

There are other options besides dancing for an indoor reception, such as games. It's simple to find a place to rent, purchase, or borrow a table specifically designed for playing ping pong. In case you're looking for variation, foosball is yet another compact gaming option.

Bean bag tossing (or corn hole) is a fun game that can be played anywhere, not just outdoors. Similarly time-honored are dart boards and pool tables. In the presence of alcoholic beverages, or if the mood so requires, these games can be transformed into entirely new ones. Water versions of popular games like drinking games and quarter are simple to set up and play. These events don't require a dedicated arena; they can be staged virtually anywhere.

Concert of Live Music

You can still have music if you'd want; the point is just not to encourage people dancing because of whatever reason you have.

If you and your future spouse share a passion for classical music, hiring musicians to perform it at your wedding is a classy choice. Live performances of classical music by a talented artist or ensemble can often be quite moving.

Instead of a complete band or DJ, you may perhaps hire a solo performer. Even if they're performing acoustic renditions of radio hits, the crowd here might rather listen than dance.

Check out our post on What should I expect from a wedding DJ?

Theme Park, Laser Tag, Paintball

Gather the gang together, and conduct an interesting and novel activity. Few people associate weddings with activities like shooting paintballs or lasers or riding roller coasters.

It's a common sentiment that people would love to participate in such pursuits if they had the time, but they simply can't. They don't get to spend time with as many people as they'd like to when they do. They also don't need you to pick a location because they have fantastic venues already. In the event of an accident during the ceremony, you may wish to prepare a change of attire ready or implement a more relaxed dress code.

Remember that despite the limitations of the moment, your wedding day could and will be one to remember forever. You may need to make a few adjustments, but if you put on your creative and imaginative thinking caps, you may discover that your wedding is more memorable than if you had stuck with the traditional route.

After all, we've all reached that point where we've been to several weddings, and while they're all enjoyable in their own ways, I'd much rather attend a wedding with table games, trivia, karaoke, or fire breathers.