Your wedding day is exactly that, your day. A day that you have been planning for months, maybe even years. It is a day that celebrates everything that you stand for as a couple. It is a union of two souls for the rest of your lives. There is nothing greater in terms of a celebration. It is a time for your family and friends to come together to celebrate you as a couple, in the case of Talhenbont, in a wonderful rural location on the Llyn Peninsula, North Wales. We have a few suggestions on how to make your wedding day about your guests too.
We have witnessed a number of incredible weddings here at Talhenbont Hall, every single one different. Some of the best weddings and the greatest parties on our exclusive country house estate, are those that recognise how much of a role your friends and family play in your day. They are a huge part of what makes a wedding great. Whether it is a small intimate gathering or a huge wedding celebration with a sit-down wedding breakfast for over 150 guests, letting them know how much you appreciate them making the effort to be there makes the occasion even more special. Some guests may have travelled long distances, sometimes as great expense and effort. When a couple take the time to acknowledge this, it creates a wonderful atmosphere and the perfect wedding. We have a few tips and ideas, based on the huge number of wonderful weddings we have witnessed, that make your guests feel special and part of your day. Here are a few of our favourites –
Personalised Place Settings
One of our couples has taken the time to copy some really embarrassing Facebook photos of each guest their place settings. It made for a great talking point when the guests sat down at their tables and was a real ice breaker for those that were on tables with guests that they hadn’t met before. The time taken to do this indicated just how much the couple thought of each and every single guest.
Tokens for Freebies
Not every couple is able to offer an open bar to guests at a wedding, however, the offer of some drinks tokens is a really nice touch. It means that everyone can get involved, however, it will keep costs down rather than offering a free bar all night. The team at Talhenbont can arrange this for you as a couple and work within your budget to ensure that this fit well. The Coach House is the perfect place to host your evening “do.” The fabulous new bar and dance space is the perfect place to party the night away. The exclusive use of the estate that is offered means that you can party the night away in style and not worry about disturbing the neighbours. You could be creative with the tokens and make them something that is personal to you as a couple. One musical couple offered “plecs” for strumming a guitar to be exchanged at the bar for drinks.
RSVP Your Song Requests
This is becoming more and more popular. It is a great was of making your guests part of your day. Every guest’s get a taste of what they really love for your evening celebrations. When you send out your invitations, ask your guests to request songs when they return their RSVP. It gets everyone up on the dancefloor and makes for a brilliant party. They won’t leave the dancefloor until they hear their song played. It involves the whole wedding party and applies across the board. You also end up with a great mix of tunes in the evening. At Talhenbont, the bespoke wedding service that we offer means that we can put you in touch with a variety of brilliant DJ’s, bands and musicians to make your day extra special.
DIY Prosecco Bar
If you’ve signed up to Pinterest for wedding inspiration, be sure to follow Talhenbont Hall as we update our page all the time. The chances are you might have come across pictures of ‘Pimp Your Prosecco’ bars. They are a Pinterest dream and are typically a stall or bar filled with fresh fruit, flavoured syrups and garnishes to add to your prosecco. It’s a great way of guests being a little more interactive on your wedding day. Whether you get married on or off site, Talhenbont can have this set up to serve the prosecco after your ceremony or offer the DIY prosecco bar to get guests chatting and keep them entertained during the interim period before your wedding breakfast.
Fill the time between the Ceremony and Wedding Breakfast
Depending on what time of day you get married, there can be a few hours between the ceremony and wedding breakfast. Keep your guests entertained with a little something extra, such as a saxophonist moving around the room as they play. Why not invite the choir to come back from the church for a glass of fizz and to sing on the lawn? One of the best weddings was when a local Welsh Male Voice Choir who had sung in the church did just this. They settled down with a pint of ale and sang their hearts out to the guests. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house!
Polaroid Guest Book
You will look back and really enjoy reading through your guest book in the days and even years that follow your wedding day, so why not make those lovely notes from your guests even more personal by asking them to take a polaroid to place next to their message? Simply place your polaroid camera next to the guest book and ask your guests to take a selfie to stick in the book next to their message. It’ll be fun to look at after the big day, and it’s a great way to savour memories from your wedding day.
Personal Favours
Favours are a great tradition on a wedding day and a way of giving a little thank you to your guests. We have seen some wonderful ideas here at Talhenbont, from local honey pots, seeds from the bride’s favourite flower, the groom’s favourite sweets and more. Our all-time favourite “favours” were given at the Christmas winter wedding of Fay and Rob in 2019. They had chosen the incredible Springbank as their florists and worked closely with them from start to finish. The effect was a magical winter wedding and the favours formed the centrepieces of the tables. Each centrepiece was a stunning Christmas tree adorned with ornate glass baubles, each one different, for the guests to take home with them. They even provided stunning packaging and a personal note. It was a unique wedding, and this was a lovely touch as a great Christmas treat for everyone who had made the effort to attend.
We would love to know your ideas for getting guests involved in your big day! Let us know in the comments……….To check out a few ideas we have seen and loved, go to our Pinterest page and view our galleries.
