Singaporebrides | Weddings 101

May 2021

10 Wedding Details That Actually Matter To Your Guests

By Audrie Soh

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Find out which wedding details your guests actually care about!

While you may obsess over the colour of your wedding flowers and the silhouette of your gown, the truth is, these details aren’t the ones that your guests are interested in. They may ooh in delight over how lovely the shade of pastels your florals are or how beautiful you look in your wedding dress, but they are actually concerned over whether they’ll have an enjoyable time at the wedding, if they’ll be seated with people they know or like, whether the food is up to their palate, or whether they’ll get to speak to you before the night ends so they can convey their well wishes.

So, don’t leave your guests’ comfort and wellbeing out of your wedding planning. Plan your big day with your dream wedding and your guests’ enjoyment in mind. In order to plan a celebration that your guests can enjoy as much as you, you’ve got to know what details matter to them most. To help you with your planning, we’ve identified 10 wedding details that actually matter to your guests.

1. The Wedding Invitation

Whether you are sending an e-invite or paper invitation, your wedding invitation is going to set the first impression of your celebration for your guests, so make sure that you design them for the convenience of your guests.

Make sure you have all the important details clearly stated, such as who you’re inviting, the date, time and location of the wedding, as well as any dress code for the celebration. Try not to use any fancy or hard-to-read text in your invitation to make it easy for your guests to read, especially for your elderly guests.

2. Day, Time and Venue of The Wedding

Most guests would prefer to attend weddings that are held on the weekends or during a holiday as they do not have to worry about leaving work early to attend the celebration, or leaving the party early to prepare for work on the next day. So, try to host your wedding on a weekend or holiday as best as you can, so that you and your guests can enjoy the celebration to its fullest.

You should also try to bear your guests in mind when you are choosing a venue. If you have elderly family members with mobility issues, you may want to pick a venue that is easily accessible for them. Or, if you really have to have your wedding at a venue that’s not too friendly for them, then make sure you make the necessary arrangements to help them get to and around the venue.

If your venue has rough or uneven terrain (such as a beach wedding), then you can give your guests a heads up in the wedding invitation, so that they can prepare or dress appropriately for the venue of your choice.

3. Accessibility

Your guests are not going to be very impressed when they have difficulties getting to your venue, regardless of how pretty the space is. If your wedding venue is located a little way away from public transportation, try to make it easy for your guests to get to and from the venue by arranging transportation on their behalf.

You can hire private buses to pick them up from a central or the nearest MRT station, or gift them with Grab ride credits so that they can get comfortably and safely to the celebration. At the end of the night, you can assign some members of your bridal party to help your guests get a ride back home or to usher them up the buses you’ve chartered for them.

Don’t forget to take care of the guests who are driving too! Ensure that your venue has sufficient parking lots for your driving guests, and if they don’t, check with the venue if there is a parking lot nearby where your guests can park, and inform your guests. You can also ask for complimentary parking tickets for your guests who drive, if your venue provides it.

4. Clear directions and signages

Don’t let your guests go on a search for the venue. Instead, consider placing clear directions and signages for your guests, especially if your venue is tucked away someplace, so that they can find their way easily. They will definitely appreciate the extra care you’ve taken to ensure that they had an easy time finding their way to the wedding.

5. Seating Arrangements

Nothing is more terrible than being seated next to someone you can’t get along with or at a table full of strangers, so as much as you dread planning the seating arrangements for your guests, try to put in more care and thought when you are seating your guests. We’re sure they’ll appreciate the work you’ve put in to seat them with others they are able to converse and enjoy the celebration with.

6. Starting on time

Even if your wedding is held on a weekend or holiday, try to start the celebration on time so that your guests won’t have to leave the wedding half way when it ends later than originally planned, especially for elderly guests or guests with young children.

Not only would it be inconsiderate to make your guests wait for a long time, it would be rude of you to assume that they have no plans the day after your wedding. So, for your guests to fully enjoy the celebration and experience, try to start and end on time.

7. Food

What’s a celebration without good, wholesome and delicious food? For your guests, the food served is one of the most important aspects of your wedding. Not only will it get your guests talking during the celebration, it’ll also leave such an impression on them that they will remember how good the food at your wedding tasted long after your big day has passed.

Try to go for a venue that you know serves delicious fare so that you and your guests can enjoy a delicious meal. You should also make sure that your chosen venue can cater to all types of dietary requirements and offer alternative meal options so that your vegan or Muslim guests will not feel left out.

8. Spending time with you

Your guests are all bursting with happiness for you and your groom, and cannot wait to convey their blessings to you in person at the wedding. So, can you imagine how disappointed they’ll be if they didn’t get a chance to speak to you, even briefly, during the celebration?

Make your guests feel valued by taking the time to greet each and every one of them, and share a few words with them during your wedding, so that they can tell you how happy they are for you, how beautiful you look, and to thank you for inviting them.

9. Choose Thoughtful Favours

Wedding favours are a perfect way to thank your guests for taking the time to attend your wedding, and a nice touch to making their experience at your celebration more memorable, but only if you prepare gifts that are useful and thoughtful for your guests.

Give the run-of-the-mill wedding favours like bottle openers, or bride-and-groom salt and pepper shakers a miss, and think about preparing more thoughtful or useful gifts for your guests. You can consider gifting them mini jars of jam or honey or home-baked cookies from your favourite cafe. Even if they don’t eat them, they can always pass it on to someone else who’d enjoy them. That way, even if they didn’t bring it home with them, your efforts and gift will not go to waste, and they’ll feel the love that you’ve put into choosing a thoughtful favour.

10. Decor

When you are deciding on how to decorate your venue, you should think about how your decorations can benefit your guests as well as satisfy your aesthetic wants. A wedding under the stars in the outdoors may seem romantic to you, but the badly lit venue will be a nuisance to your guests, especially your elderly guests, who may have a hard time finding their way or seeing in the semi-darkness.

You can still have your romantic dreams of a wedding under the stars by including more hanging lights overhead to illuminate the space, so that you can keep the dreamy ambience without sacrificing on your guests’ comfort.

Feature Image from Hailey and Clifford’s Exquisite Wedding at The White Rabbit by Bridelope Productions.

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