Once the foundations for your wedding day have been laid, you can then move onto making your special day a unique celebration that perfectly reflects your personalities, and provides both you and your guests with precious memories to be cherished forever.

Including thoughtful gestures is a guaranteed way to make sure your guests feel looked after and appreciated, as well as making sure your wedding is remembered for all the right reasons.

Invitation suite

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, so start as you mean to carry on and let your guests know that you fully intend for them to love every minute of your wedding day. Including a song request card with your invitations will show guests that you will be asking your evening band or DJ to include all their favourites on the playlist. You can also go one step further and ask your guests to share details of their favourite tipple. That way you can ask your venue or bar company to stock the bar with everyone’s beverage of choice.

Keep your guests informed

Displaying signage is not only a fabulous way to personalise your wedding, but it is also helpful for your guests. Remember that some of your guests may be a visitor to the area, or if they are local it may be their first visit to your wedding venue. Displaying a wedding sign at your venues entrance will therefore be much appreciated by your guests. You may also wish to include additional signage to show your guests were to park and to point them in the right direction when they are making their way to your ceremony area, (or reception for your evening guests). Displaying a wedding timeline will show your guests the order of the day that you have arranged for them, which can be helpful if they are arranging for children to be collected by grandparents after wedding breakfast, booking their taxi for the end of the night and most importantly so they can see what they have to look forward to throughout the day.

Thoughtful favours

Presenting your guests with thoughtful favours is a great way to thank your guests for celebrating your special day with you. If you are hosting a smaller more intimate ceremony then you could consider offering your guests individual favours such a favourite lipstick for the ladies and a small bottle of a favourite spirit for the gentlemen. Or, if you would prefer to present your guests with a little keepsake, you could place a framed photo of the two of you together with your guest at their place setting.

If you are hosting a larger celebration then buying individual favours for your guests will probably be a step to far, but you can still be thoughtful. If you are burning candles throughout your wedding day, why not give your guests a miniature version with the same scent, which will remind your guests of your wedding day each time they burn their candle at home.

Lounge area

Including a lounge area in your wedding day will not only allow you to get creative, but it also offers your guests an opportunity to relax and mingle whilst resting their dancing feet. Fill this little space with all your favourite things from photos of you both as well as family & friends, romantic candlelight and lashings of luxurious cushions. Your lounge area can be positioned wherever space allows, whether this be next to your bar area, over looking the dance floor or outdoors. Remember to include little treats for your guests such as a mini bar and cookie station so your guests can enjoy relaxing before getting back to the dance floor.

Something for the little ones

If you are making your wedding a family affair you may wish to consider how you will keep your youngest guests entertained.  Setting up an activities area for children to enjoy is a great way to grasp their attention. Include simple arts and crafts, colouring, sticker books and puzzles.  If you have the room, large versions of children’s classics such as Connect Four and Jenga are also a firm favourite amongst children of all ages. You could also set up a little den area which is always a huge hit with little guests, and why not treat them further by hiring a children’s entertainer or an event nanny, which will keep them occupied for hours.

A midnight feast

Offering your guests mini hangover kits to help them recover from the epic day you have treated them too will be a welcomed gift, (especially in the morning). Position them at the exit so your guests can collect one as they leave. And why not further surprise your guests by treating them to a late night snack at the end of the night. Your guests will be forever grateful when they step outside to find their taxi to be greeted with a pizza truck or toasted sandwich wagon.

I hope this blog post has given you lots of inspiration on how to make your guests feel special on your wedding day.

If you are looking for assistance with any other aspect of planning your big day and your wedding is taking place within Essex, Suffolk, Kent, Hertfordshire or Cambridgeshire please do contact me to discuss the wedding planning services I offer, it would be great to hear from you.

Image credits: Terri & Lori Fine Art Photography & Film

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Image Credit: Terri & Lori Fine Art Photography & Film Studio

As a wedding planner, it’s vital that I establish a couples intentions regarding inviting children to their nuptials in the early stages of planning their wedding.  This will not only allow me to recommend appropriate wedding venues, as it is not unusual for some venues to either limit the number of children attending a wedding, or for them to politely request that weddings held with them are a child free affair, but it also assists me when completing a budget breakdown, as I will know whether or not I need to allocate a percentage of their budget towards childcare or child entertainment.

Of course, when couples are making this decision there is absolutely no right or wrong way to do this and the decision is simply down to a their own wishes.  However, whatever your views it is important that you make this decision early on, and that you are completely transparent as to whether or not the invitation is extended to include children, so as not to cause confusion amongst parents.

If your inviting children to your wedding

If you decide to make your wedding a family friendly affair, then this doesn’t need to mean that each and every child within your family and friendship circle will be invited.  Instead, you can choose to only invite children of close family members, or children whom have a role in the ceremony such as Flower Girls and Page Boys.

Your intentions should be clearly indicated by including the names of each child invited to your wedding on their parents invitation, as well as asking parents to include in their RSVP the age of their child and whether or not their child will require a child friendly meal.

When inviting children to your wedding it’s important to consider how you will keep them entertained.  Setting up an activities area for children to enjoy is a great way to grasp their attention. Include simple arts and crafts, colouring, sticker books and puzzles.  If space allows, large versions of children classics such as Connect Four and Jenga are also a firm favourite amongst children of all ages, as well as an eye catching dessert table.

Image Credit: Terri & Lori Fine Art Photography & Film Studio

Another factor to consider is where children will be seated (with their parents or on a children’s table).  If you decide to incorporate a children’s table into your seating plan then considering the following will help ensure the children are entertained, which in turn will allow your wedding breakfast and speeches to run smoothly (well hopefully).

• Decorate the children’s table with an array of inviting and entertaining age appropriate activities
• Consider hiring an event nanny to dine with the children
• Book an entertainer to entertain the children towards the end of your wedding breakfast and speeches
• Inform parents in advance that you intend to have a children’s table, and ensure that they along with their children are happy with this arrangement

If your not inviting children to your wedding

If you decide not to invite children to your wedding then this should be clearly indicated within the information included with your invitations.

Including a small paragraph explaining why you are not inviting children, or why you have limited the children attending your wedding will allow your guests to clearly understand your intentions.  If you are concerned that guests whose children are not invited may be offended by your decision, maybe consider speaking to them prior to sending your invitations explaining the reason for your decision.  Many parents will understand, and some may even be grateful for an excuse to take the day off and enjoy a child free day.

Image Credit: Terri & Lori Fine Art Photography & Film

Deciding on whether or not to invite children to your wedding is just one of many decisions you will need to make throughout your wedding planning process.  If you feel that you could benefit from working with a wedding planner  and are planning your wedding within Essex, Suffolk, Kent, Hertfordshire or Cambridgeshire then please do take a look at my website to view the selection of wedding planning services I offer.

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Image Credit: Anesta Broad Photography

With the summer months being what all wedding professionals call “Wedding Season” it goes without saying the majority of engaged couples are still choosing to marry in the height of summer.

With the weather being one factor we are unable to control, most couples will have a plan B in place in the event of poor weather. But, have you considered how to keep your guests comfortable if the sun is also a guest on your wedding day?

With so many arrangements to make and things to consider it can become overwhelming when trying to consider every eventuality for your wedding day. So I’m sharing a few simple tips which will help ensure a good time is had by all if the suns decides to shine extra bright on your wedding day.

Provide shade for your ceremony

A civil ceremony will last between 20-30 minutes, with guests being seated around 15 minutes prior to the ceremony starting.  If you are hosting your nuptials in an outside setting, you may wish to consider how you will keep your guests protected from the sun throughout this time.  A white canopy is a beautiful option, not only is this pleasing on the eye, it also offers your guests shelter from the sun without making them feel as if they are seated within a marquee. A white canopy also offers fabulous styling opportunities, with suspended floral displays, fairy light canopies or chandeliers being the perfect way to enhance your ceremony area.

On a side note, should there be light drizzle throughout your ceremony, a white canopy will also provide your guests with shelter from the rain. Making this a worth while investment as it will be useful whatever the weather decides to do on your wedding day.

Offer chilled beverages

We all enjoy a refreshing ice cold beverage on a hot day, with your wedding day being no exception.  Making sure there is a steady flow of ice cold refreshments throughout your big day will keep your guests hydrated and help to avoid any unfortunate incidents. Displaying these in ice buckets will keep them ice cold as well as making them freely available for your guests.

Image Credit: Terri & Lori Fine Art Photography & Film

Fans

Offering delicate paper fans to your guests is a thoughtful way of ensuring your friends and family are kept cool throughout your wedding day.  Go one step further and choose fans that match your wedding day colour palette and personalise them with your wedding day details, making them the perfect keepsake for your guests.

Shaded seating areas

Utilising naturally shaded areas is a perfect way to keep your guests cool. Displaying seating that matches the style of your wedding under large trees is a fabulous way to offer your guests shelter from the suns rays. Or, should natural shade be an issue hire picnic bench style seating with large parasols which is also a great way to offer shaded seating to your guests.

Sunscreen

Sunscreen will be a common item forgotten by your guests. Help protect them from the sun by offering a selection of sunscreen.  Not only will this make you the most thoughtful of hosts, but it will also help ensure your guests do not have an unwelcome reminder of your wedding day in the way of sunburn.

Image Credit: Anesta Broad Photography

I hope that you have found this blog post helpful.  Providing helpful tips is just one way working with a wedding planner can assist you throughout your wedding planning journey.

If you are planning a wedding within Essex, Suffolk, Kent or Hertfordshire and would like to discuss working with Hayley Jayne Weddings & Events please do get in touch.  I would love to hear the plans that you have for your special day.

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