The Most Fun Hudson Valley Wedding Trend: Giving Guests Something to Do

Hudson Valley weddings are increasingly moving beyond passive entertainment. Instead of adding another decorative installation, couples can bring in experiences guests actually interact with.

Coffee, dessert and the raw bar

A mobile espresso bar can open after dinner. Little Birdie Coffee Co., Velvet Moon Coffee, Seated Coffee Co. and other regional coffee vendors bring barista service straight to the event.

Dessert can become entertainment too. The Cannoli Cart serves cannoli from a mobile setup, Happy Cow Catering runs a soft-serve trailer, and Candi Clouds brings a cotton candy cart to Hudson Valley events.

Cocktail hour can include an oyster shucker or raw bar. Oyster Party provides professional oyster and raw bar service out of Woodstock.

Flowers, games and the booth

Flowers can be both an activity and a favor. Capturette's Poppy's Petals turns a mobile flower cart into a build-your-own bouquet experience.

Games have expanded well beyond cornhole. Upstate Jamboree makes handcrafted lawn games and oversized games inspired by vintage carnival and European designs. Couples can bring in casino tables and professional dealers from Casino Parties, or live cigar rolling from La Sigaraia.

And the photo booth itself can now be part of the scenery. Wanderbus Photo Booth offers Volkswagen bus, horse trailer and vintage camper photo booths across the Hudson Valley.

Then there are the vehicles

Horse trailer bars. Vintage campers. Classic trucks. A Citroën van. Even a fire truck converted into a mobile bar. Local mobile bars such as Fire Up Your Party and On Cloud Wine are built for exactly this kind of party.

The reason these vendors work so well at Hudson Valley weddings is simple. There is space for them. Barns, estates, vineyards, farms and outdoor venues let couples bring experiences onto the property that would be nearly impossible to fit into a conventional city ballroom.

You do not need five of them. One great interactive vendor can completely change cocktail hour or the late-night stretch of the reception. The best question may no longer be, "What else should we decorate?" It may be, "What would our guests have fun doing?"

Every cart, trailer and bus on wheels is on our mobile vendors page.

Photo: [On Cloud Wine](https://hudsonvalleyhitched.com/vendor/on-cloud-wine-new-windsor).