Wedding Planning 101: What Your Guests Want

Although your wedding day is all about you and your spouse, and you should be making plans in order to ensure that the two of you are happy, many couples do feel the need to appease their guests.  If you really want to throw a party that will make a big impact on the guests, then there are five elements that should be priorities when it comes to planning and budgeting.  None of them are your dress.

1. The Food There are a few perks that come with attending a wedding. Remember, your guests are likely dropping a lot of money – think presents, travel, hotel accommodations, babysitters, new clothes, etc. – in order to be with you on your big day.  So, they really do value the perks, and that includes the food.  Great food, whether served to them on a silver platter, offered up buffet-style, or handed through the window of a food truck, will make guest very happy
2. The Drink If you really want to impress your guests, fork over a big percentage of your budget so there can be an open bar. Ask people about their favorite weddings and most will bring up memories of drinking and dancing.  Asking guests, who have already paid dearly to be with you, to then pay for all of their drinks throughout the evening can be a big burden on those who are living on tight budgets.  Free drinks, handled responsibly, can mean fewer inhibitions, more dancing, easier mingling, and more fun had by all.
3. The Timeline While you undoubtedly appreciate the kind words said by parents, friends, and family members, your guests won’t really enjoy longwinded speeches. Likewise, making guests wait for a late Dinner, so you can take more wedding photos can leave people feeling impatient, frustrated and downright hangry.
4. The Seating Although introducing friends to family, and his family to yours is part of the fun of the wedding night, you should attempt to seat people with others who they know. Strained conversation and awkward silences aren’t fun for anyone.
5. The Invitation We aren’t referring to the color scheme, the layout, or the density of the paper used. What your guests care about is what the invitation says.  Those who are invited to the reception want to be part of the ceremony.  Those who are not married often want the option of bringing a date.  Guests generally want direction regarding the ‘dress code’ for the event and also information about wedding registries.

This is your party, so do what makes you and your soon-to-be-spouse happy, but don’t completely neglect the comfort of your guests.