6 Details Your Wedding Guests Should Know Before The Day
It goes without saying that when you’re deep in the wedding planning process, you are focused on the little details of your special day. But, often one question we find ourselves answering is, how much information do you share with your guests?
On one hand, the greater detail you provide, the more likely it is that your guests won’t throw 20 questions at you prior to your wedding day. However, on the other hand, if you disclose too much information you will find the most important details lost in a sea of information.
The solution is to find a happy medium. Answer: only include what they need to know and perhaps a helpful tip or two. You will save both time and money without bogging your guests down with useless information. Here is what you should absolutely mention to your guests before the big day:
1. Time, Date, Location
Even the most overwhelmed and forgetful couples will usually remember to include the three most important details of their big day. When making your invitations, be sure to check and re-check the time, date and location to ensure that they’re accurate.
One key detail that many couples commonly forget is where the reception will be held. If it’s going to be held at the same place as the ceremony, consider using the corner copy of your invitation to say ‘reception to follow.’ Otherwise, include detailed reception information on a separate reception card.
2. Transportation & Directions
For destination weddings a question you need to think of is how will guests get to your wedding ceremony? Will their hotel have transportation provided? If so, state this on the wedding invitation. If guests are expected to drive themselves, be sure to include detailed directions on your wedding website. This is especially important for older folks who are used to following written directions over Google Maps.
If accommodation isn’t required but there are helpful details that can be provided to guests such as; location of car park, accessing venue from main road then this is a good idea to create space for this information. Often the venue can supply this for you.
3. Registry Information
When organising a wedding you are also often preparing a place for you and your partner to live. Having a registry is a great way for your guests to contribute in turning your house into a home with the things you love and need. To increase your chances of guests buying things off your registry, and not purchasing something that you wouldn’t use, you need to make it super easy for them to do so.
If you have a wedding website this is the perfect place to provide those details otherwise our suggestion would be adding an additional card in the invitation with the registry information.
4. RSVP
Inside your invitation should be a separate envelope for guests to RSVP. On the RSVP card, include a place to accept or decline the invitation. Also, be sure to indicate who can come (can they bring a plus one?). Consider leaving a space to mark if they have special food allergies as well.
Don’t forget to give a deadline for guests to respond! You’ll need to tell your caterers and vendors how many people you’re expecting so that they can prepare accordingly.
5. Accomodation Information
If you’ve reserved a hotel room block for the duration of your wedding, let guests know how they can book their hotel by providing the name of the hotel, the number to call and the location of the hotel.
Consider sending this information with your save the date cards. The sooner guests can book their hotel, the better.
If your wedding requires travel & information we suggest having a wedding website that includes everything they need to know. This saves you printing multiple cards for the invitation as well.
6. Let Guests Know You Have Received Their Gift
This is not relevant for all couples but often there will be a few guests who send their wedding gifts far ahead of the wedding day. They might be anxious wondering whether you received their gift, so let them know you got it safely by sending them a thank you card within two weeks.
For any gifts that arrive on your wedding day, the rules are more relaxed. The general rule is to thank guests for day-of wedding gifts within three months.
Additional Tips for Pre-Wedding Communication
No matter how detailed your wedding invitations may be, you can always count on at least one guest to miss something important in your invite. Here are a few additional tips to help you further streamline your communication prior to the big day:
Make It Easy to Read — Go easy on the elaborate fonts. Choose a stylish font that doesn’t require a magnifying glass for people to read.
Make Your Website Easy to Navigate — This is especially important for older guests who aren’t as technological as your younger guests.
Email Blast — Need to send out a message to your guests in a hurry? Create an email blast that will give people a heads-up about wedding details. For instance, you can give them an update on the weather or any unexpected changes.
Give Close Relatives a Call — Your close family and friends have had a significant impact on your life and deserve something better than a generic email blast. Give them a call and relay important information personally. It will make them feel special—because they are.
Wedding Website – When sharing details with your wedding guests, it can be difficult to keep things short and to the point. The good news is that you don’t always need to keep things to a minimum.
Not to harp on the idea of a wedding website or anything, but it truly is the perfect place to share everything that doesn’t make sense to include through the mail. You can share your love story and give guests a better sense of you and your betrothed, offer tips for wedding day attire or share anything else that you think your guest might be interested in knowing before your big day.
For more information on how to set out your invitations enquire today.