Your wedding is very much your special day. But let’s be honest: it wouldn’t be anywhere near as memorable if you didn’t have your closest friends and family there. While most people are thrilled to be invited to a wedding, it’s worth keeping in mind that you’re still asking them to take time out of their busy lives to attend and that there’s very often a financial commitment, too. 

As such, it’s important that you’re helping them as much as you can. You’ll have a long list of things to organize for your big day, but don’t forget that if you help your guests, then they’ll help you to have a day that’ll live long in the memory. So how do you do this? On this page, we’ll run through everything you need to know.

Create a Comprehensive Wedding Website
Your wedding website will have plenty of nice pictures of you and your loved one, and will also include some fun backstory information and other details of your romance. But it should also be extremely helpful for your guests. On your wedding website, it’s important to outline all the key information that your guests will need to know, including where and when the wedding takes place, how to get there, and any other relevant details. Putting this information online will help you, too — it’ll help to prevent many phone calls from guests with questions.

Source Local Hotels
If you’re only inviting people that live in your local area, then this step won’t be necessary. But, if like most weddings, you’re inviting people who are traveling from elsewhere, then it’s essential that you help them with accommodation. If you’re hosting a lot of people from out of town, then it’ll be best to block-book a hotel. Your guests will pay for it (unless you’re feeling generous!), but it’ll still be much appreciated. Plus, this will make your life a lot easier too. It’s much easier to arrange transport from a single hotel rather than twenty. 

Plenty of Notice
You have to be conscious of the fact that your invited guests will have other things going on in their life. As soon as you know what time you’ll be getting married, send a ‘Save the Date’ notification. The formal invitations can come later, but by sending a note about when the wedding will be, you’ll be helping them to get the date in their diaries. Ideally, you’d give six months’ notice at a minimum. 

Dress Code Expectations
Some of your guests will have attended many weddings before and will have a strong idea of what to wear to the event. But others might need a little guidance. It’s in your interests to ensure that everyone looks the part, because, well, those wedding photos will look all the more special if everyone’s dressed appropriately. Plus, you’ll be helping to decrease the chances that one of your guests feels uncomfortable; no one wants to be underdressed at a formal event. At the bare minimum, you should include a dress code, but you can also point your guests to websites that offer formalwear, such as Jovani. It’s also recommended not to be too extravagant when it comes to your dress code unless you’re sure that your guests can meet the requirements. Having everyone wear a tuxedo or a ball gown can be nice in theory, but you’ll be asking a lot of work from your guests. 

Make it Easy for them to RSVP
It’ll be much easier for everyone involved if you allow your guests to RSVP online. While there’s some charm in receiving RSVP notifications in the post, in reality, it just makes more work for everyone. Plus, if people have to hit the post office then you’ll likely receive your RSVPs later than you’d like, which can make organizing your wedding more difficult. You can include the RSVP link on your wedding website so everything is in one place. 

Consider Booking Transfers
You’re under no obligation to provide transport to and from your venue, but it can certainly be appreciated. This is especially the case if you’re getting married out of town in a more rural location since taxis can be difficult to obtain out there. Aside from being convenient, booking a party bus to take your guests to and from your venue can have other benefits, too. For one thing, it’ll ensure that everyone arrives on time, and it’ll also give your guests a chance to get to know one another. 

Introductory Drinks
You know that it’ll be a great wedding. But it’s good to get things started on the right foot. Hosting an introductory drinks (or a dinner) evening the night before the wedding is a fantastic opportunity to get people into the spirit of the occasion. Everyone will be excited for the wedding anyway, and this will give them an opportunity to fully enjoy the entire occasion. As well as the night before, make sure you have a welcome drink available before the reception. It puts everyone at ease and allows people to socialize.

Food and Drink Convenience
Wedding days are long, so it’s essential that you ensure your guests are well-fed and well-watered. You’ll likely have access to whatever you want since you know who to talk to, but your guests? They won’t know where to turn if they’re thirsty or need a snack. It’s best to have more food and drinks available for your guests than not. Plus, it’ll keep the spirits of the day high. Nothing can kill an atmosphere quicker than hunger.

Spend Time With Everyone
Finally, remember to go out of your way to spend time with everyone that comes to your wedding, including the guests on your partner’s side. You’ll have a lot of things to do throughout the day, and you’ll probably naturally interact with everyone anyway, but it’s best to make a special effort. You can tell them how happy you are that they’re there, and they can tell you how fantastic you look. Win-win!

 

Photo: Edward Eyer