From music to magic, live entertainment during a reception helps break the ice—now add poetry to the list. Looking to get guests chatting during cocktail hour after their August 29, 2015, ceremony at The Manor House at Pleasant Beach on Bainbridge Island, marketing manager Kate Handler and Jason McClendon, a project manager at Xbox, set up a “poem shop” with performance artist Matthew Rowe (onthespotpoetry.com) to create personalized verses for family and friends. “A relative had seen [Rowe] at an event, and we thought it was such a fun way to lighten things up,” says the bride. “It took a few guests a drink or two to jump in, but once they got the hang of it, people loved it.” Positioned near the guestbook table with his own vintage typewriter and clever signage, Rowe reeled off quippy poems based on each partygoer’s chosen subject, all typed up on tea-length paper for guests to take away as a reminder of the day.
