Offbeat Wedding Entertainment

{Photo from Funny Wedding Ideas.com}

Last night, I read a Craigslist ad posted by a couple looking for a comedian to perform stand-up at their wedding reception (I guess their best man might not cut it in the humor department). That got me thinking about offbeat wedding entertainment. I've thrown dinner parties before where I hired a fire dancing troupe, tarot card reader and a Brazilian funk band. Fine for a rockin' dinner party, but is it proper for a wedding fete?

All depends on you and your fiance, of course! If you'd follow the beat of your own drum, why not entertain the idea of a sketch artist, acrobat, etc, at your wedding reception?

Here are a few ideas:

{Photo of Unpopable}

• Balloon Artist: You've got the standard hot dog making balloon artist, but what about a balloon bass playing one? Check out Unpopable.

• Comedian: This one is tricky. Let's hope your family and friends have a good sense of humor, or you might run the risk of offending someone. But then again there's usually one or two people in the crowd who don't have a funny bone. When looking for a comedian, I'd suggest seeing him/her live, or asking to see their routine on their MySpace Comedy Channel page (or personal website) to see if their kind of humor jives with yours.

• Dancers: There's a lot of opportunity here to showcase your heritage or family traditions here including: the intoxicating rhythms of Brazilian Carnaval, the colorful Mexican folklorico dance, the fluid undulation of Chinese dragons, or even country line (or square) dancing!! Or you can definitely hire poi (aka fire) dancers!
  

• Aerial Acrobats: Think Cirque du Soleil. These acrobats can perform amazing aerial stunts on circus apparatus. The twirling, dancing, and flirting on aerial silk, hammock, hoop, static trapeze, Spanish web, bungee, and swing makes any event a memorable one.

{Photo of Cirque du Soleil from UK Lite Structures}

• Sketch Artist: This is an alternative to the highly popular photo booth. Your guests will enjoy a highly personalized favor -- a portrait or caricature. Here's one of my fiance by Dax Tran Caffee at NoRestfortheWicked.com:

• Other: If you've got an offbeat venue, it might inherently offer your reception entertainment. For example, the local zoo may provide a critter encounter (a zookeeper will bring out a friendly owl or porcupine for an up-close meeting) or if you choose a dinner theater venue, you can watch a Cirque du Soleil-esque performance.