ABC Of Weddings: Z Is For Zany

For a zany, zesty wedding, have it at the zoo with zebras and other zoophytes for company.

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Well how zany can a wedding get? Let us recount some of the ways you can add a touch of ‘zany-ness’ to your wedding. From bungy jumping, to your wedding in a cave in the Blue Mountains, to serving fairy floss at your reception, there has to be something that appeals to the ‘kid’ in you.

Mix It Up

Choose a wedding venue that is out of the norm.

Check out adventure sites like Freemanx for ‘alternative’ wedding venues. Bungy jumping at Cairns, QLD or hot air ballooning at Byron Bay NSW or the Yarra Valley in Victoria. Hold your wedding at the Cathedral Chamber Cave in the Blue Mountains, NSW, lit to highlight the extraordinary features of the cave.

Other unique venues include

• Boats
• Underwater over The Great Barrier Reef
• Theme parks
• Skydiving
• Airplanes
• Igloos
• Top of the Sydney Harbour bridge

Make It Fun

Add humour, fun and childlike features to your reception- be creative and let your personality shine through.

Photo by Emilie Inc

Chocolate Fountains are a delicious way to get the sweet toothed guests mingling. Provide a wide variety of treats to dips- fruit, marshmallows, sweet biscuits, candy even pretzels!

A magician could entertain guests during cocktail hour. Using the tricks that used to amuse you as a child – pulling a coin out of thin air – will be remembered by your guests and is a good way to get them interacting.

The Three Waiters involves “three singing waiters hiding in plain sight at your private function before unleashing a dynamic and sophisticated live performance a la The Three Tenors. What a way to add laughter to your reception! They can perform all over the world and add a surprise laugh or two!

For the theatrical bridesmaids and groomsmen why not secretly practice a song or small performance that is sprung on guests and the bride and groom, at a designated time during the reception. It adds a really personal touch and much frivolity to the occasion – just hope that no-one chokes on their food! For inspiration, don’t forget to check out Amy’s Song, which I posted earlier this year.

Best Wedding Toast Ever!!!! (Amy’s Song) –

A comedian could be a fun addition to the entertainment. He could be a ‘stand alone’ act, or if you chose a band with an ebullient front man who is genuinely funny it will add extra pizzazz to your evening. Just ensure that the jokes are not made at the expense of someone (unless they have a great sense of humour and are thick skinned) and that they are appropriate for all the age groups present. Your elderly granny might be uncomfortable with really risqué jokes, for example.

Photobooths are always a hit at a wedding. Provide props like feather boas and big hats, even consider a large cardboard cutout photo of the newlyweds for some extra fun.

Photo by Rae Leytham Photography

Do a fun, choreographed first dance. You’ve seen the videos! The evolution of dance, a sweet love song that turns into heavy metal, even recreating the famous scene from Dirty Dancing. It’s always a hit with guests and spending your first dancing having a ball sounds wonderful to me!

Provide bubbles instead of confetti for your guests and let them recapture their childhoods with a good bit of bubble blowing action. Consider using bubble guns for even bigger bubbles!

Photo by Emilie Inc

Provide paper tablecloths and a bunch of crayons and let guests go wild on their table cloth. If you’re really sentimental, collect the tablecloths and cut out your favourite drawings to frame or put in an album.

Hire an artist to create caricatures of guests that they can take home. It gives guests a great talking point and is a fun way to liven up the evening.

If you are into ‘dressing up’, why not organize your wedding around a theme? You could have food prepared appropriate to the theme, your venue decorated in appropriate fabrics and accessories, and your guests invited to dress up in clothes that express your chosen theme. Themes could be medieval, all white, movie, musical, Hawaiian or even 19th century.

So much could be zany. It is just limited by your imagination. Why does the reception have to be staid and formal? From venues, to food and its presentation, to the favours, be different and think outside the square, and have a wedding that everyone will remember!