The Perfect Hosts
You’ll spend months and months planning your wedding and reception, selecting the perfect gown, the venue, the most beautiful flowers and more. Undoubtedly, extravagant flowers and décor displayed in your gorgeous venue of choice are some of the elements that make a wedding beautiful, but a picture-perfect surrounding doesn’t ensure an epic celebration. Yes, your wedding day is all about the two of you and the joining of your lives, but a “nice” reception can easily become an “epic” reception when the couple thinks of celebrating, and thanking, their guests during their planning process.
Considering your guests with a few simple – yet effective – thoughts will have your guests talking about your wedding for years to come.
Ask for song requests!
To ensure everyone is having a great time and dancing the night away, have your guests request a song via the invitation response. Give this list of songs to your band or DJ, along with the name(s) of the person who requested them. If ever your DJ feels like the dance floor is thinning out, he/she can play songs off of the request list. A sure fire way to guarantee that the person who requested the song will get up and dance and encourage others to do so as well.
To toast or not to toast?
Of course there will be toasts at your reception! That’s a given and such a special time! However, don’t let your fun event be driven into the ground by boring, long speeches. Keep your guests excited and engaged by asking your speech givers to keep their toasts simple, short and sweet.
Thank your guests!
Sounds simple, right? Yet, it’s hard to believe how often this oh-so-important step is overlooked. Following the same rules as your other speech givers, keep is simple, short and sweet…but say thank you! Take a minute or two to give a speech filled with gratitude and love. Let your guests know how much it means to you to have them there to witness and celebrate your union!
Respect their time!
There’s nothing worse than having guests arrive for a wedding that is to begin at 6pm (or at least that’s what the fancy invitation said), only to find themselves waiting and waiting for the ceremony and/or the reception to begin. Have a timeline set for the event and stick to it! Don’t leave your guests standing waiting. Even when something doesn’t quite go as planned behind the scenes, when the events of your day unfold in a timely manner, the entire day feels flawless. Go with the flow, and be respectful and timely about it!
Opt for a short ceremony.
Aim to keep your ceremony simple and short in length. A long, drawn-out ceremony can drain the energy level of your guests and can oftentimes carry over affecting the timeline of your reception.
Hire a top notch band or DJ.
The musical entertainment your hire for your reception can make – or break – your celebration! You definitely want to hire a high-energy and talented performer, but be careful not to select an overbearing personality that may annoy your guests. Keep your focus on musicians with great vocals, and great spunk that will transfer to keeping everyone on the dance floor until it’s time to go home. Hiring musicians that have the ability to transition easily with songs and are able to read the crowd is crucial!
Allow your guests free time.
This is particularly important if you have lots of guests traveling into town for your celebration. Loading them up with back to back activities will only add to their extended schedules. Refer to your timeline and be sure to work in opportunities for them to have time and space to explore and/or relax so they’ll be refreshed, energized and ready to celebrate at all of your events!
Give them a ride!
This is especially beneficial if you are hosting a wedding that is in a remote location. Providing transportation for your guests to and from their hotel not only ensures they won’t be drinking and driving, it also guarantees they can party harder and carefree!
Give a ‘shout out’ to celebrations just as special as yours!
Does your new father-in-law share a birthday with your wedding date? Or perhaps your BFF and her husband are celebrating an anniversary? Have your MC give a shout out to any birthdays and/or anniversaries, including a special song dedicated just for them. This sweet and thoughtful gesture is sure to make these specials guests feel honored, appreciated…and celebrated!
Photos by Yasmin Leonard Photography | Brian Anthony Photography
