How to Keep Your Party Going

I think it’s safe to say that as our society changes as the years go by, wedding traditions tend to change alongside these culture shifts. One of the many big changes I’ve seen over the years with weddings is that nowadays the bride and groom tend to be the last people left standing, rather than making their big exit early on in the evening as they used to. I think this is a positive change, especially from an entertainer’s point of view. I always find that now on the odd occasion when the bride and groom do leave early, the party doesn’t really carry on in full swing after they’ve left, and a lot of people tend to leave straight afterwards.

So, how do you keep your party going into the small hours? If you and your friends are big partiers, and you know you’ll want to keep on going (in the words of Lionel Richie) "All Night Long", here are a few tips:

1. If you’re hiring a band, generally they will perform until midnight or maybe 1a.m, however many will stay later for a small extra fee, so if you do want them to play later, you’ll probably want to arrange this with them beforehand.
2. A lot of venues have a music cut off time of anything between 11.30p.m and 1a.m so make sure you discuss times with them. They can be very strict on this as sadly they get in all sorts of trouble if they break the rules.
3. If you’re super keen to have your music going all night, it might be better to think about a private venue – for example a marquee in a friend or family member’s garden – that way you have complete control as to what time things finish. Don’t forget to invite the neighbours though!

Also, here are a few ideas for entertainment that will work well for later in the evening:

1. Transform your wedding reception into a cool ‘Ibiza style’ club vibe!
   We’ve even seen weddings that have a ‘club’ part of the marquee which opens later in the evening – what a cool idea! You could have a house/dance style DJ, or perhaps even a saxophonist and percussionist improvising to the DJ.
2. A Ceildh Band
   They often play earlier in the evening too, but there’s nothing better than finishing your evening with a few Irish jigs!
3. Live Band Karaoke
   I keep talking about this in my articles, but I just think it’s a great fun idea! A lot of these karaoke bands will perform standard (non karaoke) sets too, so perhaps they could play throughout the evening and then do a karaoke set later in the evening.
4. A Silent Rave
   Silent raves are no longer reserved for University parties; you can hire one for your wedding! This is a really good option, especially when your venue has a strict finishing time for live music. If you haven’t seen one before – a silent rave is where every guest is given a headphone set and the music plays through their headphones! I believe you can also get some where you can switch channels to hear cheese/house/pop/funk etc, so each guest can decide what they want to hear and have their own little party! What a fun idea!
5. iPod and iPod Dock
   The most cost effective option by far, and actually later on in the evening it’s quite often just right – it won’t be too loud and the hardcore partiers will have some music to sing along/dance to.

Hopefully you’ll find these ideas useful, and best of luck with all the plans!

Love & Hugs

Sera

Article by Wedding Entertainment Specialist Sera Golding

Images Courtesy of:

Break Dancing: Paul Alexander Photography

Saxophonist: Ken Buist Photography

Read more Wedding Entertainment Advice articles

Read other Wedding Advice articles