How do you make your actual ceremony the kick-starter to your whole wedding day full of joy and celebration?

It’s all about getting the guests involved, mixing up traditions and making sure you have fun too.

Below are 10 ways of adding that feeling of celebration or even a little laughter to your non-boring wedding ceremony to set the mood for a truly joyous day.

The key to making sure your guests are entertained and will remember your wedding ceremony as “the best wedding ceremony ever” (actual quote from one of the guests at one of my weddings) is to add guest participation and surprise.

No more boring weddings, please!

1. Enter or exit dancing 

You don’t have to be a good dancer to enter with a boogie or exit your wedding ceremony in a conga with all your guests.

You can, of course, show off all your best dance moves or actual dancing skills. If you are into swing dancing (like me!), jitterbug all the way down the aisle. Or, make the groomsmen enter with some Charleston steps. 

There are so many fun ways to add dance moves to an entertaining entrance or exit. 

Check these types of dances out: disco, samba, tango, waltz, Charleston, boogie, conga, foxtrot, jive, one-step, two-step, rhumba, Lindy Hop, twist, rock n’ roll or own your own dance floor favourites!

2. Make a non-boring entrance with a silly song

Get your guests giggling with a surprising, or even a bit inappropriate, song for your entrance by playing ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ by Queen or one of these inappropriately funny songs.

An entertaining, but a bit more appropriate, processional is possible too. How about rocking it to ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ by AC/DC or a nod to the girls that support you throughout your day - and life! - by playing ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ by Cyndi Lauper?

3. A flower man or nan spreading the petals

Children are the cutest, but a man or your nan entering first, tossing petals down the aisle is a moment no one will forget!

Let the dudes in on the action by having your best male friend scatter petals down the aisle for you. Or, if your nan is one of your most important people, make sure to give them first position in your processional. 

4. Sing your hearts out with your guests

Singing makes everyone happy and your wedding day should be your happiest. So, have communal singing in your ceremony - and make it a song that is special to you.

Make it meaningful, funny or just a great song about love. 

At a ceremony I conducted this August, Katie and Kevin had 10 friends form a choir - flash mob style - to lead a communal sing-along to ‘The Best’ by Tina Turner. Can you imagine the volume, happy faces and fist pumping?!

5. Hilarious readings to remember

If you’re a serial wedding guest yourself, you have probably come across a few of the same readings. And the more you hear them, the less meaning they hold, right?

Your guests are more likely to remember words that pack a punch and surprise them - and the amusing or playful poems or readings can be romantic too!

Ask me for my ebook with rad readings or find the funny one in here.

6. Quiz your guests

One way to involve your guests in a fun way is by surprising them with a quiz on you as a couple! Prepare a few silly questions (just 2-3 to keep it light and quick) to see who really knows the bride and groom the best.

You can hide a quiz sheet under their seats or have them give thumbs up or down as answers (easy to look out at the crowd to see which there are more of). The last one is my favourite (as an ex-teacher and celebrant who does more outdoor ceremonies, where papers can fly away). 

7. Ring hide-and-seek

You might have heard about or experienced the lovely wedding ritual of ring warming, where the rings travel between the hands of the guests for a moment to inject their love and good thoughts for the couple.

Make this lovely ritual into an entertaining ceremony element by letting the guests find the rings first! Before the ceremony, hide the rings under a random seat. Your celebrant will announce the search for the rings and the lucky guest who finds the rings will start the ring warming - or get the honour of being surprise ring bearer.

8. Shots!

Who says you have to wait till after the ceremony to have your first drink? Not me! Adding a shot “ritual” in your wedding ceremony is one of the best ways to get the party started!

Choose just you as a couple to toast and drink or let all the guests have a shot. You can do this by hiding shots in test tubes under the seats or having servers ready with trays of shot glasses (or baskets of test tubes).

What would you serve as a shot in your ceremony? Some favourites in my ceremonies so far: limoncello, Tej and sloe gin fizz.

9. Exit to a surprising song

Make your exit like walking straight into the party. Put on your best party song - one that gets the guests involved and up from their seats. Show your guests that you mean business when it comes to everyone having a good time. 

Weddings are not just for the loved up couple, they are for everyone that you chose to share your best day ever with. So, spread the love, happiness and fun with a party song in your recessional. 

10. DIY rituals

Finally, don’t let anyone tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. This is your best day, so have it your way. That also means that you can make your own ritual.

Get creative and make your own symbolic gesture full of joy. Try incorporating that something you both love for fun. Pop culture references, music or hobbies can easily be turned into an amusing element in your wedding ceremony.

I love getting my creative juices flowing too. If you choose “fun” to the question “what vibe do you want for your ceremony?” in my couple’s questionnaire, you’re in for a treat!

Get in touch, if you are looking for a celebrant that loves giving people a good time (without stealing the focus from you or sounding like a bad stand-up comedian!)

- or if you have any questions that I can help you with!