A good wedding host makes her guests feel welcome, gives them a great meal and provides excellent entertainment. A great host goes the extra mile to really make her guests feel pampered. Do a few of the following things for your guests and they’ll really be wowed. After all, many will be traveling miles and miles to celebrate with you. Doesn’t that deserve a little extra something?
Guide them. Before sealing up those invitations, tuck in a guidebook or list of fun activities and eateries in your area. No official guidebook to your small town? Create a “best of” list yourself so guests know where to shop, eat and play when visiting. This is especially helpful to guests coming from far and wide and who aren’t familiar with your hometown. They can plan their itineraries in advance and may even be inspired to stay an extra day or two to see the local sights.
Make them feel welcome. Ask the hotel concierge where your guests are staying to leave a welcome basket in each guests’ room. Fill it with local goodies – the divine chocolates from a local candy shop, bagels from your favorite bakery and biscotti from the Italian restaurant where your fiancé proposed. And be sure to stick a guidebook into the baskets as well!
Keep them cool. If you’re having an outdoor wedding in the summer, hand out fans or parasols to keep your guests cool and out of the sun. Or if the ceremony is at a restaurant or catering facility and the day is particularly scorching, your maitre d’ can hand out damp, chilled cloth napkins.
Keep them hydrated. Whether the ceremony will be held indoors or out, guests will be delighted to find some refreshments greeting them when they arrive. Serve lemonade at a summer wedding or warm apple cider for an autumnal affair. Hot chocolate is a fan favorite in the winter, and hiring a coffee cart at your ceremony will win guests over any time of year. Have someone serve the beverages as guests arrive and they can sip while they mingle before the ceremony starts. Or set up a buffet table of punch bowls or pitchers filled with drinks. After their long drives to the ceremony, they’ll really appreciate the gesture.
Wipe away their tears. We have yet to attend a wedding where a few tears aren’t shed by guests. Most guests don’t arrive prepared for the waterworks, so attach handkerchiefs to the programs or put a small decorative box of tissues at the end of each aisle. One creative bride we know embroidered her new initial into plain white hankies and had ushers hand them out at the ceremony.
Give them a ride. Hire a bus to provide transportation between the hotel and reception site. Your guests won’t have to worry about getting lost or how much they’ve had to drink. Let them know in advance what times the bus will be making trips so they can plan around it and be sure to have someone designated to make an announcement at the reception when the bus is ready to leave. It will be easy for your guests to lose track of the time when they’re having a blast at your big party.
Take a group photo. Gather each and every guest either after the ceremony or during the reception and have your professional photographer snap a picture of the entire gang. Then see if your photographer can provide you with a digital image you can email to everyone. Some great spots for a group shot are: on your church’s steps (the incline makes it easy to get in each and every face), or from the balcony at your reception site (your photographer can take the shot from above while everyone waves from down below).
Keep the bathroom stocked. Place one or two baskets in the bathrooms and fill them with essentials your guests may need over the course of the night: breath mints, spray-on deodorant (so it can be shared), feminine hygiene products, pony tail holders, combs, brushes, gum, dental floss, etc.
Give them some takeout. In addition to your favors, send everyone home with a newspaper, a cup of coffee (or milk) and cookies or muffins to bring home or back to their hotel rooms. They'll be armed with all the essentials for unwinding after the long day – or they can pop them in the mini-fridge and enjoy them in the morning.
Make sure they’re well fed. Many people have dietary restrictions. Leave a space on your rsvp card where guests can write in if they have any dietary needs and you can ensure their needs are met. Whether they’re vegan, vegetarian, need to eat gluten-free or are allergic to peanuts, everyone will get a fantastic meal.
Give a toast. While it is not necessary for the bride and groom to give a toast at a wedding, it will warm everyone’s hearts to know how much you appreciate them being there for you on your big day. Just a few words thanking your guests and letting them know how touched you are by their presence will make them feel appreciated.
Keep them entertained. Unless you’re having the most formal of affairs, consider hiring additional entertainment (besides the band or DJ). A palm reader can predict guests’ futures; a caricature artist can capture the night in a whimsical way; and a massage station, where guests can get a quick hand or neck massage, will help them relax. If there will be many children at the event a balloon artist is a fun twist or hire a magician. Or if your party is more formal, keep the added entertainment limited to unusual cocktail hour musicians (a mariachi band, maybe).
Host more parties! For guests traveling long distances, inviting them to more than just the ceremony and reception will give them something to do and will give you extra time to spend with your loved ones. You can host a welcome party on the day everyone is set to arrive (think cocktails in the hotel bar or a picnic in a local park), an after-party to be held after the DJ packs up and goes home (coffee and conversation in the hotel lounge, perhaps), or a brunch the next day for your nearest and dearest travelers. You may also consider inviting out-of-towners to your rehearsal dinner.
Send them off in style. While the guests are all inside enjoying the reception, ask your valet drivers to pop a little treat in their cars. Maybe a small bag of candy or cookies; or a personalized thank-you note that you wrote in advance of the big day (thanking them for traveling or for their help with the wedding). They’ll be floored to find a little treat waiting for them when they take the wheel, and will no doubt be driving away you’re your reception with big smiles on their faces. And isn’t that what every good hostess wants?
