If you’re having a destination wedding or if you’re getting married in a hotel, there’s a huge chance that your guests might stay over. Whilst this is certainly a case of ‘the more the merrier’, couples should make a few arrangements to ensure the well-being of their guests for overnight wedding receptions. In all fairness, they did make quite a trip to share this special day with you, so, it’s your duty as the newly-weds to ensure their comfort. Overnight wedding receptions can be draining, so before you retire, be sure that your guests have everything they need.
For example, if you’re having a farmhouse wedding, the very first thing that you should do is make sure that every guest or couple has their own individual rooms. Everyone will be tired after all the drinking and partying and the last thing that they’ll want is share a cramped room with Great Uncle Alfie and his incessant snoring! If the farmhouse, inn or lodge of your choice doesn’t have enough rooms available, try to cut back on the guest list until you manage to get everyone a room. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to pre-book the rooms at least three months in advance to guarantee that your guests will each have a comfortable place to stay.
Of course, comfort is the order of the day when it comes to catering to overnight wedding receptions. A few personal touches can go a long way, so, don’t hesitate to take some extra steps to make friends and relatives feel ultra-welcome. For example, if you’re throwing your reception in a hotel backyard, be sure to ask the management if they can decorate the place in fairy lights and Chinese Lanterns for a magical feel. A more considerate touch, however, would be to buy a good stock of individual chocolate squares and ask the inn concierge to place each one on your guests’ pillows as a special surprise.
Couples who are not on a limited budget can also invest in some personalized gifts, other than the wedding favors of course. Imagine your guests’ reactions as they walk into their room to find monogramed towels, throws or blankets which they can take home with them. To make the wedding even more memorable, why don’t you print your names and wedding date on the towel? To give the parents some alone time together, you may even ask the hotel to provide a suite just for the children and hire a babysitter to look after them.
