Follow these 3 tips to smooth your ceremony experience. While not an integral part of your wedding ceremony, they help your guests feel welcome. These 3 tips will allow your guests to have a comfortable, memorable experience. Following the ceremony they’ll be ready to move on to the rest of your celebration.
- Help your guests find the ceremony space. This can begin with a map on your wedding website to assist guests from outside the area. But you can do more. Have signs on the roadside near the final turnoff to guide your guests to the ceremony site. Perhaps you need another sign pointing them to parking, and yet another one directing them to the actual ceremony space. If your ceremony space isn’t visible from the parking area, designate an usher to stand near the parking lot and direct people as needed.
2. Let your guests know where you want them to sit. Many couples are opting for more casual seating at their ceremony. The days of ushers escorting every guest to their seat are mostly gone. But your guests don’t know what your preferences are, so post an usher near the back of the chairs to greet guests and clue them in. A sign can be helpful here, too, letting people know to choose their seat without observing traditional “bride’s side” and “groom’s side” rules.
Don’t forget about reserved space in the front for immediate family members. Guests will tend to seat themselves close to the back to avoid rows meant for family. This can result in a gulf of empty chairs between family and friends when everyone could be closer to the action. Hanging a few “Reserved” signs as needed can keep the needed space open and let guests know where they are welcome to sit.
3. Tell your guests what comes next. A receiving line, where the couple and their parents greet all the guests is the most traditional activity immediately following the ceremony. But if you’re taking pictures right away, or want your guests to move directly to social hour make sure you tell them. Otherwise your guests will sit awkwardly in the ceremony space wondering if they should stay or go. A simple announcement near the end of your ceremony works well, or you can have ushers release guests from their rows and invite them to proceed as you wish.
There are literally hundreds of details that go into planning your wedding day, and each one needs to be considered if you want to have a smooth celebration. Ignoring details like these can result in delays and confusion. You have a vision for your day and with the help of these 3 tips to smooth your ceremony experience it can become a reality. Happy planning!