How to Avoid an Identikit Wedding

A few months ago, we read an interesting and humorous article in the Guardian about the rise of Identikit weddings. In this blog, we try to find some entertainment to counteract this idea and stop your wedding from becoming just another date in the calendar and cementing its place as the best event your friends and family will attend in 2017. 

First things first, this wedding is about you. Never forget that. If you’d like to have a small, intimate affair with just a small number of guests, a celebratory meal in a restaurant and no entertainment at all then that is what you should go for! Many people do exactly that and have a wonderful time – there are some fab restaurants across Devon and Cornwall - so there is no reason to try and do something to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ (whoever they may be…)

That being said, if you’re wanting more of a big glitzy celebration of your big day, then this is where companies like TG Weddings come in and we are more than happy to help find the entertainment that you are after. Many people come to us with vague ideas about what they’d like that they may have seen at other south west weddings. That much is true. What is never true is that they say, “I want exactly the same as a wedding I’ve seen previously.”

Identikit weddings don’t really exist but we can see what Rhiannon was going for in her article; the fact is that weddings go through trends like any other industry and popular wedding bands are popular because they are good at what they do. There aren’t many musicians out there who are sensational at appealing to everyone in the room so when we find one, they do tend to be offered out a lot more than others. Then they receive bookings because engaged couples can see just how much fun they will deliver to the big day. Again, that’s not an identikit wedding, it’s just that grooms and brides to be don’t want to risk their big day and entertainment on a band that can’t be trusted! If you book with TG Weddings, you are at least getting that piece of mind.

But let’s say you’re happy with the music and the fact it may be similar to another friend’s wedding. How can you stop it being an ‘identikit’ for the rest of the day? Glad you asked! Well, you could always create your own act! This is where you come to us with a creative idea that you’ve had in mind for a while. Perhaps you’d like fanfare trumpeters arriving on horseback or a croquet playing jester. Whatever it is, we will manage to put it on for you! If there’s a custom costume you need made, then we can do that too! Just ask and we shall deliver.

That being said, it might pay to check out other sections of our site for entertainment to hire. We highly recommend a circus performer or one from our ‘more’ section. Acts that get people to talk and interact are always exciting and many outside of the events world won’t have seen Living Topiary or Halo Glow Show before.

There are many other ideas that might embody you as a couple, that won’t necessarily involve us but about whom we can recommend to ensure an identikit wedding is avoided. One couple we know had a huge Jenga set; people signed the blocks and said what a wonderful day it was – perfect for when any future kids want to know what their parents’ wedding was like. Another had guests place a thumb print on a huge piece of paper, as well as a message of congratulations. This artwork has since been framed and sits in their living room. All cost effective and certainly not identikit ideas!

Of course, other more traditional forms of entertainment will also go down brilliantly as your wedding including providing mementos of your day from caricaturists or silhouette artists, or maybe even magicians who are more than happy to leave guests with their signed card! All of these help to create memories that everybody can look back on and remember with fondness years down the line.

Ultimately, the only identikit weddings out there are ‘packaged weddings’ but in our experience, very few people would like that, hence the rise in searching for interesting and enchanting photos and ideas on Pinterest and wedding blogs (maybe even this one, if we count?) When it comes down to it, the Internet has allowed engaged couples to discover new ideas they never thought possible many years ago, at cheaper prices now that more people are hiring them. If you decide exactly what your wedding will be like though, rest assured that it will not be an identikit event!

Plan it, enjoy it and revel in the memories of your special day.