Boring weddings – we’ve all been to at least a few of them, and boy can they ever be a drag. No one wants to be stuck at an all-day event for someone else and be watching the clock thinking about how soon they can get out of there without looking rude.
Still, it happens. You don’t want your wedding to be like that, of course. No one intentionally sets out to make their guests miserable; it just kind of happens sometimes. To help make sure it doesn’t, take a few minutes to read up on how you can keep your wedding guests engaged on your big day.
Pick a Great Venue
So you’ve been showing off that gorgeous cubic zirconia engagement ring and enjoying being engaged for long enough now, and it’s time to start planning the actual wedding, huh? Great! Most of us can only dream of having a palatial wedding. This is true. However, as The Knot points out, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to settle for a location you and your guests won’t love. There are many, many venues out there for you to choose from: banquet halls, country clubs, beaches, museums, zoos, backyards, etc. The list goes on and on, so even if you can’t bankroll the most opulent wedding this side of the Windsors, you’ve still got plenty of opportunities to pick a great venue that your guests will have fun at. Best of all, even bland locations can be dressed up to feel fun with some great decorating.
Let Them Eat Cake – And More
Pretty much every wedding is going to have a cake. And just like with venues, you have a dizzying array of options when it comes to your cake, so pick something that fits your theme, tastes great and looks fun. But why stop with just the cake? Add an entire dessert bar with cupcakes, cookies, candies, truffles, local/family favorites…whatever!
Keep Guests Well Fed
Of course, man (and woman) can’t survive on sweets alone. Surely you’re planning to serve a dinner, but don’t make guests wait all the way until the main course comes out to be fed, either. While everyone is taking their seats and waiting for you and your groom to make your big entrance, make sure appetizers are going around, and keep them small so guests can wolf them down in one bite and continue their conversations.
Carefully Arrange Your Seating Chart
Ever gone to a wedding for a co-worker and been stuck at a table full of a motley crew of the bride’s distant relatives and other acquaintances you’ve never been, well, acquainted with? We’ve all been there, and it’s not fun. It’s not going to be easy, but think long and hard about your seating chart and do your absolute best to group people grouped together with others they know well. Don’t leave them stranded!
Make Introductions at the Rehearsal
Multiple families and groups of friends come together at weddings, and, as outlined in the last point, many of them don’t know each other. Think about inviting relatives and out-of-town guests to your rehearsal dinner and give them a chance to break the ice by introducing people who may share common interests to one another.
Follow the Schedule
You don’t have to Bridezilla get overly pushy with everyone about doing things exactly the way you planned them, but you should try to follow your schedule as closely as possible. You don’t want your guests standing around idly while you get held up taking formal wedding pictures, for instance. If you are going to be busy with pictures or other things while guests are arriving, then be sure to set up a cocktail hour to keep them entertained.
Have an Exit Strategy
Figure out ahead of time what the best local hotels are for your guests to stay at, and then figure out how you’re going to get them there. Many weddings have shuttles planned throughout the night so that no one has to worry about not drinking too much and how they’re going to get back to their hotel.
Brevity Is the Soul of Wit
Toasts are great…until they’re not. Don’t let anyone ramble on and on and on, and don’t invite everyone you’ve ever met in your life to do a toast. You don’t have to play the hurry-up-and-finish music from the Oscars to signal it’s time for a speaker to wrap things up, but you should plan ahead of time exactly who is going to speak and politely ask them not to turn it into a filibuster.
Send in the Clowns
OK, so they don’t have to be literal clowns, but some sort of live entertainment can really keep things entertaining. From DJs to bands to dancers to whatever else you can think of, there are plenty of professional entertainers who know how to keep weddings exciting without making them cheesy.
Take It Easy
This all sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it? Well, wedding planning tends to be. But the result of all this careful planning should be that you can take it easy and enjoy things on your big day. Give out last-minute tasks to your bridesmaids, your wedding planner or a relative and try to relax and enjoy your wedding. After all, if you’re not in a good mood, your guests won’t be either.