No matter where people live, even if it’s all 4 corners of the world, you will want those special people at your wedding. Coming from a far away place that involves hopping on a plane comes with a whole set of logistics to consider, such as transportation, hotels and other travel implications. Here are our tips to making travel easier for your wedding guests…
1. Give Guests Plenty of Time
Don’t expect your loved ones to plan a big trip on short notice, so send the save the dates in advance to your wedding, including any events that you would like them to attend. Including the link to your website on your wedding invitations will ensure that they have all the information that they need easily.
2. Local Hotel Information
Offering suggestions to where to stay (e.g. hotels and Airbnb) will help guests to book the right place that they need to stay. Be sure to include general prices, websites, directions and street addresses, as well as any good deals or large group discounts available. You could include this in your invitation, but also on your wedding website. This allows guests to log on and get direct links to various hotels, allowing them to compare them and choose the right one for them.
3. Acknowledge Effort Individually
Acknowledging guests that have travelled from far and wide means that they will feel more valued. You could do this by adding them to your speech, thanking each individually. You could also mention them on your wedding website – including a separate page for the Wedding Party.
4. Give Necessary Details
Communication is key, especially when guests may be traveling from far away and may not know the area. Provide them with a wedding itinerary with a rundown of the events leading up to the big day, or how the big day will pan out. Guests should have all of the information needed conveniently located in one place – such as on your website. You could include a travel section, transportation info (local trains etc), restaurants and activities and hotel or accommodation. Also include what to wear, as they will have to pack this in their suitcases! You could also include what free time they may have, along with a list of activities, sights or points of interest that they may want to visit.
5. Include Guests in Other Events
Including guests in extra events lets them know how much you value their effort, as well as allowing you to spend extra quality time with them. You could also invite them to henna parties and day after brunch. You could also get a ‘welcome bag’ ready for each guest, which will be extremely grateful if they are jet-lagged or travel tired. This could include fresh fruit, chocolate or a bottle of bubbly to get the celebrations started, as well as phone numbers of the bride and groom or other guests staying in the same location.
As guests may go through a large amount of effort and expense to share with you your special day, you should welcome them with open arms and do everything to make their journey as stress free as possible. A wedding website can help with this, from hotel pages, to addresses and wedding itineraries. If you’re interested in this, contact us know to get more details about our bespoke wedding websites.
