Tag Archives: wedding

Show-stopping showgirls

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Hiring Showgirls is a must to meet and greet your guests. There fabulous costumes and allure will definitely impress your guests no end. You could be organising a themed party for example: Las Vegas, Hollywood, Moulin Rouge, Mardi gras and James Bond, These gorgeous girls make any event one to remember for all the right reasons.

Costumes and themes for your special event can be tailor-made for whatever you were envisaging.

Snake dancers no doubt will be a talking point if you decide that a snake dancer would be perfect for your event. Captivating the audience with amazement and somewhat fear, they won’t be able to take their eyes of this amazing act. Why not interact your guests with the dancer and the snake, where the snake can be passed around (humanely of course) and let your crowd get involved. The Snake Dancers are trained to handle the snakes and are always professional at all times…

If you’ve ever wanted to learn the art of Tango, then why not book a few professional Tango dancers. This sensual ballroom dance originated in South America. It is one of the most passionate and fascinating of all dances. You will love the seamless moves of this romantic dance which no doubt will make you yourself want to learn this beautiful dance. This intimate dance is guaranteed to keep the audience entertained and bring passion and life to any event or party. 

One of most entrancing dances of all time, you can’t fail to love the music which accompanies the Salsa dance. Many people all over the world go to Salsa classes to learn the art of this beautiful and sensual dance. If you are having a Salsa party or you would like some Salsa Dancers to start your event, then why not look on our directory to see if we cannot tempt you with professional dancers that we have advertised with us.

To book some beautiful dancers or showgirls with a difference, look on our directory and see which one you could be hiring for your event.

Sweets for your sweets!

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We love our Canapé Girls for hire here at Red Masque directory and our clients love them too. So what could make them even more fabulous?

The Canapé girls have been planning new fabulous costumes for a while and here they are!  They all have our new fabulous light up bespoke designed trays. Depicting everything vintage and garden tea party, these beautiful canapé girls are a fabulous and unique way to help serve treats, sweets, cakes and canapés to your event guests.

The Canapé trays are now even more spectacular with super bright LED lights adding illuminated colour to each of the canapé hostesses. The colour can be themed to each costume, to your event or even colour changing. So with the combination of this fabulous addition and their outstanding costuming, our canapé hostesses are sure to stand out from the crowd!

One of the Canapé ladies is Perfectly pink is adorned with traditional English garden flowers, sparkling Swarovski crystals, cameo brooches and of course pearls and even has a full tea set in her fabulous wig – topped with a cute teapot!

Another Gorgeous Canapé lady is surrounded by traditional garden flowers, beautiful brooches, sparkling Swarovski crystals and strings of pearls with vintage decorative doves hidden in her hair!

Complete with their purposely created Perspex serving trays, these gorgeous girls can serve selections of sweets, canapé’s or cupcakes. The Canapé trays are now even more spectacular with super bright LED lights adding illuminated colour to each of the canapé hostesses. The colour can be themed to each costume, to your event or even colour changing. So with the combination of this fabulous addition and their outstanding costuming. The canapé hostesses are sure to stand out from the crowd! These fabulous crystal chandelier headdresses can always be seen across a crowded room, catching the light, sparkling and shimmering. Perfect for black tie in their fabulous white silk tail coats, they are beautiful way to serve your guests at award ceremonies, black tie events and parties.

Thinking of hiring a ballet dancer?

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A ballet dancer is a wonderful thing her movements are faultless and seamless.  Even if you were not a fan of the beautiful art you must appreciate the work involved to get there; hours upon hours of training which is quite gruelling. Hiring a ballet dancer or a group will certainly go down well with your guests making it a very classy affair.

A Ballet dancers dream would be to train at the Royal Ballet School, for a ballet dancer; the most sought after place to be:

The Royal Ballet School was founded in 1926, when Dame Ninette de Valois opened her Academy of Choreographic Art. Inspired to create a repertory ballet company and school, she collaborated with Lilian Baylis, lessee and Manager of the Old Vic Theatre.

When Lilian Baylis acquired the Sadler’s Wells Theatre, de Valois moved the School there in 1931 and it became The Vic-Wells Ballet School feeding dancers into The Vic-Wells Ballet Company. In 1939 the school was renamed The Sadler’s Wells Ballet School and the Company became The Sadler’s Wells Ballet.

In 1946 The Sadler’s Wells ballet moved to a permanent home at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. A second company was formed, The Sadler’s Wells Theatre Ballet. In 1947 the School moved from Sadler’s Wells Theatre to Barons Court and general education was combined with vocational ballet training.

The first five younger years of the School moved to White Lodge, Richmond Park in 1955/56 and became residential, combining general education and vocational ballet training. The final three years of study for more senior continued to be based at Barons Court.

The Royal Charter was granted in October 1956 and the School and companies were renamed The Royal Ballet School, The Royal Ballet and the Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet (later renamed Birmingham Royal Ballet following its move there in 1990).

From that time the School has become both the leading classical ballet school in the United Kingdom earning government support and an international institution which attracts the very best ballet students worldwide. The calibre of students graduating from the school is self-evident.

In January 2003 the Barons Court campus moved to new premises in Floral Street, alongside London’s Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. The state-of-the-art studios are now linked to The Royal Ballet by the award winning Bridge of Aspiration, fulfilling Dame Ninette’s dream to have Company and School side by side in the centre of London.

A Casino themed event

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You may well want to go all out at your event and have a ‘James Bond’ theme and have a few celebrity lookalike ‘Bonds’ or some ‘Pussy Galore’ lookalikes gracing your event.  

It doesn’t have to be an all adult affair either you could make it family orientated and hire some bouncy castles, children’s entertainers or some fairground stalls.

Just make it your own – we have some great ideas on our website which will fit into whatever you were deciding.  A birthday party or fund raising event which would be very unique and anyone receiving an invitation would be very curious and definitely want to turn up.  Use your imagination and your event could be the most talked about for many months to come.

Going back to a ‘Casino Theme’ you may have the roulette wheel, or the black jack table, but why not indulge in a few arcade games for the younger ones or indeed the older generation who love to have a go on retro ‘Pac man’ or ‘out run’. You may want some ‘slot machines’ where you will find that people will be hogging them for hours.

You could be organising a charity event where all proceeds go to your favourite cause, or you may want somebody to win big!!  The choice is yours and your event will be a very tempting invitation.

Don’t forget to hire some all-important Paparazzi for when your guests arrive, they will be ‘papped’ just like the stars of today, and after they will be able to see their escapades on a souvenir dvd, now that’s what memories are made of!!!

To book some of the ideas that we have listed or to get some more inspiration simply look within our Red Masque party and event entertainment directory to see which would be ideal for you. 

Some ideas for a great proposal…

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There are many ways that you can make a grand proposal to your loved one. You may have the perfect one lined up but if you need a little help. We have made some suggestions:

1. Love Letters: Just Mind the wind.

If you wife to be is a country girl at heart, the prospect of getting up and going outside on possibly a very cold day will certainly not faze her. The idea of going up in a helicopter and viewing the beautiful British countryside that she loves will definitely excite her though. Then, imagine her face when she views the words ‘Will you marry me?’ written across the hill…breath-taking! I have met someone recently who instead of actually writing it on the hill just used paper to create the shapes of the words. Unfortunately, it was a rather windy day and he had to use his faithful friends to lie across the paper to ensure she did not get a mangled message!

Alternatively, recently a farmer in Gloucestershire allowed a creative groom to write the letters ‘Will You Marry Me’ on his sheep. As far as we’re aware no sheep were harmed in the creating of this proposal.

2. Enter Loversville

As its’ name alone suggests that the village of Lover (pronounced like Dover) is one of the UK’s most romantic destinations. Located just south of Salisbury on the edge of the New Forest this tiny village is an ideal place for couples to visit, if only to pose by the village sign for an amusing photo opportunity!

Also in Wiltshire, is the interesting heart shaped wood on Huish Hill near Pewsey. Created by Lady Keswick in 1999 as a memorial to her brothers the wood has developed nicely so that when in season it appears to look like a giant red heart. This phenomenon is due to the woods being planted with two varieties of Hawthorn which produce pink flowers. Totalling an acre in size, the wood is visible from the top of Huish Hill and is really spectacular!

3. Stop the press; or the traffic at least.

Why not show the world, or rather a high percentage of commuters, how much you love the woman in your life by proposing on London Bridge, during rush hour.

OK, so it may not make you the most popular guy in London, but it will certainly win you an infinite amount of brownie points for the most imaginative and heart felt proposal.

4. Get a Cheer

Picture the scene, you’re having an amazing time at Glastonbury, it’s warm, the sun is setting and you’re watching your favourite band perform on the stage. And then you get engaged; now that’s quite perfect.

This actually happened to a young couple in 2010 and Chris Martin announced; “I don’t know if you saw, but someone just proposed and got a good answer” The audience all cheered in celebration, and he then went onto explain that he would dedicate the next song to them! Imagine getting a cheer from 20,000 people after you have just got engaged, I think that would make it pretty memorable. 

5. Melt your snow queen

The Dolomite Mountains in North Eastern Italy is a ski resort with over 1, 200 km of slopes, which leaves plenty of open space for a romantic and secret proposal. If you and your girlfriend are both a fan of the slopes, this would be the perfect place to visit and pop the question.

The Dolomite’s have been described as brighter, more colourful, and more monumental than any other mountain range and are unique in that they seem to be architecturally inspired. Deodat de Dolomieu discovered and clarified the exceptional composition of the stone, giving the mountains their name.

So there you have it, our suggestions for the most romantic and memorable proposals. Take them as they are or with a pinch of salt, but whatever your proposal idea is, make it personal to you and no-one could say no.

Of course if you look at the party entertainers that are located on our website there are countless ideas that you can feed from. Try hiring something a little unusual to give your wife to be the proposal she so deserves…

The most romantic of venues

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Choosing a wedding venue is almost always on the top of a couple’s ‘to do’ list.  This is the place that you will remember forever, it is the place where you will kiss your new husband/wife for the first time, it is the place where you will take your children  and your grand-children back to, all to show them where you had the happiest day of your life. 

So a wedding venue needs to be characterful with its own qualities that make it desirable for a couple, but it must also to be enough of a blank canvas that a couple can put their own stamp on it.

Kew Gardens is a beautiful venue.  There are a number of beautiful and completely different areas within the venue of Kew Garden, that offer endless possibilities for the big day

There is the cosy Cambridge Cottage that can hold up to 80 guests for both ceremony and wedding reception.  The Cottage is a former royal residence and has a clean and fresh décor, which allows the Bride and Groom to choose any particular colour to use throughout the wedding, happily knowing that it will not clash with anything will always look perfect.  The cottage is steeped in traditional horticulture with floral pictures on the walls, which some couples do like to combine with their own ideas; using very bright and expressive flowers to decorate the venue, or use flower names as table names.

With entertainment, the light and elegant tone of Cambridge Cottage lends itself perfectly to string instruments, particular the harp or string quartet for a ceremony or reception.  The cottage backs on to the gardens and the sound of a string quartet drifting through the air could not be more perfect for a warm, summer wedding.

For the evening, the intimacy of Cambridge Cottage means that either a 4 piece band or a solo singer works really well and creates a flawless party atmosphere.

Within the Grounds of the Gardens there are also the 3 beautiful Conservatories – The Nash Conservatory is a nineteenth century glasshouse that has started being used for Civil Ceremonies this year and can hold up to 200 guests.  The Nash Conservatory is used in conjunction with The Orangery, which is available for evening hire for up to 400 guests for a cocktail reception

The Princess of Wales Conservatory can either be used by itself as a cocktail reception venue for up to 250 guests or in combination with The Orangery or Cambridge Cottage, as a venue for pre or post dinner drinks.  The Conservatory itself was commissioned in 1982 and was named after Princess Augusta, the founder of Kew.  Opened in 1987 by Diana, Princess of Wales, the Princess of Wales Conservatory is the most complex glasshouse at Kew, containing ten computer-controlled climatic zones, which only adds to this completely unique and interesting venue.

So with more than a few options for Weddings and Civil Ceremonies, it’s a great place to suggest wedding entertainment for – so many different acts work in the different spaces that the possibilities are endless.

The best day of your life…

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The word wedding derives from Anglo-Saxon times when the bride’s father led a public ceremony, called a “be wedding”, at which the groom offered guarantees to the bride’s guardians that she would be looked after. These offerings were called “weds”. The occasion is one of life’s primeval and surprisingly unchanged rites of passage. It celebrates the union of two people in love with the sharing of vows and is traditionally witnessed by friends and family. 

Whether your special day is a small registry celebration, or a large church gathering or a more personal non-religious ceremony, start as you mean to go on, by making the first day of the rest of your lives the best day of your lives.

For a truly unforgettable day Red Masque will fulfil all your musical requirements with the pick of the country’s coolest party bands for a swinging evening reception, or perhaps a Jazz band, swing band or classical ensemble to provide background entertainment during the meal or the signing of the register.

Starting with the wedding ceremony, a string quartet or harpist are common choices to provide a beautiful musical backdrop during the wedding ceremony and immediately afterwards whilst photos are taken.

A jazz or swing band is an ideal choice to provide light background music during the afternoon reception, helping to settle guests and create an exciting atmosphere. It is also quite common for the string quartet rom your ceremony to continue playing during the afternoon reception.

What evening wedding reception entertainment program would be complete without a party function band or DJ? Rock and Pop bands are by far the most popular choices, with soul, disco, and salsa offering something a little different.

DJ’s are a good solution if a band is out of your budget but are also often booked as well as a band to fill in the gaps between the bands performances. Also, ask if the band themselves can DJ in between sets as this is very often possible.

Don’t just stop at wedding music though as all manner of wedding entertainment can be arranged. From top illusionists that will entertain your guests while they mingle, to traditional dancers and stage hypnotists, there’s no end to the fun that are there for the taking.

Engage in the idea…

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Your engagement is a promise to marriage as well as the period of time between the proposal and your marriage. During your engagement you are said to be affianced, betrothed, engaged to be married, or simply engaged. Future brides and bridegrooms are often referred to as fiancées or fiancés respectively (from the French word fiancé).

Long engagements were once common in formal arranged marriages and it was not uncommon for parents betrothing children to arrange such many years before the engaged couple were old enough to marry. .

Engagement parties.

Some engagements are announced at an engagement party, traditionally hosted by the bride’s parents. These parties are given in the family’s usual style of entertainment. Traditionally, engagement parties were normal parties at which a surprise announcement of the engagement was made by the father of the bride to his guests. Therefore, it is not a traditional gift-giving occasion, as none of the guests were supposed to be aware of the engagement until after their arrival.

In modern times, engagement parties often celebrate a previously publicized engagement.

Because it’s often the case that many guests don’t know each other very well, it’s important to ensure you have plenty of ‘ice breakers’. When two families are coming together for the first time it can be a nerve racking experience and so the more you can put guests at ease the better.

Think about a magician or a caricaturist or maybe even a pianist to play light background music whilst guests arrive & chat.

If you have space then try a jazz band who could play up tempo lively music to keep spirits high and feet tapping whilst you great guests and show off your engagement ring!

Ensure the drinks are flowing throughout the party and in no time the two families will be getting to know each other and soaking up the party atmosphere.

Party themes…

If you got engaged in an interesting location, you might like to theme your engagement party to suit. Hawaiian or beach themes are relatively easy to put together, as are New York, Las Vegas, Mexican, Australian themes etc.

No party is complete without live music so if your budget can stretch to a party function band it will be a sound investment towards ensuring the success of your big night.

It’s important to consider the age range of the guests who will be attending your party as grandparents, although actually some of the ‘most-likely-to-dance’ members of the party might not be quite so keen on hard rock or gangsta rap.

Anniversary Party Planning Ideas

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The word anniversary, meaning returning with the year or the annually recurring date of a past event, derives from the Medieval Latin word anniversarius, where annus means year and versus, which is the past participle of vertere, means to turn.

In modern times an anniversary celebration is usually held as a day of remembrance to commemorate a special event, particularly one of historical, national or personal importance: a person’s death, the anniversary of the founding of Rome or more usually a wedding anniversary. 

With music being one of the most important aspects of any party you might think about a themed band or DJ to play music from the era of your wedding party. For example why not book a swing band or Jazz Band for your 50th or 60th wedding anniversary party or a Rock n Roll band for all you 1960’s or 70’s newlyweds.

Many of Red Masque tribute bands will perform in costume which can lead to even greater amusement if you make it compulsory that all your guests must dress up in gear that was trendy in the year you were married, especially if any of them still have original items of clothing from those days!

Maybe you were married abroad, be it Ireland, the Caribbean or Greece so why provide a band who will perform music traditional to that country;  which will get everyone jigging, or a top class steel band to re-invoke the sound of the sea and the swaying palms you enjoyed on your Caribbean wedding day.

Many people choose to organise a 1st, 2nd or 3rd year wedding anniversary party featuring the same band they hired for their wedding day entertainment. Your guests will have loved them the first time around so it’s a pretty safe bet that the next performance will be just as great.

If you’re asking guests to wear fancy dress then your room should be decorated in a similar theme.

For a personal treat you should ask all your friends to bring photos, anecdotes and tall tales about your years as a married couple. You can later compile these into an album to look back on and savour for years to come.

A few ideas for your wedding

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Make the most of the sunshine and delight your guests with the best in British summertime entertainment for your wedding day and evening party. Let the fun begin!

Turn your wedding into a traditional fete on the lawn, with lots of activities for all ages, and a slap-up tea on vintage china in the marquee instead of a formal sit-down meal. Everyone loves those retro fete games and side stalls, such as a coconut shy, tin can bash, skittles, hoopla, giant table football and two childhood favourites made large, a games and a giant scalectrix. Give your fete a contemporary twist with a roving street magician ready to thrill anyone with card tricks and logic-defying illusions anytime, any-place, no table required.


Fantastic feats of dexterity that seem to defy gravity, from traditional club jugglers to comedy jugglers who’ll play around with everything from eggs to bowling balls! Skilled caricaturists can create hand-drawn, unique portraits of you or your guest in under five minutes, one-of-a-kind souvenirs of a very special day. Expand your guest lists with everyone you’ve ever wanted at your party with our lookalikes, from David Beckham to Marylyn Munroe to Brad Pitt.

Keep the little ones amused for hours with the help of professional children’s entertainers. Kids can twist and turn with balloon modellers, fall about laughing with a clown, get artistic with face painters. Warning; adults always want to join in too!

Forget high priced tickets for muddy fields and distant views of so-so bands bring the festival to your wedding instead. Set up a stage or two, pop up a beer tent and start booking your acts. The famous festival mixes its music, so you can hear an up and coming bad one set, then opera the next! Do the same; mix rock and jazz, acoustic and electro, DJs, opera singers and solo sax. Remember, that gospel choir who performed at the ceremony and the function band you’ve booked for the evening would probably love to be part of your festival too!

Bring a sense of theatre to your festival with unusual acts, such as stilt walkers, living statues, mime artists, themed walkabout and more. OK, we know the weather is even more unpredictable than the best man’s speech, so choose wedding entertainment that works just as well in your venue as outside on the lawns, such as micro-illusion magicians, caricaturists or a small jazz band.


Create a lovely atmosphere during your meal with gentle background music from an expert and experienced pianist, guitarist, harpist, or even a Capella group depending on the size of your room. There are plenty of moments in a wedding meal where you can surprise your guests with unexpected entertainment. Roving magicians can work the tables to bridge the gap between taking your seats and the starter being served, for example. Singing waiters have been around for years but they never fail to amuse, delight and entertain, as your waiters suddenly develop a passion for performance along with magnificent voices!

Your guests are arriving for the evening, ready to celebrate your special day and have a really great time. So, give them an evening they’ll be talking about for years! Wow them from the first moment they arrive with living statue, as costumed artists meet and greet your guests from the centre of a table and hand them the first drink of the evening! Surprising and practical too!

Will Lady Luck smile on your guests when they play in your very own casino complete with slots and showgirls? The money may be fake, but the enjoyment is 100% pure gold.

Cocktail bartenders will conjure up incredible cocktails for your guests. Expect flying bottles, swirling shakers, exotic ingredients and a taste sensation in every glass. Photo booths bring out the teenager in everyone, so get in there and banish those passport photo horrors to history! Hire some paparazzi desperate to take your guests’ photos, and get the latest scoop. Give your guests a taste of celebrity fame when the pics get posted online to a private micro-site, to view and buy if they wish. Turn your venue into a comedy club with classic stand-up by tomorrow’s stars, or today’s big names. If you’ve got the budget, we’ve got the best comedians to hire.

It’s been an amazing day, so why not finish it with a stunning fireworks display, custom-made to your venue and requirements, and with your choice of sound track or even live music. We hope we’ve given you food for thought, so when you book your wedding think of Red Masque entertainment – it really couldn’t be simpler.