Keeping The Teens Entertained!

One of the things we are proudest of at Coombe Lodge, is that we have the ability to make every single wedding totally unique and can be as flexible as our couples want them to be!

After all, our stunning wedding venue, set within 15 acres of beautiful Somerset countryside, yet only 13 miles from the buzzing city of Bristol, offers the perfect backdrop to your very special day. It is the couples themselves, their ideas and personalities, and their families and friends that really make their day.

And this means that whoever you want to invite to your big day, Coombe Lodge offers something to keep them happy - including teenagers.

You might have made the difficult (or not!) decision to not invite children to your wedding. So where does this leave you with older children? Especially if they’re really close to you and your partner? Here are a couple of ideas of ways of keeping them entertained.

1. Create A Special Drink Or A Mocktail

We’ve seen this work well at Coombe Lodge weddings in the past. After all, anyone younger than 18 will be too young to enjoy a toast, or to make the most of our fabulous bar. But we’d be very happy to produce a bespoke mocktail, or a substitute toast for the teens in your life, to make them feel every bit as involved as the adults in the group.

2. Favours

So often, it’s entertaining the younger children in your wedding party that many brides and grooms focus on. But teenagers still need entertaining. Have a think about some special, personalised favours that might include things to keep them busy. You might have decided that you definitely want your big day to be a ‘tech-free’ zone, but there are other bits and bobs that you could put in a goody bag to keep them busy. Maybe a disposable camera or a doodle pad and pens?

3. Selfie Area

If there is one thing that the majority of teenagers today seem to love, it’s a selfie. This generation is so in tune with mobile phones and taking pictures, that it can often be a really good idea to have a ‘selfie’ area in your reception, or perhaps set up a frame for ready-made Instagram shots. You could always take this further, and ask the teens in your wedding party to provide a bit of help to others who might be trying to take their own selfies.

4. Give Them A Job

Which leads us on to the next recommendation, that is to give your teenagers a job. Let’s face it, everybody loves to feel involved in your day, and there will be loads of jobs that you can give to them to do. From keeping an eye on younger children, to making sure that everybody has a copy of the Order of Service, there are loads of things to keep them busy and make them feel involved. Ask us for some more ideas – with so many weddings under our belt, we can usually think of things that have worked well in the past, and we might be able to help you to come up with some ideas.

5. Create A Chill Out Space/Movie Room/Tech Room

OK – this might be a bit controversial, but it might be that if your ceremony is likely to last for most of the day, you may well decide to let the younger people in your wedding party have some time out from the partying. If you want to make sure that their parents are able to celebrate with you for as long as possible, then it might be worth considering having a ‘chill-out’ room for the teens and children in your party. You don’t necessarily need to have the latest X-Box or PS4, a recently released film or a couple of tablets with games already loaded can also work really well.