Fun Cocktail Dinner Ideas

Keeping your guests engaged from the beginning can be a challenge during the cocktail and/or dinner hours. Other than appetizers, and drinks how can you keep your guests involved? No one wants a boring celebration, here are some fun, engaging ideas that will keep your celebration memorable and FUN! Keep your guests focused, having fun & feeling engaged in what is going on, which will lead to a FUN, memorable night!

Here are 9 Fun Ways to engage your guests at a wedding reception that can spice up the night and leave guests raving about how much fun they had at your reception.

1. Video Trivia Scramble- With multi media projection, have your DJ create a fun on-screen trivia scramble about the two of you. If you've ever been to places like Buffalo Wild Wings, they often have an on-screen trivia game for guests to participate in. Your DJ can do the same with questions about you, and then play the scramble on a loop at your celebration during cocktails and dinner. Here's a video example

2. Win the Centerpiece- Are you giving away your centerpieces? Have your DJ do a fun dollar bill pass game to the right and to the left a few times, and when the music stops, whoever is holding the dollar bill wins the centerpiece.

3. Heads or Tails- Another version of a game to win the centerpiece, except have guests at the table stand up and have the DJ call heads or tails until the last person is standing at the table, they win the centerpiece.

4. Musical Chairs for the centerpiece or prize. Another idea for the centerpieces. Play this game the traditional way–the disc jockey or band plays a tune, then stops suddenly. Guests then try to quickly find a seat. Each table of guests should be short one chair. In this way, after each round, one person will be out at each table. When only one person is left at each table, he or she wins the table centerpiece or prize.

5. Yard Games- Are you at a barn venue or have an outside cocktail hour. Have the DJ play music outside, and provide your guests with some fun giant size lawn games for them to enjoy. Examples include, Giant Jenga, Giant Connect Four, and corn hole are a few examples. Reach out to Sound Sensations Entertainment as we have these for rent.

6. Roll the Dice- Here’s a fun twist to the familiar tapping forks against glasses to see the bride and groom kiss. Here are 25 alternative kissing activities for more ideas!

7. Couple slide show- Have your DJ create a fun slide show of the newlyweds from childhood to present day and let it loop on a large screen during your celebration. Sound Sensations Entertainment can create one for you and bring the A/V equipment

8. I spy/Bingo - Create a fun ispy game or Bingo on cards for your guests, and have them roam the room during cocktail hour and complete the tasks on their ispy/bingo card.

9. Mad Libs- Create a fun Mad Libs sheet for guests to complete. Then have them hand it in to the DJ or to the newlyweds to be selected and read later.

10. Sign Something- Instead of a traditional guest book, have your guests sign a matted frame, jenga blocks, a picture, bench or something unique and fun. Throughout the cocktail hour, have your DJ/MC make a few announcements to remind guests to sign it.

11. Word Scramble - This is one of our favorites that can be done while your guests are eating dinner or waiting for the festivities to begin. Each table contains paper and pens with puzzle scrambles on them, and the guests at the table need to solve each scrambled word. Similar to #1 except on paper or a card at the table. Prizes can be given for the quickest descrambler, or the first one to bring you their words unscrambled.

12. Guess the Correct Number- Have a giant jar of candy at the head table, and ask guests to come up and make their guesses on paper for how many pieces are in the jar, the correct guess wins the jar of candy at the end of dinner.

13. Cake Smash- During cocktail hour and dinner, with two baskets or jars by the head table, guests can put money into either the bride's jar/basket or groom's jar/basket for their honeymoon fund, whoever has the most money at the end will get to smash cake in the other's face before dessert!

14. Trivia Release to The Buffet- Have your DJ release each table to the buffet with trivia about the newlyweds, whether the table gets the question right or wrong, they still go to the buffet to keep the line moving. Here are several other ideas/variations for table release if you are having a buffet style dinner.

15. Her or Him Release To the Buffet- Instead of trivia, have your DJ release tables by asking a question about the bride or groom, and then having the guests respond with either "her or him," whether it's right or wrong they still go to keep the line moving. For example, "Who said I love you first? Was it "Her or Him"?

16. Mission Impossible Photo Race- As you finish up your dinner, typically couples walk from table to table for a short chat, thank you's etc. It always fun to break the ice with a fun photo race around the room. The photographer will start at one end with you and you move from table to table quickly getting your picture taken with each table. The DJ often sets the music to "Mission Impossible" or some other upbeat song. Tons of fun! This is also a great activity to stagger the line the dessert table if you have one. Once a table's picture is taken, that table can then go to the dessert table. Tons of fun!

17. Battle of the Sexes- During dinner or shortly after invite the bride and groom up to select team, guys against girls, then guys race against the girls in the “Association Game.” They go head to head identifying anything that is associated with a certain word, for example, a “Wedding” or “the Weekend.” If either one stumbles or can’t think of a word, they are out of the game.

18. Shoe Game/Match Game- You've seen this one before, following dinner have your DJ bring the bride/groom to the dance floor, and turn the chairs back to back, then have them swap shoes. The DJ will then ask 25-50 questions about them, and we will then find out how well they know each other. Check out the rest of our transitional activities from the dinner to the dance here

19. Kids Tables- Will you have kids at your reception? Consider having a special table with activities set up for them including coloring books, paper and games for them to keep them occupied.

20. Kids Interaction with a Candy Toss- If you have at least 5-10 kids coming to your celebration. Have your DJ do some fun kids interaction with them following dinner before the dancing begins, and then at the end, have the DJ provide and throw out a big bag of candy to them. Kids and parents will love it, and it's great for pictures, and engaging everyone, not just the adults!Check out the rest of our transitional activities from the dinner to the dance here

Sound Sensations Entertainment offers highly personalized wedding DJ Entertainment for Wisconsin, based in Oshkosh, WI, they also offer Photo booth Rentals , Slide Show creation + projection, venue uplighting, and ceremony sound reinforcement serving all areas of Wisconsin including Green Bay, Appleton, Wausau, Madison, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Dells, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Fond Du Lac, Ripon, and all other Wisconsin areas. Check to see if your date is available today!