Once upon a time when everyone got married in their local church, most guests knew where to go and how long it would take them to get there. Today, wedding ceremonies can be held just about anywhere and in locations that are often out of the way and often in unfamiliar territory for the majority of guests.
I was recently at a wedding where the brides grandparents got lost getting to the ceremony location, a very stressful situation for all involved. The bride was on time but had to be sent away to do a lap of the neighbourhood whilst other members of the family tried to work out where the wayward pair were and how to direct them to the wedding.
There was a 30 min delay on the ceremony.
This obviously led to much discussion amongst the other guests re should you wait or just go ahead regardless. Most of the guests had arrived early and had been waiting for over an hour by the time the ceremony got started.
Your guests are adults and should have no difficulty finding the venue, however, you should never assume that guests will be able to find the venue easily. Out of towners, older guests and those with small children all face challengers to being punctual. Certainly, older guests may not have GPS in their cars or how to use google maps. I know this is difficult for the tech savvy younger generation to understand but it does happen.
Therefore, it is important to give guest as much information as possible, such as:
- The exact address
- A little information on how easy/ difficult the venue is to find
- Advice on availability of parking
- A link to check on traffic or current road works etc.
If you have any guest that you are particularly concerned about it is also worth doing a visit, even if it is a simple drive by the venue. You personally don’t have to do this, designate this task to a family member or friend.
You may also want to make the wording on your invitations quite specific and tell them the exact timing of events and stick to this.
Please arrive and be seated by…..The ceremony will start at ……
This way you have given everyone as much information as you possibly can. You can do not more you have no control over the situation so put it out of you head and don’t stress about it.
We have some tips on getting your guests to your wedding on time here.
If you’re planning your wedding and looking for a beautiful ceremony or reception location, we would love to invite you to tour The Secret Garden. With plenty of locations to choose from you can tailor your wedding to your personal tastes and create the wedding of your dreams. Get in touch hereto book your wander through the garden today.