By Kristin Sullivan, General Manager, The Alice
At today’s most sought-after luxury venues, weddings are no longer designed as just a timeline of events, they are orchestrated as immersive, guest-driven experiences. In 2026, live interactive entertainment will become the defining element that will transform a beautiful celebration into an unforgettable destination level event.
Luxury couples are no longer asking, “What entertainment should we have?”
They are asking, “How will this experience feel?”
At The Alice, the answer lies in thoughtfully curated, live, interactive moments woven seamlessly throughout the celebration utilizing all aspects of the venue.
A New Era of Luxury: Where Guests Become Part of the Experience
The modern luxury wedding guest expects more than exquisite décor and exceptional cuisine. They expect to be engaged, delighted and surprised. The most prestigious venues such as ours now design weddings as multi-sensory environments rather than static spaces.
Live interactive entertainment creates:
- Movement throughout the property
- Emotional storytelling through performance
- Personalized moments for each guest
- A sense of discovery and exclusivity
This approach transforms the venue into a living stage, where every space offers its own memorable experience.
Signature Entertainment Experiences Guests Now Expect Live Artistic Installations
We are receiving inquiries to partner with:
- Fashion sketch artists
- Live portrait painters
- Custom calligraphy stations
- Runway-style illustrators
Guests can receive bespoke keepsakes created in real time, an elevated, tactile memory of the celebration that reflects the level of detail and personalization expected of a luxury property.
Roaming Performers & Atmospheric Ambience
Rather than isolating entertainment on a single stage, high-end celebrations now feature mobile performance artists:
- Live string musicians moving through garden and terrace spaces
- Vocalists offering intimate serenades
- LED and light performers activated after sunset
- Drone shows
- Stylized dancers guiding guests naturally toward transitions between spaces
This creates a fluid guest journey and a sense of cinematic movement throughout the venue.
In November, we hosted 55 destination luxury wedding colleagues from all over the USA and Canada. We worked with ESU Productions (Orlando) to curate a program designed to wow our guests, including Celebrity Wedding & Event Planner Colin Cowie. The experience was wonderful; we had four sets throughout cocktail hour and dinner that people are still talking about.
Experiential Culinary & Cocktail Theatre
Cuisine is no longer presented….. it is performed!
Top-tier experiences include:
- Live mixology bars featuring theatrical cocktail creation
- Tableside dessert presentations
- Interactive champagne and caviar tastings
- Espresso bars with live latte artistry
- Fire and flame-based culinary moments
These activations elevate hospitality into a form of entertainment, creating defined moments guests photograph, share, and remember.
Technology as Quiet Luxury
Future Technology is seamlessly integrating rather than overtly visible, enhancing the guest journey without distracting from elegance.
The Alice is embracing:
- Ambient projection mapping that subtly shifts environments
- Interactive lighting synchronized with music and guest movement
- AI-enhanced audio guest books that transform messages into visual art
- Intelligent LED elements embedded into décor, flooring, and table design
This style of invisible innovation defines modern luxury.
Why Luxury Venues Are Leading This Evolution
Luxury venues are uniquely positioned to deliver these immersive experiences because they offer:
- Architectural depth for layered entertainment zones
- Professional partnerships with elite performers and creatives
- Spatial flow that supports storytelling and pacing
- On-site production partner teams capable of executing high-level experiences
For couples, the venue becomes more than a location — it becomes a creative partner in designing a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The Luxury Difference: Experience Over Excess
The future of luxury weddings is not defined by more, it is defined by meaning.
Today’s discerning couples value:
- Personalization over performance
- Emotion over extravagance
- Experience over decoration
Live interactive entertainment delivers intimacy, wonder, and lasting emotional impact.
Couples are not just planning a wedding; they are commissioning a masterpiece; luxury is no longer about scale. It is about sensation, storytelling and unforgettable moments.
