Tips on how to communicate with your wedding guests before and during your wedding.
Wedding Guest Communication
Most situations in life work better when a great communication plan is in place, and your wedding celebration is no exception. It is important to communicate as much information as you can, with your wedding guests, so that they are fully aware of where they have to be, at what time, for how long, and whether or not any changes are made to those plans along the way. Below are some of our ideas on how you can communicate with your wedding guests effectively, both before and during your wedding celebration at Farnham Castle.
Save the Date Cards
You’ll probably collate your wedding guest list before you book your wedding venue, just to ensure the capacity at the venue you choose works well. If you’ve booked your wedding venue around 18 months ahead of your wedding date, which is quite normal, you might want to send the guests on your invitation list a Save the Date card – so that they can secure the date in their future calendar. Sending Save the Date cards gives people plenty of notice and it lets them know that a formal wedding invitation is to follow.
It’s likely that a greater number of guests will be able to attend your wedding if you send Save the Date cards ahead of invitations.
Sending Wedding Invitations
Couples would typically send formal wedding invitations to guests around 10-12 weeks ahead of the wedding date. Consider sending invitations to overseas wedding guests a little earlier as they may require more time to plan and make travel arrangements.
What to include on wedding invitations?
Some of these items may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at some of the stories we’ve heard in the past. We suggest you include the following:
- Wedding date
- Name and address of the wedding venue
- Name, address and location of the church, if you’re not getting married at a venue
- Time guests need to arrive
- Time guests need to depart
- Details of overnight accommodation and special bedroom rates, if available
- Dietary requirements
- Details of your wedding gift list
- RSVP date and contact information
- Details of your personal wedding website (if you have one)
- Local taxi contact information
Make it clear as to whether you will be providing transport between the Church and wedding reception venue if they are not in the same location. You might also want to communicate differently to any disabled guests if access in to the Church or wedding venue might be difficult.
Wedding websites
Personalised wedding websites are a great way of communicating wedding details and changes with your guests, fast!
It’s always nice to send formal wedding invitations, but a wedding website can contain details of your wedding venue, overnight accommodation, your wedding gift list, taxi links and more. Most importantly though, a wedding website can be an instant way to communicate changes to your wedding day plans, should you need to alter them in any way. As we’ve seen in recent months, some wedding planning couples have had to postpone their wedding dates due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A wedding website could be a central, easy way to communicate any changes to your wedding day arrangements.
Communication at your Wedding
Order of Service
Some couples choose to print an ‘Order of Service’ with their wedding stationery order, to place on each seat at the wedding ceremony, as a guide for guests to follow.
Wedding signage
You can get quite creative with signs at your wedding. Wedding sings can be displayed on roads leading up to your wedding venue, at the entrance as a lovely welcome, and throughout the venue during different parts of the day.
Table plan
It could be confusing to your guests if you didn’t opt to have a table plan at your wedding reception, and as the years go on, couples are getting more and more creative with the way they display their table plans at Farnham Castle. We’ve seen anything and everything from gorgeous mirrored table plans, to bespoke wooden table plans, picture frame plans, table plans on a ladder, covered table plans and more.
Table numbers or names
The table plan will detail where guests will be seated, but you also need to think about table numbers or unique names for your tables, so that these can be displayed clearly on wedding reception tables for your guests to find.
Place cards
Seating arrangements could get messy if guests aren’t given a guide as to where they’ll be sitting around a table. Place cards can be themed with the rest of your wedding stationery or you can think of creating unique or personalised place cards if you have the time and budget.
Table menus
Not every place setting needs to have a menu, but it might nice to display a menu in the centre of each table so that guests know what treats lie in store.
The wedding team at Farnham Castle would be delighted to help you with advice when it comes to discussing ways in which to communicate with your wedding guests ahead of your special day at our historic venue.
Image: Studio Rouge Photography