In recent years, giving your guests a wonderful, fun experience while attending your wedding day has become more and more of a value for couples while wedding planning. Of course your family and friends are there to celebrate you, but it’s nice for you and your guests to have some fun, key moments throughout your wedding day that are entertaining or something that they can take with them to remember your day that aren’t just favors. Here are 8 vendors that you may want to look into to really enhance your guest experience on your wedding day.

Live Painter

I will sing to the ends of the Earth that I LOVE a live painter for your wedding day. The entertainment that this brings to your guests when they see an incredible work of art that YOU are in is like no other. Seeing the guests’ reactions to a lovely painting and then seeing it for yourselves at the end of the night may very well be one of the highlights for you and your guests do to with the day - and the best part is that you can take the painting home to have forever! Libby Rule Paints is local to Kansas City, MO, however her skill and her personality is truly unmatched. She travels frequently, and I highly recommend checking her out!

2. Marquee Letters

Something to really make your wedding day stand out are some huge Marquee letters that say “The MacQueens” with your last name. You don’t see it too often, but when you do you will never forget it! If you set it up to be in the background of your dance floor, it makes for some awesome first dance photos. No matter where you set it up, your guests won’t be able to stop taking photos of it or by them!! Alpha-Lit Chicago is a great place to find exactly what you need!

3. Phone Guestbook

A phone guest book is great because it isn’t only good for the guests, but it’s an amazing way to keep memories of your loved ones in a way that isn’t just photos. Usually the guests are so excited and can’t help but talk about how lovely your day is and it’s really memorable for them to have the opportunity to “tell you in person!” Additionally, being able to hear wedding guests that you might not hear from often or that have passed away is something that you can’t replace. RGML Entertainment is a local Chicago company that offers audio guest books and has multiple phone colors to choose from to fit your aesthetic!

4. Charcuterie

During cocktail hour, your guests will surely love you if you present them with multiple appetizer options and a charcuterie table is definitely a great one! Having a section devoted to a grazing table of charcuterie is surely a way to stand out and a way to your guests’ hearts. KScott Charcuterie is a lovely vendor I’ve worked with that has amazing work and serves the McHenry area and The Grazing Olive offers beautiful charcuterie, bartending, and some rental services in the Chicago area.

5. Live Musicians

Live music is definitely a way to get your crowd really engaged during your reception and with your cocktail hour! You can even have live musicians for your ceremony too. Having a live band to read the crowd and provide some entertainment is definitely going to be an extra cool piece for your guests to remember and be engaged with. Yazz Events is a lovely band that also has DJs, musicians, and other cool features like cold sparklers that will really make your wedding night one to remember.

6. Photo Booths and Photo Ops

If nothing else, your guests love taking photos of themselves and with the people they know at your wedding. I highly recommend getting at least a fun photo backdrop that your guests will surely take a bunch of their pictures at! Many companies offer this as rentals which I highly recommend as opposed to having to set this up yourself. And if you want your guests to really be excited, I would recommend a photo booth so they can have some “professional” photos from the experience that they can download and/or take home with them! Fotio is a super simple, easy company to work with that offers exactly what you will need.

7. Late Night Snacks or Food Trucks

For the guests that go hard on the dance floor and the drinks, they will really appreciate you for offering some sustenance that will help them through the night. Many people go for pizza, sliders, hot dogs, or tacos. You can even do something like Garrett Popcorn! No matter what you go with, you can have it delivered to a table or have food trucks outside. It’s going to be a huge hit no matter what!

8. Animals

You can totally bring your pets or honor your pets to add some fun personality to your day!! If you’re looking for something else, beer burros, donkeys with sacks that have beer for guests, are actually very popular at weddings in California right now! Having a little furry/hairy friend come to your wedding is such a fun way to engage your guests! You can have puppies, llamas, horses - the possibilities are endless! Shades of Blue Ranch brings their Shetlands to Providence Vineyard that can join in on your wedding photos and I just think that is so cute to imagine!!

Your guests are there mostly to celebrate you, but it’s important to remember that you are also celebrating with them! You of course want everyone to have a good time (including yourselves) and so it’s nice to add an extra edge to really enhance your guests’ experiences. Adding something like one of these vendors will make your wedding stand out and be more unique and personalized to you! Your guests will thank you and they will never forget the extra fun moments you added to your special day.

If you need some more help finding ways to enhance your guests’ experience, you can reach out to me here. I’d love to help you plan a wedding day that you and your guests won’t forget!