Wedding Wednesdays: The Best Ways To Look After Your Wedding Guests [Episode Twenty Two]

Podcast

It’s no surprise that one of the best parts of your wedding will be hanging out with your friends and family! After all, celebrating your love with your nearest and dearest is kind of the point, isn’t it? Your day is YOUR day, but there’s no reason you can’t go out of your way to look after your wedding guests. We’ve compiled all our expert tips so you know just how to do that! From seating them thoughtfully, to keeping the comfy in summer or winter, and considering how Covid may affect them, we’ve got it all.

 

Listen on Apple podcasts here!

 

Episode breakdown

Make it easy for them to RSVP

Seriously, if you want to look after your wedding guests, start early! We highly recommend making your RSVP process simple, easy to understand, and when possible, fully digital. 

Tell them WHEN you want them to RSVP and HOW to do it.

Give them around four weeks to RSVP. 

Here’s one way you can get your guests to respond promptly: make it fun! Instead of “Yes, can attend” or “No, can’t attend”, how about “Heck yes!” or “See you on the dance floor!”. Additionally, why not ask guests to submit their favourite song to dance to or their best piece of marriage advice. This will give them something fun to share with you!

 

Seat them thoughtfully

Whatever you choose, if your guests have been seated thoughtfully, they will be very thankful.

Assigned or open seating:

Compromise – assign tables and let them choose their seats.

Keep grandparents away from the speakers.

Seat guests who are hard of hearing or who are visually impaired closer to where the speech makers and MC will stand. 

Avoid the singles table.

Host a kids table for older kids, but keep it near the parents.

 

Think about what’s important to them

Before you begin stressing over the bouquet toss, the speeches, or having everything turn out perfectly, think about what your guests care about. It’s pretty simple really:

  • Food and drinks – doesn’t have to be fancy, just has to be plentiful!
  • The music – entertain them and they’ll love you for it.
  • Where they sit (as mentioned above).

 

Consider the weather

Keep them cool in summer – water, fans, indoor or shaded options. 

Keep them warm and cosy in winter – cosy blankets, hot drinks, heaters.

The idea is to think through their experience and be thoughtful, not to try and predict the weather. 

Related: Which Season is Best to Get Married in?

 

Consider Covid

It’s no secret that Covid had a huge impact on weddings in 2020 and 2021! These days, we’re allowed to have more guests celebrate with us, but that doesn’t mean everybody is totally comfortable being in large groups. 

 

Here are some ways you can look after your guests:

Be ok with some guests not feeling comfortable attending a large wedding. 

Let them know which safety measure you’re putting in place (that’s what your website is for!)

Allow guests to attend some of the festivities – for example, they could watch the livestream of your ceremony and then attend a mostly outdoor dinner. 

Talk to vulnerable or anxious guests individually. Share your excitement and answer any questions they have. 

Embrace individual items – like a cake for the cake cutting but cupcakes instead of cake slices, tagging glasses so they don’t get mixed up (and while we’re at it, get guests to raise glasses instead of clinking them).