Four Ways to Greet Your Wedding Guests
Your wedding invitation is a guest’s very first impression of your big day, but have you considered ways to make your friends and family feel welcome at your wedding? As you’re picking your colors, food, and theme, consider adding these four personal touches to your wedding to show your guests just how important they are to you!
Gift Baskets for Out-of-Town Guests
If guests have traveled from out of town or out of the country to be at your wedding, consider welcoming them with a gift basket in their hotel room to thank them for making the trip. If you’ve included a line on your invitation for non-local guests to let you know where they’re staying, coordinating welcome baskets is a breeze! Just work with the front desk staff to arrange deliveries into the correct hotel rooms before your guests arrive.
What to include in a Florida-themed gift basket for out-of-town wedding guests:
● Blueberry wine - just down the street, Keel & Curley Winery makes farm-fresh wine from 100% blueberries
● Alligator jerky - give guests a taste of Florida with an exotic snack
● Oranges - after a long flight or drive, Florida oranges will refresh your weary guests
● Key lime cookies - everyone needs a sweet snack, and key lime cookies will hit the spot
● A handwritten note - Let guests know how thrilled you are that they’re joining you for your celebration.
From the moment your out-of-town guests check into their hotel room, complete with a local gift basket, they’ll feel welcome.
Set up a Photo Booth
It’s not every day that guests get to dress up and look their best (especially after 2020’s dress code of sweats and leggings). Give your loved ones a reason to smile with a photo booth. Choose from a traditional photo booth or a GIF booth to create moving images that are ready to post on social media!
Most photo booth companies provide all the props. However, if there are special props (like school spirit swag) you’d like to include, ask the vendor if they can source them or whether you can add a few of your own props.
In the Tampa area, the options are endless! There are plenty of traditional photo booth vendors, but if you really want to make a splash, consider a themed photo booth. Go whimsical with a photo booth that looks like a mirror for a fairytale wedding or tap into your hippie side with a photo booth inside a 1968 or 1969 Volkswagen bus! Whichever option you choose, it’ll be a blast to see your guests’ true personalities shine without the cost of hiring an additional photographer.
Consider the Comfort of your Guests
You’ve spent months planning the perfect wedding and soon, your guests will arrive to celebrate your big day! While you’ve planned meals that will leave everyone feeling satisfied and entertained, have you considered the comfort of your guests?
Being the hostess with the most-ess means thinking ahead to potential points of discomfort. We’ve compiled a few suggestions that will help make your wedding more comfortable for guests.
The buzz about insects
Florida is known as the sunshine state for our great weather, but you know what’s not so great - Our Bugs! At an outdoor wedding in Florida, the cake isn’t the only thing that’s likely to get eaten! Set up an insect repellant station with a few different kinds of bug spray -- from all-natural remedies to the stronger brands. You want your wedding to be a night your guests will remember for the fun they had, not the bites left behind.
A rainy wedding day is good luck
Did you know that rain on your wedding day is considered good luck in many cultures? It may not feel that way at the time, though. Plan ahead with umbrellas and rain gear to make sure your guests aren’t soaked in between venues.
Think of the dancing queens
If you’ve ever spent the evening dancing the night away in a pair of high heels, you know the mental tug-of-war between having fun and wondering whether you’ll be able to walk out of the venue on sore feet at the end of the night. Don’t make your guests choose between fun and comfort! Order personalized flip flops, sandals, or ballet flats in multiple sizes and hand them out just before the dancing begins. The result is two-fold, your dance floor will be packed and guests will have a fun souvenir to take home.
Plan for the worst-case scenarios with your guests’ comfort in mind and your party will be a blast, no matter what happens!
Send Guests Home with a Thoughtful Surprise
After an evening of dancing, dining, and celebrating your epic love story, it’s time for you to say farewell! While the beautiful memories of your wedding will stay with your guests forever, personalized wedding favors or keepsakes are a tangible way to express your gratitude to those you love.
Foodie favors
Everyone loves a midnight snack! Send guests home with a treat that will keep the party going just a little while longer. Warm cookies and cold milk, just-fried donut holes, and bags of freshly-popped popcorn are fun edible souvenirs for the ride home. For a foodie gift that lasts a little longer, consider gifting homemade salsa, local barbecue sauce, artisan chocolates, or personalized koozies with a soft drink or LaCroix to-go.
A nod to your heritage
Invite guests into the culture and traditions that make you who you are. Origami, personalized yarmulkes, and henna stations are a beautiful way to share your heritage with those you love.
Love is in bloom
In honor of your lasting love, send guests home with a gift that will grow as your union is strengthened. Use mini potted succulents as place settings that double as favors, or send guests home with a packet of seeds in a small pot. Since love is the spice of life, consider these herbs that grow well in Florida: rosemary, basil, oregano, mint, and thyme. Do keep in mind, this idea may not be a viable option for your international guests so find an equally meaningfully alternative for them.
As Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Even though your wedding is your special day, putting hospitality at the forefront of all that you do is a wonderful way to start your marriage. To make guests feel loved and appreciated, welcome out-of-town guests with a gift basket, consider the comfort of your guests, and make sure they have fun photos and favors to take home. If you add these unique personal touches to your celebration, guests will be buzzing about your wonderful wedding for years to come!