[vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]As a bride, it’s totally normal to want every little detail to be perfect for your big day. It is so easy to become wrapped up in minor details that we tend to forget what is most important to our guests. Often, brides lose sleep over subtle differences in the décor but totally forget about giving their vegetarian guests plenty of options.
So, what do guests really care about?
We wanted to get a solid answer to this question once and for all. We polled our readers and got some rather surprising feedback. The instructions were simple. We asked everyone to rank services from the last wedding they attended on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most memorable and 1 being the least memorable.
The results in the chart below will help you get an idea of where you should focus most of your energy and budget on.
*As a side note, we did not include photography, videography, or invitations, because we felt that these do not directly impact guest experience on the actual day of the event.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_round_chart type=”doughnut” stroke_width=”2″ values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Food%22%2C%22value%22%3A%2218%25%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22blue%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%23ff9999%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22DJ%22%2C%22value%22%3A%2218%25%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22pink%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%23abecdf%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Venue%22%2C%22value%22%3A%2216%25%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22vista-blue%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%23ffb3b3%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Photo%20Booth%22%2C%22value%22%3A%2214%25%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22purple%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%239999ff%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Ceremony%22%2C%22value%22%3A%2212%25%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22orange%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%23ffcc99%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Dessert%22%2C%22value%22%3A%225%25%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22peacoc%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%235472d2%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Flowers%22%2C%22value%22%3A%225%25%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22green%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%23f7f7f7%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Favors%22%2C%22value%22%3A%224%25%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22sky%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%2350485b%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Centerpieces%22%2C%22value%22%3A%224%25%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22turquoise%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%23f7f7f7%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Decor%22%2C%22value%22%3A%224%25%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22sandy-brown%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%230088cc%22%7D%5D” animation=”easeOutBounce”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Food, entertainment, and venue came in as the most memorable. Photo booth and ceremony came in 4th and 5th respectively, and dessert, flowers, favors, centerpieces & décor were memorable for a small number of guests.
When looking at the results of our survey we noticed a trend. The services that directly impacted guests ranked highest. People have a connection with food, dancing and how comfortable they are in their location, so it is only natural that the food they eat is at the top of the list, along with entertainment and surroundings.
A surprising find.
Another interesting result was the fact that the photo booth came in as slightly more memorable than the ceremony. We were a little baffled by this, to say the least, but when put into perspective, a photo booth requires people to step out of their comfort zone, whereas ceremonies are a standard part of most weddings and require very little interaction on behalf of the guests.
It’s important to remember that just because guests typically do not remember certain parts of a wedding doesn’t mean that you should omit them completely. The services listed above are all equally important in their own right. Not having a cake could be considered worse than having a cake that no one remembers. If something is important to you, it should still be included in your budget.
Let your vendors handle the small details.
It can’t be stressed enough that you should have full confidence in all of your vendors. Couples who are confident in the abilities of their vendors tend to be less stressed out than those who hire a vendor that may not have experience. An experienced vendor will also be more likely to know exactly what guests are looking for and in turn, focus more on the aspects that matter. You will find that paying a little more for experience and industry knowledge can go a long way in these types of situations. If you are still not comfortable with giving your vendors full reign, you may want to hire a wedding planner who will be able to coordinate and oversee the details. Check out this article on why we think it’s a great idea to hire a wedding planner.
Sometimes, we need to change our perspective in order to see things from another point of view. Your guests are one of the most important parts of your day and you want them to remember your wedding for years to come. As you get closer to your big day, try to imagine it from a bird’s eye view and remember to enjoy the ride![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
