Every wedding is unique. And every bride and groom wants to put their own special mark on their nuptials to make it truly their own event. This can be seen in their wedding clothes, their reception’s menu and even in the shoes they choose to wear to their wedding.
But, weddings are the same when it comes to some things. The most important one being that no matter where, or when, or how they get married, the bride and groom’s wedding is a celebration of the union of two people. It’s a joyous occasion and it’s also a party 🙂
As such here are some very important things to keep in mind for the party:
(1) Greet your guests. Whether you welcome them at the door or go around and say hi, don’t let any of your guests go without a personal greeting from you. They have come a long way to be with you on your special day. Make them feel welcome.
(2) Make sure that everyone knows someone at your party. Seat old friends together. Make sure that your young cousins are not feeling out of place in the room full of grownups. Most importantly, if you do have a couple of friends over who don’t know anyone else present, take the time to seat them at a table with people who are friendly and welcoming.
(3) Choose a menu that is filling and enjoyable for everyone. If you’re on a diet it doesn’t mean that everyone else is. Remember a party is meant to have good food.
(4) Make sure that the restrooms are clean and working properly. There’s nothing worse than needing to use the toilet and for it to be dirty and stopped up.
Of course, if there are wedding dos, then there are wedding don’ts too. Everyone wants their nuptials remembered for good things and nothing more, which is why I bring you this list of things to avoid when preparing for your wedding…
(5) A venue with poor ventilation in the sweltering heat. The last thing you want is for your guests to melt at your nuptials or party. Help them to stay cool by choosing a wedding reception venue that has proper air conditioning. If there isn’t at least provide everyone with fans.
(6) Keep the guests waiting. Their time is precious and some of them are also tired. It is thoughtless to be sitting leisurely in a comfortable waiting room for the venue to become full just so that you can make a grand entrance.
(7) A master of ceremonies who thinks he’s a stand up comedian and takes pot shots at your guests. Definitely memorable, but only as a really bad show.
(8) A dragged out wedding program. Your guests will be bored and tired and just waiting for a chance to exit your party if you don’t ensure that the program is well thought out.
(9) Strange, exotic food in the menu. You may want to impress them by having a foreign dish on the list but not everyone will appreciate eating frogs legs, even if it does taste like chicken. Keep the food simple and elegant, yet tasty. Your guests will thank you for it.
(10) Games that are embarrassing, gross or ill thought out. Keep the banana eating contest and similar parlor games for less formal events. It’s better to keep any games you have at your wedding simple and fun for everyone, not just a select few. The last thing you want to do is embarrass your guests!
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Keep these tips in mind and your wedding guests will thank you for it 😉
Banana eating contest??? Are there people who really have these kind of a contests?
LOL! That was a little bit tongue in cheek, but I did read about it once 🙂
Hi, Great post and some really good points. Just on point 6. “Don’t keep your guests waiting”. I think it’s a really important point to make and there’s nothing worse than sitting around waiting for the Bride and Groom to appear, we’ve seen some terrible examples. But it’s equally important to say that there’s absolutely no harm in allowing a little extra time between the wedding breakfast and the evening reception. In our experience, guests will have been on the go for at least 8 hours by this point and it’s nice to build a spare hour into your day to allow people to catch up with friends, have a drink and freshen up before the evening reception begins. It’s a point that’s often overlooked, in our humble opinion!
You’re absolutely right and thanks for sharing. Your band sounds great – if I wasn’t at the opposite end of the country I’d make an effort to come and see you play 🙂
As a photographer, just thought I would add a couple of thoughts for number (6). In some cases where we are starting the group shots, people start to wander off and head to the bar. Thinking they may as well wait at the bar instead of hanging around. That’s OK. I always do the full group shot of all guests right at the beginning and I ask the person who has been designated as my helper to bring two groups for their shots, if they are at the bar.
When the couple are away having their private shots, this is announced to the guests with how long it will take. They know what is occurring within the schedule and it gives them a chance to work out how many pints they can get in before the breakfast 🙂
Ha,ha! I’m Scottish and I swear most of the time everyone is well on their way by the time the meal is served, often well before that 🙂
I’m a professional wedding magician and have picked up some tips from performing at many weddings.
With regards point 2 – if you do have to bring together people who don’t know each other, having entertainment such as a magician is a great ice-breaker and gets people talking.
Point 6 – Sometimes things don’t go to plan and delays occur. A good wedding magician can jump in at the appropriate times to entertain guests, ensuring the event doesn’t lose its momentum.
Point 10 – Not everybody is an extrovert and some people get embarassed about getting involved in games and activities. A professional magician can provide entertainment that involves guests, but never puts them on the spot or embarasses them.
Thanks for sharing James. I took a look at your website – it’s fantastic. Your shows look great!
Ha ha… Some interesting points raised here – may I add another:
– Don’t tell the DJ what to play all night long. If your playlist is the only music you want, rent a PA system and plug in an iPod. A DJ is a DJ – not a playlist player. A DJ knows what to play and when to play it. He/she is (or at least should be) skilled at what he/she does and will mix your own favourite tracks with other crowd pleasures. The disco/party is for everyone – the bride and groom’s “thank you” to their guests and it should be thought of in that way – not as a “my music only – I don’t care if Uncle Bob makes a request – if it’s not on my list you’re not playing it”.
Thanks Martin! That’s great advice – all very useful!
Nice to hook up on Facebook too 😉
Really interesting stuff here Lesley, am I going mad or have you had the site re-designed?
Nope, I only set it up in June though Andrew. My hubby is meant to be changing some things around for me this week, as he was last week – I need to get on the case! 🙂
Hi Lesley-Anne
You have some provided some very good advice here. In my opinion number 8 is the most important.
“(8) A dragged out wedding program. Your guests will be bored and tired and just waiting for a chance to exit your party if you don’t ensure that the program is well thought out.”
I have been to so many weddings where there is nothing to do between the ceremony and the meal resulting in too much drink on an empty stomach. To avoid this at our wedding we had garden games including, croquet and big chess as well as morris dancers. That seemed to keep everyone entertained and also encouraged mingling. The morris dancers were great they managed to get about 20 of our guests to go and dance with them it was hilarious.
We were lucky we had a sunny day, I’m not sure it would have worked as well if it had rained 🙂
Thanks for the great suggestions Sarah! We had garden games at our wedding too, but everyone took their drinks with them and got hammered anyway.
That’s probably just my family for you 😉
Love your blog Lesley-Ann. Full of great advice. I’ll be passing the address on to any of my brides who ask for tips!
Hello. Thanks for your post. Your suggestions must be really considered in every wedding occasion. It is indeed important to consider not just the couples likes or dislikes but also their guests. But i think the first one is the most important of all. The newly wed should really go around the room to greet their guests. That would make the guest feel that the couple appreciates their time for attending and witnessing their wedding.
Thanks for your tips.
dinnel.com
your article is very informative. I learned from it. Thanks.