1. If photos are a top priority, delegate someone to collect as many pics as possible from your guests before they leave!
Find someone, preferably someone you can count on and trust (maybe not someone in your wedding party as they tend to be quite busy already!) to set up a system to catch your guest’s photos on their way out! With photography technology today, you can achieve this feat in many ways! Try leaving a supervised laptop or tablet at the door that guests can transfer photos to as they leave. Make sure to have every popular USB phone cable and adequate USB slots available in your laptop or tablet! If that isn’t an option, you can include information via a cute sign near the door which has an email or Cloud they can send the photos to. Another option that has grown quite popular is creating a very specific Instagram #hashtag specifically for your big day and let your guests know to include that hashtag in their photos. This will create an online photo album, so-to-speak, comprised of Instagram photos tagged with your hashtag!
2. This one may sound rude but don’t preemptively write your Thank-You letters!
We know, you’re trying to be efficient and get ahead on the planning workload. But trust us, your guests may be more helpful to you and your big day than just buying you a new knife set. If you need to get ahead, try writing rough drafts or templates that you can revise them after the date, which will save you time and minimize writing fatigue!
3. Speaking of “Thank You”s, Make sure to show your gratitude to your vendors publicly!
A quick “Thank You” and a check just isn’t enough for the efforts some give to help make your big day that much more special! Make sure to write a detailed “Thank You” to your vendors alongside your guests and let them know they can use it as a testimonial! You can also go to their Social Media pages and post a quick testimonial yourself, they would really appreciate it!
4. Whoever your Celebrant is, fill them in on any information they need to know about your guests and how you want the events directed!
It will help the flow of the event if the Celebrant has an idea of how the night will proceed. This may seem like a redundant note, but making sure that you are as explicitly clear with your Celebrant is crucial to the outcome of the event altogether! For instance, if you want your guests to participate in certain events, address you and your spouse a certain way, or anything else that requires crowd-interaction and direction, let your Celebrant know exactly what you want your guests to do. This way you can make your day as perfect as you dreamt it!
5. This tip will help you keep your head on straight: Assign a ‘Personal Space” Coordinator!
You know it’s coming… an incessant line of hugs, smooches, small-talk and “congratulations!”. These are all great things to receive from guests, but in a perpetual multitude, it can be a lot to handle. Especially when you already have plenty of other things requiring your attention and time! By appointing someone to help create space around you, a “Personal Space” Coordinator, you can avoid sensory overload and be able to thoroughly enjoy your interactions with your guests rather than being reluctant to your next conversation. This person will be in charge of creating space around you and ensuring you have enough room to breathe when moving around your event, you can let them know when you’re a bit too overwhelmed with the interactions and compensate security over your personal space. This may sound like a weird note, but trust us, you’ll appreciate the breathing room!
Tips like these help us at El Dorado Banquet Hall to guide your dream events into reality! We are located in Los Angeles, let us know what you're planning and let us help take your event to new heights!