While waiting in the ticket line on my last visit to the movie theatre, to see the latest Star Trek movie, I observed something that I thought was curious. A woman in the ticket line clutched a big, square-shaped fabric cushion (complete with red tassels, mind you), obviously to make herself more comfortable in the movie theatre’s seat!
I thought, “Good for her! She’s really going to enjoy her movie experience by making herself feel ‘at home.’ ”
It struck me how much the same this is for wedding guests, who’d love nothing better than to feel comfortable at weddings, and at any type of event for that matter!
I clearly remember a wedding I attended where I felt the most comfortable. It was the wedding of one of my husband's best friends R., a Trini by birth but he lived in Canada. He came to Trinidad to wed B., his sweetheart, who was originally from Romania but who also lived in Canada. My husband was the best man at this wedding, so I was fully prepared to "go it alone" for most of the day since he would be whisked off for photo shoots, transportation duties and the like.
However, it was because of the rehearsal dinner that I felt right "at home," - meeting the groom's family, multitude of cousins and Canadian work colleagues, all amidst a great feast of Indian food, local home-made wines ( pomerac, pineapple, sorrel and more) and a lively tassa group. What a lime!
And so, on the day of the wedding itself, when I thought I would have felt all alone, I felt totally surrounded by friendly folks ( and an awesome parang band!) I had met at the rehearsal. That wedding turned out to be one of the best I'd ever attended!
Your wedding does not have to be big-budget for your guests to feel this way (although, certainly, a larger budget will help with additional amenities). You may just have to address some basic concerns and you’re sure to have rave reviews afterwards. Here are some:
Heat and humidity
In our climate, if the heat doesn’t irk guests, you can be sure the humidity will! Female guests particularly dislike heat and humidity because it affects their make-up and hair and their general comfort, of course. Children also tend to be more irritable if it’s hot as well. If your venue is not air-conditioned, be sure that there is ample ventilation. You can can even rent portable air-conditioning.
Restroom facilities
This is a critical area, since on average, most guests make at least one trip to the rest-room during a wedding. Female guests may make more trips due to make-up touch-ups and to take small children to the washroom, etc.Washrooms should be clean and well stocked with bathroom tissue, hand-dryers (if available) and soap. It is a good idea to appoint someone to do periodic checks on the washroom, just to ensure that it is being well maintained throughout the course of your wedding. A nice touch may be to add a floral arrangement on the bathroom counter, some potpourri or other air freshener and to have a small basket of trial-sized hand lotions and hand sanitisers.
Bugs
Flies, ants, mosquitoes and sand flies get on food, they bite or they buzz around and are irritating for guests. Try to spray the area well before the guests arrive and perhaps place some citronella candles or torches around the perimeter of your ceremony and/or reception area.
Hunger
Guests often sit through a wedding ceremony as well as a reception, replete with speeches. By the end of that programme, they are understandably quite hungry. Try to precede your reception programme (if it will be long) with a welcome drink and perhaps some hors d’oeuvres. If hors d’oeuvres are out of your budget, some nibbles on the table such as “party mix” or mixed nuts may suffice for guests who are peckish.
Seating
Somebody I know went to a wedding and then told me it was the worst she’d ever attended. When I enquired some more about it, she said she never got a seat and had to stand for all of the speech-making. This type of situation can be circumvented if ushers are present to escort guests to their seats, or if you have a wedding co-ordinator who can keep on the look-out for instances like these and quickly remedy them.
Communication
Guests like information and updates. Naturally, they want to know where to park, where to sit, where the washrooms are, where the emergency exits are, where to put their gifts, and most importantly, when the couple will arrive at the reception. Those are all key points that the master of ceremonies should address throughout the course of the event.
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