Keep reading for 5 ideas on how to make your wedding an experience your guests will never forget!
1. Hotel Welcome Bags
If you expect a lot of out of town guests or if you’re having a destination wedding, hotel welcome bags are a nice way to show your appreciation for your guests traveling to your celebration.
Check out our blog post How to Create Wedding Welcome Bags for great ideas!
Purchase these personalized welcome bags on Etsy!
2. Cocktail Hour Activities
By providing activities during cocktail hour, you encourage guests to mingle with each other and it makes the time pass quickly. Here are some of our favorite ideas:
Crossword Puzzle: Create a crossword puzzle based on fun facts about you and your fiancé. Use a free online crossword generator to print it on a large poster board to display on an easel. Another option is to display the poster in a large picture frame and have guests write their answers on the glass with a dry-erase marker.
First Dance Sweepstakes: Display a poster with a grid of common first dance songs. Guests can write their name in the space of the song they think the couple will dance to. The winner gets a prize!
Yard Games: If you’re having a less formal wedding, yard games are a great way to incorporate an activity. Some common options are corn hold, large connect 4, Jenga, and putting practice!
Photo Booth: Photo booths can be utilized throughout the night and it gives guests a fun take away to commemorate your wedding!
3. Bathroom Amenity Baskets
Adding baskets to the restrooms with items to aid your guests in unexpected situations are a great way to elevate their experience. Common items include pain reliever, band-aids, breath mints, spray deodorant, nail files, sunscreen & bug spray (for outdoor weddings), hair ties, and feminine products.
You can make these yourself or purchase them on Etsy! The baskets show below are from AmandaMaeStudio on Etsy.
4. Taking Care of Logistics
Helping guests with logistics of the weekend is another wonderful way to ease stress and elevate their overall experience. Like the hotel welcome bags, this is extra appreciated if you’re having a destination wedding or just a lot of out of town guests traveling for your event.
There are several ways to accomplish this: one easy way is to create a room block at a hotel conveniently located near the venue. Post this information on your wedding website and include it on the details card of your invitation suite.
Another way is to schedule a shuttle service from the hotel to the venue and back at the end of the night. This is especially important if the ceremony and reception are happening at different locations and you include transportation between the two venues.
5. Weekend Itinerary
Having a welcome event the day prior to the wedding and a farewell brunch the day after will create a weekend itinerary for guests. For ideas, check out our blog post on 4 Wedding Welcome Party Ideas!
If you’re tight on time and an entire weekend itinerary won’t work for you, include some fun activities and your favorite restaurants on your wedding website for guests to check out at their leisure.
Creating a weekend experience for guests will make your event more memorable for them and elevate their experience. Make sure you include an itinerary for all the events you’re hosting on your website and in your invitation suite. The template below can be purchased on Etsy.
If you are planning a wedding in Roanoke, Richmond, Fredericksburg/Northern Virginia, The Shenandoah Valley, Coastal Virginia, or Charlottesville/ Lynchburg, Virginia, we can help with your wedding planning and ideas.
