All posts tagged wedding guests

Nighttime Treats for Destination Wedding Guests

Photo courtesy of Envirosax

You’ve already welcomed them to your destination wedding with a fabulous goodie bag filled with bottles of water, sunscreen, local gourmet goodies, and bug bite stick, perhaps spa products and other indulgences.

But it’s become a new trend to surprise your guests with a little something awaiting their return to their rooms at the end of each night. At Caneel Bay in St. John, guests return ‘home’ to find a pair of pretty seashells on their dresser, paired with a lovely and elegant printed card bearing a romantic or inspiring quote. My favorite is “Dreams come true. Without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them.” Each night, you get a new pair of shells and a new quote card. We were almost giddy keying into our room to see what awaited us inside.

Another welcome-home treat is a hand-written note from the two of you, revealing what tomorrow’s activities will be. Rather than revealing all of the plans on a printed itinerary in the welcome bag, it’s more like the ‘date cards’ you see on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, surprising guests with hints about or the revelation of what the next morning will bring them. It could be a breakfast sail, a kayak tour, lunch on the beach, a hike…whatever your schedule entails.

A bottle of wine and two glasses is always welcome, as are some newly-bought packaged snacks…but there’s one treat I’d love for you to steer clear of: some island habitats are by nature home to insects. And if your guests arrived home to a pretty cupcake on a plate that’s crawling with little bugs, that doesn’t impress. So keep snacks packaged, and keep drinks sealed. It’s just the way island life is.

Share what you plan to surprise your destination wedding guests with…we’d love to hear your stories!

Wedding Photography: Guest, Stop “Car” Blocking!

You would think this would be common sense, right?  Nope…  At a recent wedding, after the formals at the church, the wedding party and I were to go to a nearby park for more pictures.  Well, the wedding party got on the way fine, me on the other hand, that’s a different story.

Damien Smith Photography

Picture Source: Unknown

I always try and park where I can get to my car quickly, and not have to deal with the traffic from the wedding guest.  In this case, I was the last car before the “red zone”.  In other words, parking behind me would put your car in the “red”.  Well, apparently some guest of the bride and groom didn’t care, and, couldn’t read.  I have signs on the sides and back of my truck, “Damien Smith Photography”.  You’d figure that on the wedding day you wouldn’t park behind the wedding photographer in such a way that he/she can not get out.  NOT!!!  I was TRAPPED!!!  For about 10 minutes!  This selfish move by one of the guest cost the bride and groom 10 minutes worth of pictures.  That’s a lot of pictures they could have had!

So, I got to thinking.  Most couples will have cones or something to designate an area for their limo(s).  Perhaps we should do the same for our wedding photographers.  This is the one service you can’t afford to have blocked in…

Just food for thought.

If there is a topic that you would like me to blog about, please suggest it in a comment, and I will try to address it as a future topic. If you have any questions, please post them here, and I will answer. Until next week, Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!

Personalized Out-of-Town Bags

I am on a roll with ideas for out-of-town bags for guests!  I happened to have lunch with a former bridal client and was discussing the details of her wedding.  She reminded me of the darling bags she found online.  They allow you to customize the illustrations of the bride and groom with your own hair color and personalize with your names.  They are the bags Bachelorette Trista and hubby Ryan used for their wedding.

Custom Out of town guest bag

Here’s the link to the website: Studio Daedre.  They are listed as the  “Ryan and Trista Wedding Bag,” and they have bags of all sizes and with other illustrations.

If these are out of your price range,  you may be lucky enough to find a large number of wedding-themed bags at one of my go-to places for discounted items, Tuesday Morning. The Dollar Store is another resource.  Another client shopped her local Tuesday Morning for months and found enough matching bags to accommodate all her out-of-town guests.

They don’t all have to be the same.   Dress them up with coordinated shredded paper or tissue for a finished look.  If they don’t come with a tag, just create one out of coordinated colored card stock , attach with a ribbon, and you’re done!

Okay, I think I got the OOT bag info out of my system.  Next week, I promise I will move on to another topic! :)

Reception Timing Tips: Leave Them Wanting More

While watching TV the other night, I was thinking how much programming has changed over the years.  The next statement shows my age, but when I was a kid we used to have to wait for a show to come on, and it usually only aired once a week.  There was no taping it to watch later, no Tivo, no fast-forwarding past commercials or rewinding to see what you missed, no pausing to answer a phone call — one shot was all you got.  Now, you can watch American Idol or Dancing with the Stars not once but two or three times a week.  The finales last three and four hours!  Missed it?  No problem — it will probably air again or you can view it online.  We’ve lost the magic of anticipation.

It made me think of the receptions I’ve played that seemed to go on forever.  Sure, everyone had a great time, but by the end of the night, everyone was talked out, danced out, worn out and ready to go home.  On the other hand,  some of the BEST receptions I’ve played were limited on time.  Either the rules of the venue limited the time or the client knew they’d be making their exit early.  In all honestly, I preferred those.  Leaving the guests wanting more was a great way to end the evening.

In my last blog post, I addressed how much time your DJ puts into making your celebration special.  But when you think about what your guests are doing during the course of your event, they’ve invested a lot of time in their day to be a part of it.  They’ve adjusted their schedule and set aside the evening, possibly arranged for a baby-sitter, picked out the perfect clothes, picked out a gift and selected a sentimental card.  While you’re wrapping up pre-ceremony photos, they’re leaving home to arrive on time.  Sometimes, they’re dealing with traffic and parking.  Camera charged and ready to go, they find their place to watch the ceremony.  Afterward, they mix and mingle, sometimes standing in line for drinks or going through the buffet line.  Dinner will usually last an hour to two hours, and now they’re ready to witness the toasts and special dances before they hit the dance floor.

When that moment arrives, they’ve already made quite a commitment to being there.  They may be thinking about the baby-sitter they need to get home to or the weekend “to do” list that has to be done.  If your wedding is on a Friday, they may be worn out from work that day.  If it’s on a Saturday, they may have church the next morning.  If it’s on a Sunday, work is waiting for them Monday morning.  And if it’s a holiday weekend, family time or travel plans may be on their minds.

My point is, make your evening count.  Less is more.   The best part of  New Year’s Eve is anticipating the kiss at midnight and the excitement of the countdown.  The best part of a concert encore is anticipating the return of the group just one more time.   People in show business know to leave on a high note.

It’s perfectly all right to schedule a shorter evening…and leave them wanting more.

Stephanie Fay Photography via elizabethannedesigns.com

Guest Drama: To Invite or Not To Invite?

After seeing the movie  Jumping the Broom yesterday, I have a burning question… If you know you have someone in your family who loves to start drama, would you invite them to your wedding?

Jumping the Broom: Loretta Devine

What if that person was your mother? I would love to hear your feedback, because guest drama is a topic many couples will have to consider before saying “I Do.”

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