The first thing a professional will do is create anticipation from the invited guests for the event. This is usually done with marketing materials such as save the dates, invitations, posters, and websites. Of course, for weddings we usually only use save the dates, invitations, and websites. Sharing your color scheme, event design, bridal party and hotel information is a great way to get people excited about your upcoming nuptials. Guests especially love photos. I'm seeing a lot of save the dates with professional photos of the couple with a card design that hints at the color or theme of the wedding.
In essence, you are marketing the experience of your wedding to your intended guest list. You're asking them to invest their time, and possibly their money, to attend so creating a desire to come is an essential part. Having beautiful paper crafts and a really fun and informative wedding website will tantalize your guests!
The next part of having your wedding go smoothly involves transportation. You want to make sure that your guests arrival is easy. If at all possible, charter a shuttle bus to takes out of town guests from their hotel to your ceremony and reception site. (Tip - if you're having a lot of out of town guests, make it easy on yourself and try to have your wedding and reception at the same venue. If this isn't possible because you want to get married at your church, mosque or synagogue, make sure you pick a reception location that is near your ceremony.) Another aspect you need to consider is making sure that guests that will be driving have accurate directions to your wedding. Make sure that all the addresses are correct and provide a map with your invitation. I know that most people have GPS to guide them, however, some less technologically savvy people still rely on directions and maps!
Don't forget departure! Make sure that guests leave as easy as they arrived. This means having taxi information available. A great way to present this is a frame with the taxi contact information placed near the exits. Again, if it is in your budget to hire a shuttle, do so! It is so worth it to have guests arrive back from your reception safely.
Pay attention to the height of your centerpieces. They should be no higher than eye level, or if you want tall centerpieces, they should be above your guests heads so everyone at the table can see each other clearly. The last thing you want is guests removing your centerpieces and placing them on the floor so they can talk!
One of the most important parts of your wedding rec
eption will be satiating the appetites of your guests! Don't skimp on catering or bar. Make sure that you have either butler passed appetizers or stations. You should feed your guests nibbles during cocktail hour so they don't get too intoxicated. Personally, I prefer a combination of butler passed and food stations. Guests can serve themselves, or stay and mingle while catering comes around with some bite sized deliciousness!
Make sure that your cuisine is in keeping with the theme of your event. For instance, if you're having a white tie wedding, it would be bad form to serve BBQ and corn on the cob. Creating a menu can be a little challenging, so it helps to have an idea of the type of wedding you want. Also, keep in mind the season! Serving seasonal delicacies are always in good taste. I suggest interviewing several caterers and have them put together a proposal for you. Then set up tastings so you can pick the company that best fits your style, budget and theme.
Don't forget the late night snacks! Guests absolutely love them. They can always go for pizza, or sliders and fries, or chips and salsa at 11pm after several cocktails. Trust me. You will be so happy that you made sure to get some more food into them before setting them loose on the world!Having a fun reception and providing activities for your guests is definitely part of creating a memorable experience! If dancing is important to you, make sure your band or DJ plays a lot of upbeat music. Play games - the shoe game is very popular and light hearted. Another idea is to create ice breakers and have them ready on the tables. Crossword puzzles or trivia questions about the couple are a great conversation starter.
Finally, make sure you send your guests home with an amenity. A lot of people are forgoing favors because they've gotten a bad rap in recent years. A lot of people do throw away trinkets. However, if you do an edible favor, I can guarantee you that waste will be kept to a minimum. Breath mints, chocolate, mini-cookies, these things tend to go over well.
I truly hope that I've inspired and given you some ideas to create a fantastic wedding that you and your guests will remember forever! Happy planning, everyone.
Thanks for reading!
