Guests at a wedding
What do your wedding guests need?
From the beginning of the wedding planning process try to anticipate guests’ needs and provide them with all the information that they require for your wedding. This includes the location of the ceremony and venue, accommodation (try to cater for a range of budgets by suggesting a mixture of hotels or guest houses), public transport, taxi numbers, parking, timings and the guest list. You may also want to include information on the local area, any activities that are taking place around your wedding or any arrangements for children. Perhaps include an ‘order of the day’ to give guests a breakdown of what to expect and when. Why not add all of this information on your own wedding website to give your guests a simple hub of information?
Put yourself in your wedding guests’ perspective
When mapping out your day try to put yourself in your guests’ shoes and anticipate how they are feeling. Are they tired after a long journey? Perhaps hungry after skipping lunch to get to the wedding ceremony on time? Are they too cold or too hot? Consider these possibilities and arrange solutions to have in place, such as bottles of water, some canapés, umbrellas or half an hour to relax before proceedings begin. Grumpy guests do not a happy wedding make.
Weather on your wedding day
Weather can play a huge part in the success of a wedding but that doesn’t mean that rain spells disaster. Take it in your stride but ensure that umbrellas or shelter are available for guests if they need them. At the other end of the spectrum, plenty of shade on a hot day and even SPF products left for guests to use in the toilets is a thoughtful detail that guests will appreciate. Ice lollies would be even more welcome if the budget can stretch to it. At a particularly relaxed garden wedding you could even have paddling pools in a heat wave so guests can cool off their feet.
Elderly and young wedding guests
Don’t forget elderly friends of the family and relatives, particularly during the wedding photographs as they can sometimes involve a long spell of standing. Speak to your venue or an usher and ask them to tentatively ensure that a chair is made available for elderly wedding guests so that they can still be a part of the celebrations without being on their feet too long or feeling uncomfortable. The same applies for children at your wedding. Consider entertainment to keep them occupied, such as colouring books or bubbles. Or perhaps a ‘children only’ den where younger guests can retreat to with their wedding cake.
Surprise your wedding guests
Try to delight and surprise your wedding guests. Weddings can become rather formulaic, but what’s stopping you from breaking the mould? By changing the order of the day, choosing picnic lunches or afternoon tea rather than a traditional wedding breakfast, having speeches during the drinks reception or cutting the cake at the end of the night, couples are tailoring their day to their budget and individual style. In doing so the day is far more memorable and interesting for wedding guests.
Be the perfect host to your wedding guests
It really isn’t difficult to be the perfect host on your wedding day, despite all of the other things you need to take care of. As long as you make time to thank everyone for coming and explain how thrilled you are to have them there – particularly those who have come a long distance – then your guests will feel valued. With just a little thought your guests will be grinning in photos, laughing at speeches, dancing into the small hours and getting in taxis with a glow in their hearts and on their cheeks, so it pays to make those finishing touches. Read more on getwed.com...
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