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Wedding Entertainment Planning

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Choosing wedding entertainment is a very important part of your wedding planning process. Your guests may not remember the theme of your wedding centrepieces, the type of cars or even the design of the cake. The last memory of your wedding for you and your guests is having the most important people in your life having fun and dancing with all the new friends that they have made. If you don’t plan your wedding entertainment properly, your guest’s last memory will be how the wedding ended at 9pm!

Band or DJ?

There are advantages and disadvantages of having both. The pure sound of Live music with a wedding band can really bring a great buzz to your reception but will be more expensive than a DJ, and most bands stick to a set list.

A Wedding DJ can only play pre-recorded tracks which means that their sound isn’t as good as a live acoustic band, but the DJ can play any type of music, take requests and works out less expensive than a band.

Band & DJ package

You can have the best of both worlds with live music from the band and disco music with requests for your wedding. The live band can play the first half of the evening (from after dinner until the evening buffet), and the DJ can play the final half of the evening (from the evening buffet to the close of the bar).

Once you have decided this, there are so many questions: A swing band? A cover band? What type of DJ?

Vision & Theme

To avoid becoming overwhelmed consider your vision and theme for your wedding reception.

Close your eyes & imagine it. Talk it out. Different visions and themes call for different music: a swing band would be perfect for a Vintage themed reception, while a great cover band has something for everyone and Ceilidh band would be great for a Traditional Irish / Scottish themed reception.

Make sure that your wedding DJ has had experience, can take requests and has a good quality sound and light show. As with every industry there are good ones and bad ones… The bad ones are cheap and you certainly get what you pay for. So make sure the last thing that your family and friends remember is that great DJ that finished off your day with a bang!

Bring back the deck chair!!

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When the sun does eventually shine in the UK most of us heads to the seaside to catch some rays.

Usually we bring a blanket to put down on the beach. But for the some of us that find it difficult to get back up again after, a deck chair may be quite attractive!! Lugging a deck chair to the beach doesn’t really appeal does it? 

Many large English resorts, like Blackpool, used to rent deck chairs out for just £1.50 a day. Over 68,000 chairs were rented out in 2003 but over the years they have been slowly phased out.

But what happens when you hire a deck chair; how do you actually put it up and how do you get into it gracefully? 

It’s not rocket science to be able to put up a deck chair but for some, it can seem quite a tricky process and if you aren’t careful, you can get your fingers trapped. If you have never put a deck chair up before, it can be bewildering but practice makes perfect.

So here is an A-Z on how to put up a deck chair with zero-fuss and get into it smoothly:

Point both folding arms upwards and stand the folded chair vertically. 

Next, rotate the longer arm away from the frame until it can no longer go any further.

Then, repeat step 2 with the shorter arm and fix the bar in place in one of the pivots/notches of the longer arm. 

Place the upright chair on the ground and adjust the seating accordingly. Make sure it is stable.

Lay your feet firmly on the ground and slowly sit down, holding onto the arms for support. If you’re wearing a dress or a skirt, keep your feet together when you sit down and try sitting down on a side angle.

And relax! Sit back and enjoy your event in style. However, be careful not to lean back too much or you could end up tumbling backwards. 

Remember to always hold onto the arms for support when standing up, or you could end up on your bottom. Alternatively, just ask someone to give you a hand!

Don’t shy away from these fantastic alternative furniture items; they always make people smile and are a fantastic talking point for your event! 

Interested in hiring a deck chair for your event? If you need some inspiration, please check out our directory for more beach themed event hire! 

Here are some fab, fun facts on the history of deck chairs:

Mr John Thomas Moore was the very first person that took out a patent for the adjustable folding chair back in 1886. 

The British businessman manufactured deck chairs in Macclesfield and even supplied them to the infamous Titanic, of which only six survived the sinking. One was even sold at auction for £35,000 back in 2001.  

However, the comfy pieces of furniture can also be traced as far back as the ancient Egyptians. 

Food for thought

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If you are selling food and drink at your fun day, make sure you look at the Food Standards Agency to follow their guidelines.

Raffles and Tombola’s

There are strict and complex laws relating to larger raffles and lotteries which you’d need to check the Gambling Commissions website for more details. We recommend selling raffle tickets on the day and drawing at the event to avoid needing a license. 

Council licences

You’ll need to apply to your local council if you plan on providing any of the below:

– selling alcohol

– Live entertainment

– holding a collection in a public place

Speak to the venue beforehand though as they’ll probably already hold a licence for you. 

Too many people think about what will happen after the event, as they’re so caught up with planning it. 

The follow up is just as important as the event itself. 

Make sure you send a thank you email to all suppliers and providers that helped to make the event the great fun day that it was! Also, send out a press release to local media for print and online.

We all love a great success story and it can have a big impact on brand awareness! Who knows, you may be asked to organise the event again next year. 

Make Your Christmas Party Unforgettable!

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Even though summer is in full swing, Christmas is never too far away and in fact its heading close to five months until the big day which means that now is the time to begin thinking about the Christmas party and how to make it better than ever before. Red Masque know exactly what you need for a first class event and we understand what it takes to make a memorable party.

If you are in charge of organising the Christmas Party, then now is the time to begin booking your entertainment to avoid disappointment simply because entertainment is often booked months in advance.

You may have a theme in mind or you may have been told that it has to follow a theme, but do not worry because Red Masque will have something you’ll see that will meet your requirements whilst also catering to the needs of those who will be attending – we can promise that your Christmas Party will be one that will be remembered forever!

We appreciate that it can be difficult to choose the right entertainment but this is exactly why we ensure that we have lots to offer so that you can find exactly what you want. You may want to follow orders and book what everyone wants or you could go ahead and book something that is completely different, either way we want to make it easy for you.

So where do you start?

At Red Masque we have put together a few ideas which are sure to get you thinking…

Everyone loves magic and this is why Mix and Mingle Magicians are the complete entertainment package.

Magic and Christmas go hand in hand and this is why Red Masque offer this amazing experience. We can guarantee that your guests will be left in amazement with the tricks they offer and we can promise that their show will be the main talking point. They can tailor their show to the size of the audience and the size of the room; they are true professionals that take magic to the next frontier!

For something completely different the Little People/Dwarfs Elves is a great way to give your event a different twist.

Whether you opt to have your Dwarf entertainer be a doorman, dress as an Oompa Loompa or seeing as it is Christmas, dress as an elf we can promise that your guests will love every minute. They have excellent personalities and are all about fun, fun and more fun! To add to an already exciting show they can also offer dancing and fire breathing as part of their act.

Christmas isn’t Christmas without carols which is why Christmas Carollers give your Christmas party the ultimate festive atmosphere.

Get the party going and the festive joy erupting with A Capella carol singers who really know how to get people into the Christmas spirit? They encourage the perfect atmosphere that can get your guests enjoying themselves long into the night as they roam around the room singing everyone’s favourite carols.

Everyone loves live music and a Party Function Band will really get the party started! They know how to get people up on their feet and singing along to all those favourite Christmas hits.

Your guests will be tearing up the dance floor to their favourite songs whilst busting some moves and having an amazing time. Party Function band will give your event the energy it needs to be classed as the best Christmas Party yet. They have experience of singing all over the world so you will be guaranteed a top class performance.

A Christmas party is all about getting dressed up and feeling good and whilst you may feel like a star why not get treated like one with Paparazzi Photographers. They can help to create an atmosphere before the party by creating a buzz of excitement as your guests get papped with smiles that stretch from ear to ear. The photographers know how to get your attention with their cheeky wit and humour and they even look the part with their trilby hats and press tags. Your guests will be sure to remember their Christmas party thanks to the quality photos that can be purchased online after the event.

Every Christmas Event needs something different and what can be more different than a Human Living Table?

This is the perfect centrepiece and is sure to grab the attention of everyone who is at the event. They come in a number of different characters but more importantly they entertain and create a real hype around the place. They can meet and greet your guests on arrival and create a stir, this is something that is completely unique but oddly mesmerising!

Santa has a bit of a reputation as being someone who is always good but don’t be fooled! Comedic Bad Boy Santa’s are a superb alternative whilst being extremely funny at the same time.

They are all about entertaining and will get your guests partying with their breakdancing on their own mobile dance floor. This act is all about putting a twist on Christmas as it throws tradition out of the window! Excellent music and moves that will make your jaw drop, Santa is not always what you may think he is!

Street Dance Parties

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Children’s party entertainment is something that many parents lose sleep over. Where do you find something that will keep your kids busy and engaged for the whole duration of the party, and something that they haven’t already seen before? It’s a challenge most parents would gladly forgo, so Red Masque is here to help. We have access to an eclectic mix of party games, party entertainers and a fund of children’s birthday party ideas that are new and different.

It’s quite challenging thinking up every year of something ‘special’ and different for the right reasons for your child’s/teenagers birthday this is why Red Masque hold the key to taking the stress out of trying to think of something unique.

We at Red Masque advertise only the best children’s party entertainment, for any age group, which can thrill, enthral and astound the audience; from balloon modellers to magicians, street dancers to caricaturists and even green screen photography entertainments, plus a whole series of indoor and outdoor games which include:

Indoor -Dance Machines, Photo Booths, Table Football, Air Hockey and Skittles.

Outdoor – Funfair Stalls, Connect 4, Ker plunk, Table Football and Giant Scalextrics.

All the performers are CRB checked (a necessary precaution these days), and each has been assessed for the quality of their performance, both by us and by the harshest critics of all, the audience. So, if you’re looking for children’s birthday party ideas London, look no further than Red Masque.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Corporate Entertainment

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There are plenty of acts and performers geared towards the corporate entertainment market, ensuring that businesses ‘stand out’. But to get the most out of your corporate entertainment you must make sure that:

• You pursue a wow factor or unique entertainment idea that will impress guests and ensure that the event is talked about.

• If the entertainment you require is for an exhibition or trade stand, that the acts or performers you book will increase footfall and draw guests to your stand.

• You use entertainment that can incorporate your logo or corporate message.

• You are aware of the latest entertainment trends to appear ahead of the game/up to date.

Some Corporate Planning Entertainment Ideas

Enquiries for cutting edge entertainment that use the latest technologies and techniques to impress corporate guests at events are increasing as businesses strive to stand out and stay ahead of the game.

These top corporate entertainment ideas will ensure that you make the most out of your corporate event, and that it is talked about for all the right reasons:

• IPad magicians offer cutting edge magic shows that use the latest iPad technologies and performance techniques (and humour!) to wow corporate audiences. Can incorporate products, messages and logos. A definite talking point.

• Corporate percussion groups are geared towards corporate clients and will perform using products i.e. ladders, machinery, etc. These shows also have added wow factor, as they are a fast paced, high energy performance.

• LED and laser shows are the here and now of corporate entertainment. These seriously ‘in’ corporate shows will incorporate logos and even interact with audiences. This is entertainment for businesses that want their event to stand out.

• Walking, talking Robots are great for corporate events that include trade shows, exhibitions and conventions, or as great walk around acts who can meet and greet guests. Interactive robots will impress all the right people whatever your corporate event.

• Video mapping dance groups are proving to be a big hit so far this year for corporate events. New technologies have allowed performers to take their dance/visual performances to the next level as humans and computers merge. These acts can incorporate specific music and graphics, as well as logos and corporate messages.

• Sand artists have been popular with corporate events since Ukraine’s Got Talent featured a female sand artist that took the internet by storm. These talented artists will perform custom made sand animations for a variety of corporate events. These shows have definite wow factor that will ensure your event is remembered!

In Conclusion

Corporate event planners must keep a few key points in mind to ensure that their event is a success. 

Entertainment for corporate events needs to be targeted specifically towards key target audiences, ensuring that it is suitable for guests and attendees. Event professionals dealing with corporate environments must continually strive to seek out the best entertainment that will make an impact and a lasting impression. 

The acts, shows or performers must be current, be able to incorporate logos and branding, but most importantly, they must be unique. Make sure entertainment is interactive for a truly personal experience, and this will go a long way towards impressing your guests. Event entertainment is big business. Event planners are simply spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing acts and performers for events, as there is a plethora of entertainment to choose from.

Does your shop need a bit of promotion?

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Many businesses now enjoy and thrive off shop promotion. Whether it’s opening the shop for the first time or your first year anniversary shop promotions can attract new customers and keep existing customers. It can also help increase sales which is probably the most positive factor of all businesses. Shop promotion entertainment can help with every of these aspects… if done properly. 

Shops always have the same monotonous music playing in the background so why not switch it up a bit and hire a DJ. The public will hear different music and will also experience first-hand a DJ playing live in a shop, now that’s not something you see every day. Get the DJ to play various styles of music to attract different types of customers but also make sure it suits your shop. Ig you have a unique boutique then trance music would not exactly match the surroundings. Your shop will have that wow factor compared to others around it so it is definitely worth a try! 

Street performers are a great idea to entice people of the street and into your shop. The performers will attract attention to the facade of the shop and can even hand out leaflets to the public. Once your street performer starts performing and letting everybody know about the shop, then how can the customers resist not going in for a little look. Various street performers could include stilt walkers, fire performers, dancers and even musicians. This is a very cost effective way to add excitement and positive chit chat around your shop.

 Food is well known to be the way to anybody’s heart. So why not have some sort of unique catering outside your shop to attract customers to your front doors. A few ideas which are very simple yet very effective include hiring a fish and chip van for the day. It could be packaged in a traditional box with your brand on it, so when your customers sit down to enjoy their food they are reminding on your company. During the summer months you could hire an ice cream van or cart and if they spend a certain amount in shop then on their exit they get an ice cream. It may be a simple idea but this can be very effective. To finish up, your shop just needs to be jazzed up a bit. Make it fun and intriguing and do your research. As I said before, don’t hire entertainment which doesn’t match your shops style. And shop around and hire local artists of possible, this will reflect very positively on your shop.

Perfect ideas for your memorable party

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Everyone wants their event or party to be memorable, and using unique entertainment ideas is simply the best way for folks to remember your event. The more unique, the more lasting the impression. Here are 10 more cool and different ways to wow your guests:

One idea is music comedy performers, how about hiring two pianists which involve two crazy entertainers, each wielding a grand piano, top party hits from the past 40 years, jokes, toasts and audience interaction. Each piano player tries to outdo the other in this outrageous fiesta of music and comedy. This is especially good for corporate events where you want everyone to let their hair down and just have fun or with brides who want to steer clear of the typical bands or DJs and are want something more memorable. 

Hire a miniature impersonator. Political correctness aside, it’s pretty cute to see a 4 foot celebrity lookalike in full costume strutting around your event. It’s sure to make your guests smile. 

If you have a flair for the dramatic, hire a fire performer. This combines dance, drama and movement into a theatrical presentation that is hypnotic and memorable. Of course you better check with the fire marshal to see what is required in terms of safety! 

Another dramatic choice would be a circus-themed event, replete with acrobats and balancing performers, dancers in costume, and tight rope walkers. If you can’t have your party in an exotic locale, bring the exotic locale to your party! 

String quartets are always hit with their tight harmonies and old-time costumes. Some of these vocal groups will write a song for your group or company if you give them background beforehand. Imagine listening to these beautiful voices singing in glorious 4 part harmony. 

Why not think about having a Snow Party. There are companies that will come to your event and create real snow and ice. You could always have a White Christmas with Snowmen, sledding, snowball fights and ice skating. It’s not impossible. 

We’ve all seen Pig Racing. I admit, this is a bit out there, but who could resist these plump little porkers trotting down the track, each scrambling to get out in front for a nail biting race to the finish. Great fun for old and young, everybody can participate and cheer on their favourite to win.

Hog Roast! Ok, perhaps not the most inspired idea after a pig race, but who doesn’t like bacon and roast pork, especially if your pig lost the race. 

Moulin Rouge is always a fun theme to work with. Hire some Can-Can dancers, slap red-flocked velvet on the tables, and don a gorgeous Parisian turn-of-the-century costume. Hang a girl on a trapeze singing Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend and call it a day!

Famous classical music composers

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Find the best in Classical Music available for hire in the UK today. From solo performers to full orchestras, the performance of classical music repertoire demands a significant level of technical mastery on the part of the musician.

Classical music may not enjoy as much popularity as it used to in its golden age from 17th to the early 20th century. But it continues to impress and inspire, especially the works by the greatest composers of all times. Some of them may have lived hundreds of years ago but their masterpieces simply remain unsurpassed.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

German organist, composer, violist and violinist is widely regarded as one of the best classical composers of all times. Best known works by Bach include the Brandenburg Concertos, Air on the G String, Toccata and Fugue in D minor and Arioso, to mention only a few. 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Austrian composer impressed his contemporaries already as a child. At the age of 5, he mastered keyboard and violin, Some of most famous and most widely performed Mozart’s works include Requiem, Symphony No. 40, operas The Magic Flute and The Marriage of Figaro, Piano Sonata No 16 in C Major, Symphony No. 25, Piano Concerto No. 21 and Piano Sonata No. 11 (Mov. 3 – Turkish March).

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

German composer and pianist was the most outstanding figure in the transition between Classical and Romantic periods, some of his best works including the 9th symphony were created after he became almost completely deaf. Other notable works by Beethoven include Sonata No. 14 (Moonlight Sonata), 5th Symphony, 6th Symphony, Bagatelle No. 25 (Für Elise) and Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op.73.

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

The celebrated Italian composer is best known for his operas that remain popular to this day. Verdi established himself as the dominant figure of the 19th century Italian classical music. Verdi’s most famous operas besides Nabucco include La traviata, Rigoletto, Aida, Don Carlos, Othello and Falstaff.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

Most famous Russian classical music composer wrote in a variety of genres. He composed symphonies, operas, concertos, chamber music, sacred choral music, overtures, suites and ballets. Some of his best known works include his three ballets The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and the Sleeping Beauty, Marche Slave, First Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Overture 1812, Symphony No. 6, Fantasy Overture (Romeo and Juliet), Serenade for Strings and opera Eugene Onegin. 

Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)

Just like Mozart, Chopin was a very gifted child and established himself as one of the foremost Polish composers at a very young age. Some of his best known works include Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2, Funeral March (Prelude in C minor), Minute Waltz (Waltz in D-flat major), Revolutionary Etude (Op.10, No.12) and Fantasie-Impromptu (Op. Posth. 66). 

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

Italian Baroque composer and violin virtuoso continues to be admired throughout the globe for his works, especially for his instrumental concertos for violin. His greatest masterpiece is a series of violin concertos called Le quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons). 

Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)

He is widely referred to as “the greatest Italian opera composer after Verdi” and “the last of Italy’s great opera composers”. His works – La Boheme, Tosca, Madame Butterfly, Il trittico and Turandot are indeed masterpieces and are among the most widely performed operas in the standard repertoire. The mentioned operas also contain a number of outstanding stand-alone arias including Mi chiamano Mimi, O soave fanciulla, Che gelida manina, E lucevan le stelle, Un bel di vedremo, O mio babbino caro and Nessun Dorma. 

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

German-born British composer is widely considered one of the greatest masters of the Baroque era and one of Britain’s foremost classical composers. His greatest works include the Messiah, Sarabande, Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks, to mention only a few. 

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

Russian born French and then American composer, conductor and pianist is one of the most outstanding and influential 20th century composers. He was and still is admired worldwide for the novelty of his works which, however, also caused a great deal of controversy in his time. Stravinsky’s greatest works include The Firebird, Petrushka, The Rite of Spring, A Soldier’s Tale, and The Song of the Nightingale, Mavra, Oedipus Rex, the Symphony in C and the Symphony in Three Movements

If you are having a very classy affair that demands the very best, or having a theatrical evening that needs a full orchestra to make your play even more dynamic then hiring our Classical music artists will be a very good decision on your part.

Stage Hypnotists

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Take a journey into the subcioncious mind… A stage hypnotist makes great entertainment for almost any event. Hypnotism and over recent years has made a huge come back in the world of entertainment and with a comedy hypnosis show you can be sure your event will be thought provoking, fun and mind-boggling.

Stage hypnotists sometimes argue that it is seeing people hypnotised on television or on stage that convinces people of its use and that it does indeed work. Sure enough, many people who come to see hypnotherapists, or indeed doctors and psychologists using hypnosis, have seen hypnotism on television and are intrigued. The flip side of this is that it takes quite a lot of time explaining hypnosis correctly, including allaying some of their fears, for example;

  • Hypnosis is not magic.
  • It does not involve people being made to do things against their will
  • It does involve a hypnotist acting as a guide to help clients empower themselves and make natural, healthy and often profound changes.

In its worst form, stage hypnosis has been accused of being manipulative and exploitative. Most professional stage hypnotists would counter this claim by demonstrating that subjects have volunteered to take part in the show and fully understand what to expect. This is seen by many as a grey area in that stage hypnotists often suggest indirectly that events are beyond the subject’s control. Far less debatable is the willingness a client shows when entering a session of hypnotherapy. 

The facts about hypnosis for entertainment

Film and TV depictions of hypnosis are often grossly inaccurate and can lead to some people developing a fear or distrust of hypnosis. People can be led to believe that the hypnotist can take control of the person being hypnotised, and even make them do something against their will. This is sometimes called the ‘Svengali effect’ (after the sinister character in the 1894 novel Trilby by George Du Maurier). While this may make for interesting storylines, the reality is quite the opposite. In hypnosis you are always in control and can choose to follow or ignore the suggestions of the hypnotherapist.

There is a very big difference between clinical hypnotherapy and stage hypnotism. Whilst the former is a therapeutic process for the benefit of the client, the latter is a performance, a show designed purely to entertain the audience. The people, who volunteer as subjects for stage hypnotism, are in effect self-selecting themselves, are happy to lose their inhibitions and be the centre of attention (extroverts), and are willing to go along with the show, whether or not they are actually in a state of hypnosis. It could be reasonably argued that the same results could be obtained under the influence of nothing more than a few glasses of alcoholic refreshment.

In the UK, the revival of stage hypnotism was accompanied by a heightened concern about the possible dangers of stage hypnosis, and the 1952 Hypnotism Act was brought in to protect the public from unscrupulous hypnotists.

In 1994 a panel of experts was set up by the Home Office to examine any evidence of possible harm to people taking part in public entertainments involving hypnotism, and to review the effectiveness of the law governing hypnotism for entertainment. Publication of the expert panel’s report was announced in parliament in 1995, which concluded that “there was no evidence of serious risk to participants in stage hypnosis, and that any risk which does exist is much less significant than that involved in many other activities.” 

Nowadays the hypnosis stage show remains popular as both public and corporate entertainment. There are courses available on hypnotic stage techniques for those who wish to learn stage hypnosis online or on a professionally taught course.