Today I’m continuing with my A to Z of wedding planning with G for Guests
On your wedding day many guests will be travelling from all over to celebrate your wedding day with you, they are there to share your joy and happiness on this special day
How can you make them feel welcome and show you’re grateful for them coming to share your day with you?
Think about how the day will flow and the little touches that will make your guests feel welcome and appreciated on the wedding day
From the outset have lots of food and drink available throughout the day, and let caterers know any special dietary requirements
Thinking about the evening do you need evening food? Don’t need a full evening buffet- sweet/dessert stations- not just cakes, could have popcorn, doughnuts, cheese etc– just keep them well fed and watered throughout the day
When looking at the timings of the day – are there any big gaps that need filling? Is it clear where guests need to go? Keep them informed of the plans, let them know by putting basic timings in the order of service, or use signage so they know what’s going on – particularly important if you’re not following a standard wedding day i.e. drinks, reception, sit-down meal, dancing etc, if mixing it up, say having bowl food or food stations and/or not doing a formal sit down – give them a good indication of what’s happening when so they know what’s going
Biggest issue for guests is when it’s not clear where they need to go or what they need to do, they don’t know what’s happening – as much as possible let them know what’s happening throughout the day, from timings and where to go, use signage, it can add a nice touch to the décor as well as be informative.
How can you thank your guests on the day?
Write a thank you note in the order of service, thank them in speeches for them joining you to celebrate your day with you, consider having favours – but make it something useful and fun, don’t give out favours out of obligation, make them something guests will want, food is always good, something useful or acts as a memento of the day.
There are my top tips for what you need to think about, how to thank your guests and how to make your guests feel welcome. They’ve come a long way to celebrate this day with you. Think about them when putting the day together – what makes it memorable a wedding day – lots of food and drink, knowing what’s going, not having to hang around too long in different places – think of these things when planning your day and you can make it a fun and lovely day for them all.
