5 Guest Behaviors That Will Ruin Your Wedding & How to Avoid Them.
You love your wedding guests and want everyone to come and share the celebration of your day. While you can't imagine that your guests would purposely ruin your day, you have heard the horror stories or seen firsthand as a bridesmaid how quickly a bad-behaving guest can ruin the fun. So now it is your day, and you are not having any of that nonsense. Read on and learn to kick these potential landmines to the curb.
PROBLEM: ARRIVING LATE TO THE CEREMONY:
It used to be widely known that there are two occasions on which you should NEVER be late: Weddings & Funerals. However, guests have opted for the fashionably late approach in the last decade. I blame Hollywood and their twenty plus minutes of trailers before the film for this, What guests fail to understand is that in many cases the venue is rented just for the ceremony and everything is timed for the short amount of time you have. As you are lining up for your procession, it will be very frustrating to have guests pushing past you because they arrived at the start of the ceremony.
SOLUTION: If possible, have your ushers or venue staff move to the entrance doors and hold late guests until after the procession has finished. Instruct them to find a place near the back to avoid disrupting the ceremony.
2. PROBLEM: NO RSVP: With multiple ways to let you know that they can or cannot attend your wedding, you will still have at least one guest who will show up without an RSVP. Whether a friend who opened up their plans or a family member who decided to bring a last-minute "plus one," this can throw a wrench in your seating plan.
SOLUTION: When creating your seating chart, open a few spaces to accommodate these "surprise guests." Let your coordinator or venue manager know where these extra seats are so the guests can be discretely seated.
3. PROBLEM: WON'T SIT WHERE ASSIGNED:
While this sounds ridiculous, in a recent survey, 25% of people polled admitted to not sitting where assigned as wedding guests. This rogue guest can upset an entire seating chart, displacing numerous other guests. Oftentimes, these same guests will refuse to move once they have chosen their seats. While you might feel like tossing them out altogether, there are a few options to calm tensions.
SOLUTION: If the table has room, add another place setting. If the table is at capacity, apologize and ask the displaced guest or another guest if they would mind relocating. Typically, the displaced guest will volunteer to move since they don't want to spend an evening with the jerk who rudely took their seat.
4. PROBLEM: GUESTS BEGIN DANCING BEFORE TRADITIONAL DANCES: Generally, guests know that dancing before the first dance of the bride and groom is considered rude. However, some couples have followed a trend of pre-dinner dancing over the last few years. For this reason, guests might assume they can dance whenever the spirit moves them. If you want the first dance of the night to be between you and your new spouse, this causes some hurt feelings and a few stern glances.
SOLUTION: Talk to your DJ/Band when you are discussing your music choices. Tell them you don't want to encourage dancing before your "First Dance." Your DJ/Band will select cocktail and dinner music that makes early dancing less likely.
5. PROBLEM: OVER-DRINKING:
You want your guests to have a wonderful evening; an open bar is a favorite. It is important to remember that if you choose to serve unlimited alcohol to your guests, you also assume some liability. A drunk guest who causes a confrontation or damages the venue or themselves can lead to a nasty bill for you.
SOLUTION: Be smart about your bar service. Offer appetizers during cocktail hour and late-night snacks. If you are offering hard liquor during your reception, you need warm appetizers with some protein and carbs. Also, consider offering coffee service with your dessert and keeping it open throughout the evening. Finally, close the open bar 30 minutes prior to the end of your event and switch to water and soft drinks only.
