Once upon a time, the only ingredients you needed for a perfect wedding day were a nice dress, a good suit, some Bucks Fizz and (if you were really lucky) a glimpse of the summer sun.

In the past 20 years however weddings have had something of an overhaul and everyone from celebrities to the average couple is pulling out all the stops to make their big day something to behold and remember.

Whilst some include evening entertainment, singing waiters or fantastical menus and styling to wow their guests, the smart brides and grooms are realising that all they need to make their day go with a bang is to bring the guests together – and they’re looking to businesses to see how to do it!

Joining together

Weddings are of course as focused on the joining of two families as much as they are about the joining together of two people and in some cases this is very easy and natural. However, in the case that the families are large, don’t all live in the same area or simply haven’t had the time or opportunity to meet and form a bond, it can take some time for the relationship between the clans to emerge.

With that in mind, many couples seek out activities which will not only entertain their guests but will also help to initiate that bond; in simple terms – modern couples plan teambuilding activities for their wedding guests.

Given the simplicity of the idea, it’s a shock that the idea isn’t more popular – using traditional teambuilding initiatives to bond two families at a huge event!

What to do?

Of course, when planning their group bonding exercises, many business managers take into account a number of factors, such as the age and interests of their group, the budget and the amount of time they can allocate to the activity.

At a wedding all of these factors become more important. Weddings are costly enough to begin with without adding a bank-breaking afternoon activity to the pot and additionally, as essential as the bonding is, it shouldn’t come at the expense of the couple being allowed to enjoy themselves and having the chance to spend time with their guests.

With that in mind, there are a number of activities that can act as perfect ice-breakers without taking over the whole of the special day.

Why not start small with introduction games over the dining table. Although some couples do deviate from the traditional Wedding Breakfast, it does still form a large part of many nuptials, and the guests could have an enormous amount of fun getting to know their fellow revellers with introduction games, mini-quizzes and even raffles.

For the couple that are thinking a little bigger though there are garden games such as Giant Jenga, Chequers, and Chess, It’s a Knockout or even Hide and Seek on a mass scale.

However, if you’re thinking that huge is better, why not pull out all the stops and either organise, or hire a specialist to set up a giant task for you? You could have guests orienteer to the reception venue, set up a treasure hunt with teams competing against each other to find something essential for your reception or set your guests to work building a structure and awarding the best team with first go at the evening buffet!

This guest article was written by Accomplished Events, a UK team building company.