What Guests Actually Care About at Your Wedding

Your guests are excited to celebrate you, but let's be real—they also care about their own experience! In this episode, Brittany breaks down the key elements that make a wedding truly memorable for guests. 

From choosing the right date and location to ensuring comfort, top-notch food, seamless entertainment, and warm hospitality, she shares expert insights to help you create an event your guests will rave about long after the last dance.

If you want to craft an unforgettable guest experience, this episode is a must-listen! Don't forget to subscribe and follow us on Instagram for more expert wedding planning advice. 🎧✨

For more Beyond Vows & Veils or Eventrics Indian Weddings, follow along at:

Instagram: @eventricsw
TikTok: @eventricsweddings
YouTube: @EventricsWeddings

ABOUT EVENTRICS INDIAN WEDDINGS

Eventrics Indian Weddings is an award-winning team of experienced wedding planning and management experts, specializing in large-scale Indian Weddings & Fusion Weddings in Miami, Orlando, Palm Beach, and destinations worldwide.

The Eventrics Indian Weddings team offers complete and partial planning services with a personal and hands-on approach. We believe each couple deserves a fully invested wedding planner to be engaged throughout the entire process to ensure no detail is missed or overlooked!

Chapters

• 0:00 Understanding Guest Priorities at Weddings
• 6:32 Creating Comfort for Your Guests
• 12:55 The Importance of Food and Beverage
• 15:31 Entertainment and Hospitality Essentials

Transcript

Brittany (00:00.686)
Hey everyone, welcome back to Beyond Vows and Veils. I'm your host, Brittany, and thank you so much again for joining me each week to listen, learn, and discover more ways that you can make more informed decisions on your wedding planning journey. I put out and pump out this content for you. It is purely just to support you on this, so many tasks and things to keep in mind. And I wanna always bring you back to the foundation of what really creates a successful event and one that makes your guests really talking about it long after the event is actually over. So today we're gonna be diving

into what your guests actually care about at your wedding. So of course, don't get me wrong, they care about you, they care about your union. So before you feel like Brittany, they're there for me. It's also keeping in mind that they are dropping some serious time, money, energy, effort, finding someone to watch the fur babies, the whole thing in order to come and celebrate your union. So in today's episode, we're really going to be breaking down the key elements that make a difference and just

your attendees experience, how the basic foundational event groundwork that I think needs to be laid, regardless of your hosting your event at a resort, if you're hosting it in your backyard, if you're hosting it out in a field somewhere, these are just the things that people are gonna be thinking about and to take into consideration when you're building out that initial structure for your event. So let's go into it. The first thing, number one is when and where. So when is crucial, right? Because

Most of the couples that I work with, their friends are in all different stages of their life. They've got school they're wrapping up, they're in residency, they might be moving, they themselves might be engaged. They also have their own crazy hectic schedules and social calendars that they've got going on. So when you're dealing with really hectic schedules, just consider what maybe some of the major commitments in your social circle might be, but don't get too obsessed with trying to accommodate everybody.

Focus on where the most of your loved ones can be there and then ultimately, hopefully the rest just kind of works out that the rest of your friends or family are able to come. Okay.

Brittany (02:11.286)
Part two of one is the where. So it's something that a lot of guests think about and consider when they're invited to a wedding. So it goes without saying if you're hosting a local occasion within your town or city that you're gonna have a much higher attendance rate, right? It's a majority of your guests obviously reside there as opposed to having to purchase a flight, arrange accommodations, take the time off work

and all those kind of logistics that go into it. So many of the events that I plan

are in Florida. So I would say that 80 % of the couples that I actually work with don't reside in the state of Florida, which also means that probably the majority of their attendees do not reside in Florida, which essentially would bring me to my second point, which is number two comfort. So regardless, if this is a local or destination wedding, consider the physical comfort of your guests always. I cannot go saying this enough that just

the general comfort of body temperature and like if you're indoors or outdoors. So you've definitely been that guest that has attended a wedding where the bathroom lines were out the door, water stations were nowhere in sight, your heels are digging into the grass. So at the end of the day, I just want to prompt you if you're listening to this, don't be the bride groom family member that doesn't think about the guest experience from a basic level.

Right? So if you're planning an outdoor ceremony in the peak of summer, and that's fine, that's your decision. You want to host this event and it's 90 degrees and you don't care because you're from, I don't know, New Jersey and it's cold this time of year, whatever it might be, right? But then you decide not only do you want to host it outside, you don't want to have any shade or canopies or parasols. Essentially just understand that your guests are going to be uncomfortable, right?

Brittany (04:09.26)
Long ceremonies and extreme heat equals leading guests to hover under the smallest sliver of palm tree shade that they can actually get in a field, right? So people will also be crowding around the water station or counting down the minutes till they can escape the heat. This is not to take personally. This is simply just to say that this is human nature, right? It's not to say that guests don't care about you or wish to be present at your special moment. mean, heck, they've traveled in for it, but essentially,

It's simply just human nature when people are physically uncomfortable that they resort to whatever means are necessary to get some relief, right? So if you're hot, you're probably gonna wanna go inside and get in some AC. So essentially I'm just saying like...

full disclosure that that uncle that we've asked as a planning team to sit down 100 times before you walk down the aisle. I get it, he's hot. He doesn't want to sit down. He wants to stand in the sliver of shade that he found and wants to huddle up there because essentially he's probably going to be huddled up there for the duration of the ceremony because there's literally no relief anywhere in sight.

So I'm using an extreme example, but I want to give you some context that essentially these are the things that basic framework of things to think about, right? So similarly for colder months, maybe consider like passing out some fun pashminas or shawls have some heaters available or maybe just in general, advanced communication about the weather goes a really long way. So I always recommend sending out like an e-blast or two weeks before the wedding, letting guests know what to expect and how to prepare.

Right? So heads up, our ceremony is going to be on the beach or heads up, our ceremony is going to actually be outdoors on the grass pack accordingly. Guests love to be prepared so that they can be comfortable, which results in them having a happy experience. So I know that that sounds really basic, but you would be surprised how many times that essentially gets forgotten about during the planning process. Cause you know, bride and everyone else is kind of more focused on just the aesthetic and all those other details. But at the same time, it's just important

Brittany (06:18.03)
We have like the basics met. Where's the nearest restroom? Right? Like if you're going to be doing outdoor, but you don't want to invest in the sun canopies. Is there a parasol or a battery operated fan or just something in general that's going to make sure that guests are staying comfortable throughout. Okay.

That brings me to point three. So point three is food and beverage. So we both know at weddings that food is pretty much everything. Guests are going to remember if the food was number one, delicious. Was it beautifully presented? Was it well organized? And so what are the key factors I feel in terms of presenting good food at your event or just the basics, right? Number one, was the food good? Did you organize a tasting to ensure that it would meet the expectations of the

experience that you want to be delivered on site the day of. So ultimately, I have lot of couples that do not reside in the state of Florida like I mentioned before. And so taking that time to come in and actually

I don't know, do a little mini tasting, make sure it's in alignment with your expectations. If it wasn't tasting one, then make the point and decision to come for tasting two until it's perfect. Because ultimately that's a huge investment. I talk about it all the time on my other budget related podcasts, that food and beverage is gonna make up probably 70 % of your expenditures. So you wanna make sure that it's elevated, it's to the way that you want. And the second part of that is, was it well displayed? Gone are the days where you're gonna have a food station set up or a

live action attendance station. And we're not even just going to make sure that that station is basically the basics, right? Well lit. If you're outside and you've invested in

Brittany (07:57.748)
outside lighting, make sure your food stations are also lit up. I cannot tell you how many times that there's an outdoor function and we either would get a complaint if there's food that's not lit up appropriately. Because people want to see what they're putting on their plates. They want to be able to make sure that they know what it is also, which brings me to the second point, which is make sure your food is labeled. A lot of people these days struggle with allergies, whether it be peanut allergy or nut allergy or gluten-free or whatever it might be. Having 

those labels really gives an extra sense of, hey, I care about you. And I want to make sure that when you attend my event, that you feel like you know what you can eat or that the chef is readily available to you to answer any questions that you have. I mean, it doesn't hurt to create a more elevated look with decor, but this episode is more about just the basic foundations, right? So well-lit food stations, making sure that it's yummy. And then just in general, making sure that the food is labeled. So guests know what the heck they're eating.

And then the third portion of that is were the food lines well managed? You know what it's like to be at an event. There's nothing worse than standing in a long food line. So just as a pro tip for you, it's usually one double sided buffet per 100 guests. Okay. So if you've got 300 people coming, you probably should have three double sided buffets. Now, if your caterer feels differently, get with them, talk about it, because obviously the biggest thing that we all want to avoid is food

lines. And ultimately, having food that's hot and fresh and readily available is really important because you could spend a fortune on floral and decor, but if the food falls apart, that's literally all the guests are going to remember. And it's sad, we've seen it happen before. And so that's where it's really important to make sure that you're executing a correct team, which we talk about in other episodes. Point number four is entertainment. So at this point, guess what I feel like they've just attended the most epic event

of the year, right? And if your attendees are anything like my clients' attendees, they probably attend like 20, maybe a little less social functions a year. So they are exposed to a lot that's out there in the industry. So again, it doesn't necessarily mean you have to go crazy over the top, but in general, they've traveled to be here, taken time off, and they want to party. They want to have a good time with you. So the reception really is the biggest moment, I would say, that they're going to get some

Brittany (10:26.928)
one-on-one face interaction with you as the couple, you as the family. So...

You want to make sure that you're setting a tone for an epic night and part of that really comes from who you hire as your DJ or your band to create an engaging atmosphere because essentially that vibe can encourage dancing or that vibe can encourage, Hey, I'm going to grab a dessert and then I'm going to go to bed because I'm tired. So connection on what your expectations are for the entertainment is key because these are the moments that literally create the memories of, did you see this last night? at the brunch conversations

next day. That's literally what we're aiming for. We're aiming for the, did you see? my gosh, did you see at the brunch, right? Because ultimately that's why we have brunch. That's why we do, we celebrate that. Number five is good old fashioned hospitality. Okay. So while personal touches and welcome bags and all that stuff is really great, nothing replaces warm hospitality. So your venue, your vendors, your planner play a significant role in this. So consider your guests are arriving. They just

got off their flight, they're coming to the property, was the check-in process smooth? Number one, did guests just genuinely feel welcomed and greeted? Was the front desk staff engaging and knowledgeable? Or were they met with a line out the door and had to wait 45 minutes to even get checked into their room? Those are some of the biggest differences in just setting the tone because what happens is you get one chink in the chain and you're trying to kind of recover from that

throughout all of the rest of the weekend, even though it had nothing to do with you, right? So it's just crazy, but that's human nature. Like, you know, you've been where you've traveled, you've checked into a property, you're really excited, checking really wasn't exactly what you experienced. And so you kind of like went a notch down, right? And so ultimately, those are the things that your professional should be paying really close attention to. Another component of hospitality is just...

Brittany (12:25.996)
you know, if you're if you're one bride that's decided you're going to host your event off property, let's say, and you're providing transportation to that offsite property, you know, hospitality was the shuttles well communicated and easy to access. There's nothing worse than being toted to an offsite location, having no clue when the shuttles are loading in and also quite frankly, no clue when you can leave, you know, when you're that family member or friend, you go to the ceremony, you do all the things you take the picture, you have the lunch and now you're ready.

to home and take a nap or go back to your room and take a nap. But like you have no clue where the shuttles are and maybe they're actually not scheduled for another hour. So then maybe you should want to make a plan to just get your own Uber because they didn't have shuttles on rotation. Like again, that is so critical and that really affects your guest experience in terms of transportation. So if you're going to choose to transport people to an event that is off property, please make sure that a pro tip you include a shuttle schedule in your welcome bags. And even if you're not doing welcome bags, just

include a schedule of events that they get when they check in at the front desk so that they kind of know what's what. Okay, third portion of guest hospitality is vendor attitudes. So

were your vendors friendly and accommodating or were they rushed and dismissive? So I've been that planner, don't get me wrong, where if you're in the thick of it, right, you're like trying to send bride down the aisle, trying to the aisle clear, trying to cue the music. And then you've got this guest that's kind of asking you this very random question. But for them, it's important, it's vital, right? They see that you're directing this event and they have a question for you. Were you rude and dismissive? Like later, we'll go sit down.

Or we're using, ma'am, you know what? actually can't answer this for you at this very second. Let me get the bride down the aisle and then I'm gonna come back to you we're gonna check in.

Brittany (14:16.094)
Ultimately, it makes or breaks how your guests feel by also how they were treated by the people who come and are part of your occasion, because people will always remember how you made them feel and your vendors are an extension of this. So just remember to choose vendors that you know will deliver and put their best face forward, not just for you, but for their guests, right?

And I just think that that's so important in this industry. you know, another portion of guest hospitality is event flow in general basics, right? Did the thing run on time or were guests left waiting with no sense of direction? Did you have greeters or human arrows saying, hi, welcome to this event. We're so excited to have you here. Or at the very least, did you have signage that says, hey, event is this way? I mean, ultimately, like those little things, people know where they're going. Things are running on time. They're being greeted.

They're being felt to be welcome. These are the foundational elements that in every event I feel must have to be solid before we add in all these extra layers of fluff and fun, right? So when logistics and hospitality and guest experience are seamless, it allows everyone, including yourself, to enjoy the wedding at the fullest.

I hope that this episode was really supportive for you today, you know, because just remember at the end of the day, guests will always remember and care about how they felt at your event. And so those moments of connection where they had fun and they felt warmth, those are the things that people are going to go home on their flight. And they're going be, gosh, I'm so happy that I came. I'm so happy that I got to enjoy this experience with them. So prioritizing these key elements in your wedding will truly make for an unforgettable celebration for not just you, but for everyone who came to celebrate you.

Thank you so much again for tuning in if you're struggling with creating a guest experience or just in general have like a ton of questions or Need tips need direction need advice, you know, certainly subscribe to our channel DM us on Instagram. We'd love to hear from you We're trying to continue to build this really amazing community. So definitely don't forget to subscribe and support us. Thank you so much