If you want your guests to rave about your wedding for years to come – and let’s face it, who doesn’t? Why not explore the practically endless options and keep your guests entertained all afternoon and evening too?

From music and magic to food stations and fireworks, we’ve come up with our top 5 themed wedding entertainment ideas that can guarantee an unforgettable celebration.

The English Garden party is perfect for any summer marquee wedding or, if you’re lucky, just a lovely warm afternoon reception. Set up various lawn games such as giant Jenga, croquet, chess and Connect 4 and add a little competition into the mix by giving your guests vintage score cards and awarding prizes for highest scores later on in the day.

To make your wedding celebration even more authentic, hire a jazz trio or a string quartet and give your guests a little more atmosphere. Of course, no garden party would be complete without pots of ‘strawberries and cream’ being handed out from a vintage trike and a couple of jugs of Pimms.

Meet lady-luck and encompass the glamour and excitement of Las Vegas with casino tables and (optional) showgirls. Blackjack and roulette are by far the most popular options but there are plenty more to choose from. With professionally trained croupiers on hand you’ll have no need to worry that your guests won’t know what to do and, of course, you won’t be playing for real cash but that doesn’t make it any less fun. You could, of course, also enlist the services of a wedding magician for the afternoon.

Hire a professional mixologist to whip up favourite cocktails and you’re onto a winner (no pun intended). Your guests will feel like James Bond as they step up to the poker table with a dry-martini in hand-shaken, not stirred.

The festival theme is certainly one for the music lovers, especially if you’re having a hot summer wedding, and it can be incorporated into the reception or as a quirky twist on your evening celebration.

If you’re aiming for a chilled afternoon-gig feel, keep it simple and hire an acoustic musician and perhaps a caricaturist to wander amongst your guests. Going for the full Glasto experience? You will, without a shadow of a doubt, need a good live band. Rolling Stones tribute or not.

Give your guests personalised lanyards as they arrive or as favours on the tables for that ultimate festival feel and introduce them to an array of fun-filled activities between the bar and the dance floor; temporary tattoo stations and retro photo-booths will be huge crowd pleasers.

Roll up! Roll up! Embrace the fun of the fair and give your guests something to get excited about. We’re not necessarily talking about white-faced clowns with big red noses here but the circus theme is a great way of injecting lots of colour, sparkle and drama into your big day.

With popcorn or cotton candy carts at the entrance, you’ll be preparing your guests for a good show. Magicians, acrobats and fire-eaters are just the beginning. Pucker up and hire a kissing booth and, if your venue allows, a vintage carousel to make it a truly authentic experience.

If you’re going the whole-hog there’s got to be colourful bunting, giant balloons, ribbons and sequins everywhere you look; it’s as much about the décor as it is the entertainment.

f you’ve opted for a winter wedding, then Christmas is an obvious theme, but you can do so much more than just putting up a Christmas tree. What could be more romantic than having carol singers performing your favourite Christmas songs during your reception, whilst guests are slowly sipping their mulled wine?

Embrace the magic and hire a close-up magician to wow your guests and if your venue allows, invite a few four-legged friends and have photos taken with Santa and his reindeer.

If you’re inviting children to your wedding, keep them entertained by having a craft table. Get them to decorate baubles or give them gingerbread men to ice (if they last that long!). You can make it into a competition and give the winner a special Christmas present at the end of the day.