HAPPY GUESTS, HAPPY WEDDING: 6 TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR LOVED ONES SMILING ON YOUR BIG DAY
- Purple Kite Photography
- Jun 5
- 5 min read
Hi, I'm Sarah!
My documentary-style photography tells the story of your day unobtrusively, capturing the big moments as well as all those gorgeous little stories in between.
I create a calm and relaxed atmosphere, ensuring that you feel at ease and enjoy every moment of your day.
I love documenting the raw emotions and excitement of a wedding day and take pride in delivering beautiful images that you will cherish for a lifetime.
HAVE YOU WONDERED HOW TO KEEP YOUR GUESTS HAPPY ON YOUR WEDDING DAY?
Read my 6 top tips for keeping your guests smiling throughout your special day.
1. COMFORT IS KEY
Making your guests comfortable will definitely help keep them happy. If it's a hot day, ensure there is shade provided. Bring brollies if it rains (ask your photographer if they have some clear brollies for some fun rainy shots with your bridal party, before you buy some).
Lots of wedding couples now provide comfort packs including basic toiletries so guests can freshen up, or a few pairs of flip flops for guests to wear in the evening when the high heels are getting too much!
2. KEEP GROUP PORTRAITS TO A MINIMUM
Capturing a few group portraits are a must for most couples on their wedding day, but they can be more time consuming than you’d think and your guests will not thank you for making them hang around for any longer than they have to. Let’s face it, they’d rather be enjoying the drinks reception, and so would you!
I usually start with a whole group shot so that most guests can then be excused while we focus on some smaller groups. Make a list beforehand to help speed up the process - between 5 and 7 is a great number. Enlist the help of someone who knows who’s who and can help round people up.
Your photographer will capture you and your guests candidly throughout the rest of the day, so there is no need to pose with every guest combination.
Read more about group portraits here.
3. DON'T LET YOUR GUESTS GO HUNGRY
Depending on the time you have chosen to have your ceremony, your guests many have to skip a meal to attend, so ensure you've got some canapes or other snacks ready for them once the formalities are over to keep them going until the wedding breakfast. Happy guests are well-fed guests!
Get the timing of wedding speeches right! Many couples choose to do the speeches at the start of their meal so that those having to make them can relax straight after and enjoy their meal. Though it’s worth thinking about how hungry your guests may be getting too, especially if an earlier ceremony time means they’ve skipped lunch. Having speeches after dinner means that everyone has a full tummy and can focus on the speeches, rather than wishing they were over so they could eat!
Don't forget to provide food for your evening guests too. Your day guests will also welcome a bit of re-fuelling before the evening celebrations get underway.
4. KEEP SPEECHES SHORT
I’m not going to lie, I have heard some painfully long speeches. It’s a great idea to give the speakers a rough time limit to work to – under 10 minutes each is ideal - even less if you plan to have more than three speakers. They may well be grateful for a time limit and guests certainly will be too. (Don’t get me wrong, I have heard plenty of brilliant speeches too, but who wants their wedding to be remembered for the 2 hour long speeches – not you!)
5: THOUGHTFUL TABLE PLANS
Drawing up a table plan can be one of the most stressful parts of planning your wedding day. There may be family members you need to keep apart, or guests who don't know any other people there, so it can be a logistical nightmare trying to fit everyone together. If you have lots of groups who don't know each other well, it might be a good idea to include an ice-breaker in your table setting plans. Perhaps a quiz, game or a list of photo prompts to help guests get to know each other.
6: ENTERTAINMENT
There can be a lot of hanging around for your guests on your wedding day, so make sure they have something to keep them entertained.
A wedding day is a very long day, especially for little ones. If you have invited lots of guests with children it's worth thinking about providing some kind of entertainment to keep them from getting bored - and it gives their parents a little more freedom to enjoy themselves too! You could keep it simple by providing colouring activities for them, add bottles of bubbles to tables (adults love these too!) or maybe instant cameras.
Or you could hire garden games or an entertainer.
It's not just the kids who need entertaining!
Think about providing some entertainment for the adults too. There is often a large gap after the ceremony before the wedding breakfast is served. As well as offering drinks and canapes, you may want to add in something for your guests to enjoy while you're having photos done. Vintage garden games are a popular choice for summer weddings. Or you could be a bit different and hire a gospel choir or a magician!
Polaroid cameras or selfie stations with some fun props always go down well and you can get some great extra images from a different perspective - especially as the drink starts to flow. Or jump on the newest trend and hire a 360 Video booth for your guests to try out.
Invest in a good band or DJ to get the party started in the evening. Remember, some of your guests have only just arrived, so you need to ensure that your evening-only guests have an amazing time at your wedding too.
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