Have you ever been to a wedding and left your wedding favour behind…? Today I am sharing a list of things your wedding guests really don’t care about (in my professional experience!).
It may be that you are running out of funds on the budget spreadsheet or down to the wire on time, either way, these are some things that may add cumulatively to the general vibe of your day, but that I can guarantee your guests will probably not even notice… so I just wanted to remind you as it’s so easy to lose sight and get consumed by all the details, as fine well I know!
I will also preface this post by telling you when I was planning my own wedding, I spent a lot of investment (time and money) really caring about the items on this list… and whilst at the time they seemed important to me, I don’t think I would repeat my efforts in these areas again!
from Lizzie + Jamie’s wedding we worked together on
Table Centres
My genuine concern as a wedding planner, is couples opting for trestle tables (long rectangle tables, like in the photo above), adding lots of lovely decor on there, and then there being no room for food! Trestle tables look super modern, but are notoriously hard for caterers to fit in any kind of sharing platters – as well as all the wine, glasses, and crockery.
Be it trestle or round, focus instead on good wine (which will also take up space on the table, and be a talking point!) and placing more impactful decor in key locations around your venue – the majority of your guests will be too busy talking and drinking when seated at their tables anyway!
from Erin + James’ wedding we worked on together
Place Cards
I am going to say there is one exception to the rule here – if your place card is providing your guests with valuable information, such as what meal they have ordered, the order of the day, or the cocktail list, then they are useful and relevant. Otherwise, these are highly likely to be left behind afterwards and end up in the bin.
So don’t spend a fortune; you can get these printed super easily from online stationery suppliers (try Printed.com) by just uploading your Excel list of names, or else if you’re handy on Word, you can print you own by doing a mail merge from an Excel list, too.
…That’s not to throw any shade on any super pretty bespoke ones, Erin’s above are gorge! And so photogenic! But I know (first hand) they took her and a couple of bridesmaids quite a while!
from Alice + Jim’s wedding we worked on together
Favours
More often than not, if the favour isn’t food or drink i.e. something your guests can tuck in to straight away (an alcoholic miniature or a donut etc), they are often left behind. They are one of the most wasteful things I see at weddings – even if they are consumable sometimes, too.
I have however worked with a number of couples who instead donate to a sentimental charity of their choice in lieu of favours, which is a wonderful thing to do. This also doesn’t need to be printed or represented as such (I find the pin badges some of these charities do lovely, but wasteful), an announcement in the speeches is more than sufficient – rather than having to get extra stationery printed, or buy something else as a token gesture.
from Lizzie + James’ Keralan Lunch we worked on together
Napkins
As I mentioned when discussing centre pieces, most of your guests are not going to recollect the colour of your napkins or tablecloths. So if there is an additional expense to get certain colours, really consider if you think it is worth it, if a visual impact is high on your priorities or if a specific colour is symbolic to you, then it may well be worth considering it within your budget.
But if you are tight on money, your guests will definitely appreciate an extra drink more than a coloured napkin!
from Tien + Kenzo’s wedding we worked on together
Playlists
Our guests certainly didn’t appreciate how many hours we poured over doing these for the different parts of our day! But that said, music totally sets the vibe and tone for your day, so do make it something upbeat, even if it’s not a genre everyone will know! Do try to be inclusive, not exclusive. A mix is great, and there are loads of great pre-made playlists you can get on Spotify.
Music is a must for me for ambience, and I would definitely recommend at least 3 different ones each for: your drinks reception, your wedding breakfast, and your evening reception pre first dance (then leave your evening party to the pros), but don’t spend hours and hours over these as you’ll drive yourself demented!
Weddings are all about atmosphere and ambience, and making your guests comfortable, so make good food, drink and fun your priorities instead!
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