As the owner of a wedding venue I do have a problem with your guests complaining to the wedding party. Its your big day and you have worked so hard to make it as nice as possible. You have invested possibly hundreds of hours selecting the wedding venue and other vendors. You considered many aspects of the wedding in an outdoor / garden setting.
Let's not forget the money and the sacrifices that the bride, groom and their families made to make this dream wedding come true! Most brides and their families plan for at least one year. Many plan the wedding two years out. They scrimp and save to make the wedding ceremony and reception as beautiful as possible. After all, for many women this was the day that they dreamed of since they were a little girl. Most of use can recall playing Barbies and one of the scenarios was her wedding day.
Then there are ALL of the other details that can drive a bride crazy. The gown, bridesmaids dresses, grooms and groomsmen clothing, picking colors, flowers, tables cloths, center pieces, caterer, DJ, photographer, hotels, transportation, guest's, invitations, liquor and the list goes on and on. Most brides are truly stressed by the time the wedding gets here.
At Prosperity Mansion we recognize that and try and do everything that we can to take stress off of the bride, groom and parents on the wedding day. We really want them to have fun and realize their dreams. We want the guests to do their part too. Here are some tips that we have heard that guests complain about on the big day. Some you cannot avoid and the guests need to realize that and roll with things. So here goes:
Dress Code- The bride wants all of the ladies to wear one color such as pink. That can create a hardship for the women if they don't own a pink dress that's appropriate for that season. They are already giving up a full day for your wedding. Maybe getting a baby sitter, hotel, buying a gift, paying for gas etc. and now they need to buy a pink dress. Its totally appropriate to tell them the dress code such as cocktail, casual, formal etc. but asking for all guest to wear a certain color can be difficult.
Accommodations- If you are having your event at an outdoor wedding venue you need to try and scout out hotels to provide options for your guests. Maybe even negotiate discount pricing and book a block of rooms way in advance. Its fun for guests to all stay at the same hotel so that they can continue to party and socialize after the reception has ended. If you provide hotel information and tell them to book asap you have done your job. But we have heard of events that are in areas that are so remote that there were only B&B's that cost $400.00 per night. You can also get a shuttle to drive guests back and forth if the hotel is 30 minutes away or more.
Cash Bar- Some couples spring it on their guests when they arrive that its a “Cash Bar” only. If you do that some people only bring a small amount of money and then cannot afford a drink. So we always suggest that you have beer, wine and maybe a signature drink. If you are going to have a cash bar tell your guest in advance. Also MOST if not all wedding venues do not allow guests to bring their own liquor and have it at their table. They want a licensed bar tender to serve guests that are of a legal drinking age and to watch for people getting intoxicated.
The Weather – Most weddings are Spring through Fall. Outdoor / garden venues are extremely popular due to the beauty and natural settings. No one except God can control the heat or rain. Brides need to make sure that there are trees for shade and a tent or some other facility in case of rain. After that the guest should dress approximately. Don't complain to the bride that its hot, she cannot control that. Brides can supply paper fans with their wedding date and the names of the wedding couple. Its a nice keepsake and very inexpensive.
The Reception- One wedding I went to had a four-hour gap between the ceremony and the reception. So what are your guest supposed to do for all of those hours.
"The reception was a 45-minute drive from the ceremony." Its really convenient to have the ceremony and reception at the same location. Guests find it helpful when they drive to one location and stay there from the beginning to the end.
The people running the wedding at the venue were not helpful and cold.
“You didn’t have a traditional receiving line and we were disappointed that you didn’t even say hello to all your guests.” Some guest's take offense when they have taken the time to come to your wedding and spend their time and money and the bride and groom never come over to thank them. Receiving lines may seem old fashioned but they do the job. No one feels left out and leaves mad. So consider bringing that custom back as part of your wedding
6. SEATING ARRANGEMENTS: The centerpieces were so high, the guests couldn't even see across the dining table. And they could only hold conversations with the people to their left or right.
They didn't bring a date, so they were seated at a table of single strangers rather than relatives or friends.
Disorganized event and lack of seating arrangements. No seating charts at all. The guest's were just supposed to find a seat somewhere. Bad idea, take the time to make a seating chart. Your guest's are sure to appreciate it.