35 tips for entertaining guests

Why we give tips for entertaining guests. For all your guests to truly enjoy the day of your wedding and remember this wonderful holiday for years, you should make sure that everyone feels completely comfortable. With these 35 best tips, your wedding celebration will be a real event.

1. Detailed planning: leave nothing to chance. Review the planned itinerary for your wedding day and carefully consider every detail and possible trouble. With the right planning, you can make yourself and your guests happy and satisfied.
2. Arrange the date: send a reminder card. Before you send the official invitations, agree on a planned date with the most important guests of the wedding. Only after all the people, without whom your celebration cannot take place, give their consent can you invite the other participants to the wedding celebration.
3. Clear communication: what guests need to know. The most important thing in a wedding invitation: is clear communication! Who will like vague and meaningless wording? For example, make it clear: is it allowed to take children, partners, or other people with you? When and where should guests come? What dress code? If you have common interests and passions, then create your wedding motto based on them. How about a wedding in a fairytale Disney-style castle or an open-air wedding with a fair atmosphere?
4. Dress code: create harmonious images. According to the theme of the wedding, many couples set a certain dress code. Tell the guests about the dress code of your wedding with an invitation. For example, if you celebrate a holiday in a modern rooftop bar, you can choose the «cocktail» style. The outfits are casual, but at the same time festive and chic. For a wedding in the open air are suitable images in the style of «summer chic», and if the celebration takes place in a magnificent castle, the perfect option will be «white tie». A harmonious overall picture also looks great on wedding photos. However, don’t be too strict and give the wedding party some leeway. For example, it is better to choose different harmonizing colors rather than one particular color. After all, guests should not feel like they are in suits.
5. Contact person for guest questions. Maybe one or two guests are planning to surprise you as the bride and groom? In this case, you should indicate in advance the contact person to whom guests can contact. Choose a person who is also involved in planning your wedding, such as a best man or bridesmaid. This allows the selected person to better coordinate the process.
6. Arrange accommodation. Do some of the guests come from far away? Book in advance at hotels with different price ranges. Some hotels offer group discounts for a certain number of overnight guests.
7. Menu planning: consider preferences. Are you and your loved one already thinking about the wedding menu? Ask guests about possible intolerances or allergies. The wedding table should also include vegetarian and vegan dishes.
8. Welcome children. If there are many children among the guests, take this into account when planning. Hire a wedding nanny who will plan games and crafts classes with children. There is a children’s table, a children’s menu, and a separate game room at the wedding venue.
9. Make gift wishes transparent. Even though most couples ask for money, please let us know your specific or not-very-good wishes regarding gifts directly in the invitation or on the wedding website. Your guests will be grateful for any advice.
10. Greetings with style. Greets each guest personally. Whether it’s at the after-party or champagne reception. This allows the guests to feel valued and seen. During the banquet, drinks are usually served at the table of the staff. Imagine that one of the waiters suddenly starts singing a song. In a few moments the other waiters join them, and behind them comes the kitchen chef. Order a group of secret singers to completely surprise your wedding guests. Who knows, maybe one or two other guests will join us.
11. Please distribute the schedule. Ask the witnesses to hand out a schedule to the guests on the morning of their wedding. This gives the relatives an idea of how the wedding day will go and what they should expect.
12. Organize transport. Easy directions to the right places and information about possible parking spaces ensure that all guests arrive on time. Most of the group does not travel by car. Then arrange a transfer from the wedding venue to the party location. Newlyweds wishing to make a splash, leaving the wedding venue or arriving at the venue of the party, arrive in a special wedding car. For example, a bright VW bus is suitable for a retro wedding. But an old car, limousine, or carriage will also make this moment unforgettable.
13. Weather Plan B. Be prepared for any situation! If your wedding takes place outdoors, prepare umbrellas for each guest. Do you expect hot temperatures? The fans create a fresh breeze and are a pleasant addition to your performance. Perfect for great photos!
14. Provide outdoor comfort. Don’t let the guests get cold at the wedding in the open air. The same applies to the open area of the wedding venue. When the weather is not so sunny, your loved ones will be happy with blankets, heaters, or even a fireplace. Fireworks at midnight always make people stare. With red, green, and gold sparks you can create an atmosphere that makes your skin creepy. A fiery artist, juggler, or tightrope walker will also delight and make your guests smile.
15. Avoid belching in the stomach. During long breaks, it is best to serve small snacks and snacks so that guests are not hungry. A few treats are also great for a champagne reception. Good drinks and food will cheer you up, and no one will have to groan in the stomach before the official opening of the buffet. The sweet alternative to dessert on your table will be various dessert stations. How about a waffle or pancake bar or fruit plate with a chocolate fountain? So, everyone will find a hobby to their liking, and the guests start working.
16. Serve a snack at midnight. Everyone knows it, everyone loves it: the midnight buffet. Whether it is a cheese platter with fruit, a food truck, or holiday soup – your guests will thank you. Fashionable idea: serve regional dishes. In the Ruhr region, they include mini burgers and carrivest, and in Bavaria – pretzels. If you have not yet served a wedding cake for afternoon tea or as dessert, now is the most suitable opportunity. Tip: make sure all guests know that you have prepared a treat and that everyone can take it.
17. Accompanying photo session. During the photoshoot of newlyweds, guests still want to be entertained. Delicious snacks, sparkling wine, and live music will make a good start. Musicians and artists show off their skills and surprise everyone. You can also write in a guest book or perform small games and tasks. Also, create a relaxing atmosphere with games like barrel or jenga on the grass. The video cameraman will accompany you on your wedding day and record all the highlights. This will create wonderful memories in the form of moving images that will also please your wedding guests.
18. Plan group photos effectively. Group photos are easy to organize and it won’t take long! It is best to create cards showing when each group is performing and who is in the group. Don’t forget to entertain other guests. Distribute the Polaroid cameras around so you can take your first fun photos of the party. Tip: organize a photo game in which your guests will take pictures on different topics. They are then placed in a guest book with the gift inscription or hung on a linen cord so that everyone can see them. Entertainment is guaranteed.
19. Install photobox. In addition to professional wedding photos, photo booths offer the opportunity to take funny pictures of the evening. It is also very fun to pose with funny accessories. Invite your loved ones to use the box. Then, show the results on a large screen. You can already expect lots of smiling faces.
20. Provide an emergency kit. Provide guests with small baskets of deodorant, blister patches, tights, hairspray, and other toiletries.
21. Well-designed table service. Don’t try to make lonely people meet each other. Don’t show it by putting lonely people together at the «lonely table.» It’s all about the mixture!
22. Sense of rhythm in music. While setting up the tables, make sure that no one has to sit directly next to the speakers. The music system can prevent you from having exciting conversations with people sitting next to you. If you celebrate, you should take a break from time to time. Make something nice for yourself and your guests, and organize a relaxation area for small moments of relaxation. Comfortable seats with plenty of pillows, soft lighting, and muted lounge music.
23. Quiet sounds while eating. While everyone is enjoying the exquisite wedding menu, you can turn on background music. Play quiet, relaxing music instead of loud rock or electronic music.
24. Suggest a drink menu. What do friends and family like to drink the most? Provides a choice of drinks according to guests’ preferences. In addition to the beer and wine menu, you can also offer your cocktail, long drink, liqueur, or other drinks. Also, consider non-alcoholic options.
25. Organize a bar with prosecco. In the evening, organize a bar with prosecco in the quiet corner of your establishment. Here your loved ones can come to their senses after the last dance and at the same time communicate with other guests. Not only interactive but also entertaining: self-service cocktail bar. A professional bartender mixes the drink, and the guest perfects it according to his ideas. Add tasty toppings such as lemons, oranges, cucumbers, sprigs of greens, various syrups, or even cotton candy or glitter. Good health!
26. Give a speech to the bride and groom. The more personal the wedding speech, the more touching. In terms of content, the main role is played by the bride and groom. Maybe there are also good words for parents (mother-in-law), witnesses, and helpful friends and family members. Thanks to the handwritten wedding vows, your wedding ceremony will be incredibly emotional for everyone. This moment will be unforgettable not only for you but also for your loved ones. Make your subsequent celebration a bright event. For example, design a seating plan or a card with photos or emotional statements. Think about a short round of introductions or a game-get-together before you start a real wedding party.
27. Create a pleasant atmosphere. A lively holiday atmosphere is created when guests know each other or at least can identify with each other. For example, imagine each group of guests with a short speech or make small badges with the list of passions or personal qualities of the guests. This makes it easy for everyone to start a conversation. After the wedding ceremony, it’s time to celebrate! Your guests will be happy to cheer you up when you leave. Give them eco-friendly flower confetti or make soap bubbles, sparklers, or wedding sticks. Plus an atmospheric collection of songs. Perfect!
28. Play wedding games. Opinions about wedding games are divided: some like them, others don’t. Do you want to miss this part of the program? Then involve the guests in the games. Because they are most fun when not only the bride and groom participate, but also friends and family. Create bingo cards with typical wedding situations, such as «kiss the groom and bride», «someone makes a toast», and «someone cries» and give them to your guests. The first to complete a row wins.
29. Take musical taste into account. Are you and your lover absolute metal fans? When creating playlists, be sure to consider not only your personal musical preferences but also the tastes of your guests. If you are interested, you can practice a crazy dance choreography together in advance. The dance teachers will help you with this. If you want to attract bridesmaids and grooms, organize a dance flash mob. Rehearsing is as fun as performing!
30. Create wish lists. Send requests for music in advance by e-mail or post wish lists on tables so that guests can fill them out and then hand them over to the DJ or band. Under the favorite songs of your guests, you will surely make dance even the most indecisive dancers.
31. Order a performance by an artist. Hire an unexpected guest, that is the animator who will delight your guests. Whether you’re a magician, a fire-eater, or a comedian: the choice is huge. Thanks to a well-chosen show number you can create bright moments that your guests will not forget.
32. Give gifts. The witnesses, parents, and flower girl, as well as all other guests, will be happy to receive a small gift at the end of the evening in gratitude. It can be sweets, name glasses, homemade liqueur, a hangover kit, or a small gift bag. For guests staying at the hotel: surprise them by putting a small present on their pillow.
33. Organize transport. Arrange a late-night taxi to take guests for free to their place of residence near the venue. It is particularly practical to offer this service the morning after the wedding, as this will allow guests to easily return to their cars.
34. Wedding photos and quick drawings: unique souvenirs for your guests. All the guests were happy with the wedding photos after the celebration. Make them available on the Internet. But first deal with missed shots and bad pictures. Hire a sketch artist who will capture you and your wedding party in drawings and sketches. In this way, you will create a unique souvenir and a magical gift that can be taken home. You may be able to frame the artwork in place.
35. Express gratitude with cards. To leave in style, plan an effective moment of leaving. Whether it’s a farewell romantic dance or an exit with sparklers, this is the perfect way to end the celebration and start a married life. As a sign of gratitude for coming, the couple sends thank-you cards after the wedding. It is desirable that the letter be written by hand and contains photos from the wedding.