PULTEVENT
Wedding live voting: 7 polls the guests answer from their phones
The nominees for best dressed guest are on the projector, three photos side by side. A great-aunt in a hat the size of a bicycle wheel. The groom's colleague in a mustard three-piece suit. And a seven-year-old flower girl who has changed into a tiara and a superhero cape. The bars start moving as the phones come out. The mustard suit takes an early lead. Then the flower girl's table (all of them) realize what's happening, and by the time I close the vote, she's won by a distance and is being carried to the dance floor on her dad's shoulders.
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Live voting is the simplest interactive thing you can do at a wedding, and one of the most flexible. A question goes up on the screen, guests vote from their phones, the bars move in real time and you reveal the winner. It takes thirty seconds to run and gives the whole room a say in something, which is the part guests remember.
It runs on PULTEVENT from the host's laptop, shown on the venue projector or TV. Guests scan a QR code once at the start of the evening and can vote in every poll after that from their phone's browser. No app, no sign-up. They do need internet, so check the Wi-Fi or the mobile signal in the room before the day.
7 wedding polls, from the drinks reception to the last song
1 Best dressed guest
Three to five nominees picked by the couple or the wedding party during the drinks reception. Photos taken on the host's phone, shown on the screen, guests vote.
How to run it. Include a child or a grandparent among the nominees. They win more often than you'd think, and it's lovely when they do.
It celebrates the guests instead of the couple for a moment, and everybody appreciates being noticed for their effort.
2 The speech sweepstake
Before the best man stands up, guests vote on how long his speech will run: under five minutes, five to ten, ten to fifteen, get comfortable. You reveal the result after he sits down.
How to run it. Warn the best man in advance, or don't. Depends on the best man.
It turns the speeches into a shared joke and gives the best man a laugh at the start.
3 Guess the cake
Three or four flavors on the screen. Guests vote for what they think is inside. The reveal happens when the cake is cut.
How to run it. Ask the baker for the real flavor list. Add one surprising option that sounds plausible.
The cake cutting becomes a reveal the room was waiting for, rather than a photo op they half watch.
4 Wedding party superlatives
Most likely to cry during the speeches, most likely to be last on the dance floor, most likely to lose the rings. The nominees are the wedding party.
How to run it. Check the list with the couple, and keep it affectionate.
The wedding party gets a moment in the spotlight, and the room gets to tease them.
5 Judge the dance-off
Two sides of the family, or the bridesmaids against the groomsmen, in a dance battle. The room votes for the winner from their phones after each round.
How to run it. Pick music that both sides know. Give each team thirty seconds per round.
It fills the dance floor straight away, because the people who were dancing are already there.
6 Choose the last song
The couple give three songs they'd be happy to end the night on. Guests vote an hour before the end, and the winner is played as the last dance.
How to run it. Show the result at the time of the vote, then remind people five minutes before the last song.
The room chose the ending, so the room is on the floor for it.
7 Guess the honeymoon
If the couple are keeping the honeymoon a secret, put four destinations on the screen and let guests guess. They announce the answer at the end of the evening.
How to run it. Include one wild option. Somebody always votes for the Antarctic cruise.
It builds a small mystery the room keeps talking about until the end of the night.
One QR code, all evening
Guests join once. Every new poll shows up on their phones when you open it.
Bars move live
The results build on the screen as votes come in, which is half the entertainment.
Anonymous by default
Nobody sees who voted for what, so people vote honestly.
Thirty seconds a poll
Question up, votes in, winner revealed. It fits between anything.
Why voting works when games don't
Some wedding crowds won't play games. The older guests don't want to, the cool friends are too cool, and you know it by the second course. Voting is different. It asks for five seconds and one tap, and it's anonymous. The people who would never stand up for charades will happily vote for the best dressed aunt.
It's also the easiest interactive idea to sell to a couple who say "we don't want any games". Nobody is being asked to perform.
How many polls in one evening
Five to seven, spread out. More than that and it becomes a feature instead of a surprise. I never run two polls back to back, apart from the superlatives, where the rhythm is part of the joke. Put them in the timeline like everything else, with a slot and a person responsible for nominees.
Getting the nominees
Best dressed and similar polls need nominees, and somebody has to pick them. The maid of honor and best man are good judges. They walk the room during the drinks reception, pick three or four people each, and send you photos. You add them to the poll while the guests are sitting down to eat.
"You can't nominate your own mum."
"Watch me."
The QR code moment
The one tricky part is getting everyone joined. The best time is right after people sit down for the meal, when they're settled and not yet eating. Put the QR code on the screen, say one sentence about how it works, and leave it up for a couple of minutes. Late joiners can scan it later; any time you show a poll, you can put the code up next to it.
For wedding DJs and MCs
Voting is the lowest-risk add-on you can offer a couple. It works at any wedding, in any venue with a screen, and it fits into gaps you already have in your timeline. The dance-off vote and the last-song vote in particular fit naturally into a DJ's evening, and the console runs next to your music on the same laptop.
Trying it
Set up a few polls in the free 3-day demo, no card, and vote from your own phone at home. After that the full version is a one-time license, no subscription; see pultevent.ru/en for pricing.
About the author
PULTEVENT was built by Ruslan Barashkin, who has hosted weddings, birthdays and office parties since 2014: over 500 events, best host of Moscow 2024 and of Saint Petersburg 2023 at the TOP 100 Awards. He made it for his own nights first. The rest is at pultevent.ru/en.
How to run live voting at a wedding
- 1
With the couple, pick five to seven polls and where each fits in the timeline.
- 2
Build the polls in the live voting section, leaving space for the nominee photos.
- 3
Check the venue Wi-Fi and mobile signal and put the Wi-Fi password on the table cards.
- 4
As guests sit down for the meal, put up the QR code and explain in one sentence.
- 5
During the drinks reception, collect nominee photos and add them to the relevant polls.
- 6
Open each poll at its moment, let the bars run, then close it and reveal the winner.
FAQ
How do guests vote at a wedding?
Is the voting anonymous?
What can guests vote on?
Do guests need to scan the QR code every time?
What if the Wi-Fi is bad?
Can a DJ run voting alongside music?
How much does it cost?
See also
Run brighter events — with PULTEVENT
All audience interactions, a second screen and timing in one app. Guests join by QR — internet is needed for you and for them.
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