5 Thoughtful Touches to Add to Your Wedding Day for Your Guests
On your wedding day, a few thoughtful touches can go a long way to make your guests feel as welcomed and comfortable as possible. We all know that while weddings are exciting as heck, sometimes attending them means going out of your way or making a few sacrifices. So, whether most of your guests have traveled long hours from out of state, or unseasonably hot weather is threatening to nix your outdoor ceremony, it’s important to be considerate.
Going the extra mile to prioritize your guests will let them know how grateful you are for their presence—and they’ll be so glad they came! So, without further ado, here are the five thoughtful touches that your wedding day can’t go without.
Clear Communication
The best gift that you can give your guests AND yourself on your wedding day is clear communication. Every wedding is different, so making your guests aware of what to expect from the outset is crucial for avoiding stress, headaches, and misunderstandings. Long before the big day arrives, use your wedding website to answer FAQs: Are kids allowed? What’s the parking situation? What time will the ceremony begin vs. what time should guests arrive?
Once your guests have arrived at your venue, you can continue your communication with them via signage, calendars, and/or programs. Inform them when and where the key events of the day are taking place, such as dinner or a sparkler send-off! That way, they can anticipate what’s next and plan their day accordingly—especially if they have little ones in tow or a flight to catch in the morning.
Comfort Measures for Heat or Cold
We suggest using your wedding website to provide a “packing list” for your guests so that, once again, they know what to expect well in advance. This is especially important if your wedding will take place in a particularly sunny or snowy environment. In addition, work with your planner to provide comfort items for your guests on the day itself. If the forecast calls for a heat wave, consider providing paper fans, umbrellas, sunscreen, and a water station. Or, if the day will be chilly, gather together some heat lamps and fuzzy blankets and set up a hot chocolate bar.
If temperatures will be truly extreme, consider whether your guests can tolerate an outdoor event. While your vision may include an outdoor cocktail hour, your guests won’t appreciate standing around and shivering or sweating through their clothes. So, it’s best to anticipate their needs and at least provide the option of a temperature-controlled environment. Your older guests in particular will appreciate your foresight.
Reducing Idle Time
While thinking through your wedding day timeline, consider your guests’ needs and do the best you can to incorporate them into the structure of the day. For example, if your cocktail hour will feature relatively light appetizers, make sure that dinner won’t be delayed too long. Be realistic about the amount of time you have for portraits and other photos so that your guests aren’t waiting on you and your partner to chow down—no one wants to be hangry on what should be a joyful occasion!
Also, consider over-staffing the bar or providing guests with multiple bars to choose from to reduce lines and wait times. And, if you’re planning on sneaking away with your photographer for some golden hour portraits, make sure that the dance floor is rockin’ or desserts are being served at that time. While your wedding day *is* all about the two of you, inviting guests to join in the celebration means you’re responsible for their comfort and enjoyment. Schedule the day’s events to maximize both, and you’re sure to have happy, well-fed guests!
Weekend Activities
We work with a lot of couples who are planning a destination wedding/3-day-long celebration in Central Oregon. Their guests are traveling from all over the country, so they’re often in town for multiple days before and after the wedding. We love when couples take advantage of that extra quality time by planning fun activities for the weekend! A welcome dinner is a great opportunity to personally greet and thank each of your guests for making the trip before the wedding day has even arrived. Conversely, a morning-after brunch acts as a sweet sendoff before everyone parts ways.
What’s more, Central Oregon is host to a wide range of outdoor activities in gorgeous mountain and high desert landscapes (there’s a reason people travel here to get married!). Organizing a group hike or river float could be the perfect way to introduce your guests to the area! And, when all else fails, you can never go wrong with welcome bags featuring local pastries as a quick wedding-morning treat for your out-of-town guests.
Favors: Skip or Must-Have?
Personally, we’re huge fans of guest favors, but with a caveat: they need to be consumable or useful! Many couples these days opt to skip favors, citing that they’re a waste of money. And often, they’re right. Most traditional favors find their way to the trash by the end of the night. So, if you’re going to invest in favors, make sure they’re one-of-a-kind, edible, and/or useful!
A few of our favorite ideas for favors include jars of homemade jam, individually wrapped cookies, a personalized note from the two of you, and custom travel tags. We also love favors that are unique to the wedding location, such as locally roasted coffee beans, packets of local wildflower seeds, and cups/mugs embossed with something to remember the place by (not necessarily your names and the date—get creative with it!).
Hopefully, this list of thoughtful touches to include on your wedding day has been helpful and inspiring! We want to emphasize that with the right planner, treating your guests like royalty doesn’t have to be stressful or break the bank. We love assisting our couples with putting personalized spins on their wedding days that also enhance the guest experience! If you and your partner have chosen Central Oregon as the wedding destination of your dreams, we want to be your team of stress relievers and magic makers.