Guests who are traveling a great distance deserve special treatment. They should feel welcome from the moment they arrive to the day they depart. You can show your appreciation for their extra effort in a couple of ways.
SAVE THE DATE CARDS
Sending out Save the Date cards 6-8 months in advance will
help your out-of-town guests make the necessary arrangements from
requesting time off from work to looking for any kind of airfare
deals, etc. Encourage your guests to make a trip out of your
wedding and not just come for the weekend. Send them a list of area
activities, attractions, scenic drives, etc.
Your Save the Date cards can be as simple as a creation from your home computer printed on a nice card stock or as elaborate as your imagination allows.
BLOCK ROOMS FOR YOUR GUESTS
Make it easy for out-of-town guests to find accommodations
by negotiating a group rate. Most hotels give group discounts.
Take into consideration the hotel's location (in relation
to the ceremony and reception sites, the airport, etc.)
Appoint your groom-to-be to coordinate the individual reservations, or send a letter to out-of-town guests with the hotel's special room rate and reservation number so that each guest can arrange their own reservations.
Even if you don't negotiate a group rate for a hotel, be sure to make hotel suggestions to your out-of-town guests. Encouraging guests to stay in the same hotel benefits both you and your guests. It's easier for you to locate someone if everyone is staying in the same place; people can coordinate transportation to your wedding and parties, and spend time together at the hotel. Also, the hotel concierge takes over the role of host while you are busy preparing for the wedding.
Bed & Breakfast’s are a wonderful and comfortable alternative to motels. Additionally, they are a great gathering place for get together's such as a garden cocktail party or an afternoon barbecue. Your guests will appreciate the relaxing atmosphere, personalized service and intimate setting a B&B can offer.
WEDDING WEB SITE
Create a Web Site to help disperse information about your wedding.
Include a section on hotels, dining in the area, local attractions
and, of course, driving directions to the ceremony and reception.
For fun, you can also add information about yourselves, how you
got engaged, where you are going for the honeymoon, and who is in
the wedding party.
PRE-WEDDING DAY ACTIVITIES
For those arriving several days before the wedding put
together a loose agenda of activities. A day of whitewater
rafting and jeeping. A day at of golfing for the men and a
spa day for the women. There's no reason why you can't have
fun too the week before your wedding!
In some traditional circles, the rehearsal dinner serves as a way to entertain out-of-town guests the night before the wedding. However, it is not always feasible to invite all of your out-of-town guests, or sometimes all family members, to the rehearsal dinner. If this is the case, have friends or relatives host an activity, dinner or other gathering for guests like a cocktail hour or dinner at the hotel restaurant or one nearby.
You might host a function AFTER the rehearsal dinner for other family members and out-of-town guests that you can attend, like an ice cream social, drinks, or pizza party.
ITINERARIES FOR GUESTS
If your wedding activities will run over a course of a few days
(i.e. bridal luncheon, bachelor party, rehearsal dinner, ceremony,
reception, gift-opening), type up an itinerary of dates, times,
& places with phone numbers for all those invited to not just
the ceremony and reception. This puts the responsibility on those
to know where to be and when and leaves the happy couple knowing
all have the correct information.
SPECIAL TOUCHES
Assign each out-of-town guest a buddy (family member or friend).
The buddy should call the guest before the wedding, make introductions
for the guests to the rest of the party, and help with transportation
logistics. This gesture, will be especially appreciated by the unattached
guest.
Transportation. Put a family member or friend in charge of shuttling and organizing a car pool for each event. Consider renting vans or a bus.
GIFT BASKETS
Welcome your traveling guests with special gift baskets such as
a ‘Welcome to Colorado’, wine and cheese or chocolate
theme basket. Include a hand written note and a list of scheduled
get-together's, events, favorite restaurants and activities, area
map, directions to and from the ceremony and the room numbers of
other guests staying within the same hotel. You should include a
note in the bag from you and the groom, thanking the guests for
coming. Arrange to have the gift baskets placed in your guests
rooms prior to their arrival.
DAY AFTER BRUNCH
Many couples are choosing to have a morning brunch or gift opening
the day after the wedding to allow time to visit family and out-of-town
guests. This allows you a chance to socialize on a more intimate
basis than most weddings allow for. Extremely informal, the brunch
can consist of sandwiches or a barbecue with guests commenting about
the previous day's activities. The "day after" is, also, a great
way to mix and mingle amongst the guests who you don't get to see
often and did not have time to chat with during the "pre-wedding
frenzy."
Remember, your guests who are traveling have incurred significant expenses and taken the time to be with you on your special day. Even a few of these thoughtful touches will create fond memories of your wedding!