Tackling the Most Common Guest Complaints

I have been watching wedding show upon wedding show since Thomas and I got engaged. Every bride wants to have her dream wedding go off without a hitch and wants her guests to have the time of their lives. In watching these wedding shows, I have heard a lot of guests complaints. Most of the things guests complain about are little and easily avoidable, but they are also things brides may not think of. That is why I decided to list and tackle all of the guest complaints that I have heard during my wedding show marathon. Keep these in mind when planning your wedding and your guests will be sure to have a blast at your wedding. 

It is too hot or too cold:
This is especially an issue when you are having an outdoor wedding. The weather is definitely not a factor that you can control, especially if you live in an area where the weather changes in the blink of an eye (I remember one year when I was in high school, my mom bought me a knee-length halter dress to wear to church on Easter Sunday. Although the sun was shining and warm the day she bought the dress, it snowed on Easter Sunday and I froze!). 
 Although you cannot control or change the weather, you can take extra measures to make sure your guests are comfortable. 

If there is a chance your ceremony or reception could get a little chilly, supply guests with shawls, blankets, and/or mittens. You can purchase these from the dollar store, or hit up the sale racks after the holiday season. Most party rental stores also rent outdoor gas heaters you could place around your ceremony or reception to makes guests more comfortable. Try offering your guests hot coffee, tea, hot chocolate, etc.

Thomas and I are getting married in June and our ceremony and reception are both outside. We live in the Midwest so it is bound to be dry and hot. To keep guests comfortable during our ceremony, we are giving out personalized bottles of water to keep guests hydrated. Our ceremony programs will also double as fans. During the reception, we will be serving lots of cold drinks and we are looking into renting large fans to keep guests cool. Both our ceremony and reception are taking place in shaded areas, so this will help with the heat a little.  

Beach Wedding Blues
If you are having a beach wedding, offer your guests flip flops at the beginning of your ceremony to make walking in the sand easier. If you cannot afford to purchase flip flops for each guests, add a note in your invitation asking guests to wear flip flops. 

The Ceremony and Reception Sites are Far Apart
Try to pick ceremony and reception sites that are fairly close together, or pick one venue for both the ceremony and reception. Out of town guests especially appreciate this because a lot of times they have no clue where they are going. If you are going to have two venues that are farther apart, consider renting a trolley or bus to transport guests from the ceremony site to the reception site. 

The Ceremony Was Too Long 
I know that some people have longer ceremonies for religious purposes, but try to keep it as short as possible. Guests tend to get antsy and no longer enjoy themselves if the ceremony is too long. We are keeping ours short and sweet. Our officiate will be reading a couple bible verses and speaking, a pray, a quick Irish knot ceremony (because Thomas is Irish), Thomas and I will have a quick speech for each other, the sand ceremony, our vows/exchange of the rings, the kiss, and ta-dah! It seems like a lot on paper, but it will only be about 15 or 25 minutes. 

I Did Not Know What Was Going On:
If you are taking part in cultural ceremonies and traditions, add an insert into your program explaining what they represent. I have heard of guests getting offended and feeling left out because they did not understand what was happening during the ceremony. This is especially important if these ceremonies will be in a different language. Guests will appreciate the extra time you put in to include them in these traditions. 

There Was a Long Waiting Period Between the Ceremony and Reception
Guests do not like to wait a long period of time for the reception to start after the ceremony is over. If you must have a break between them, fill up that time with guest activities. Give guests a list of attractions close to your ceremony and reception sites they could visit to kill some time. If your budget allows, include a couple gift cards with the list. In our case, there is a zoo and art museum close to our ceremony site that both offer free admission! You could also extend your cocktail hour and start it earlier so your guests will be entertained and fed. 

There Was Not Enough Seating at Cocktail Hour
Most guests do not like having to stand at cocktail hour. Make sure you offer enough seating to accommodate everyone. Cocktail hour does not have to look like your reception. Offer a variety of seating like outdoor lounge couches surrounding coffee tables, high top tables, and a few scattered traditional tables and chairs. You could even use park benches for an outdoor wedding. Many of these things can be rented. 

There Was Not Enough Food At Cocktail Hour
Make sure there is enough food for everyone to enjoy at your cocktail hour. When it comes to our cocktail hour, we are going to overestimate like crazy because we do not want anyone to leave hungry. We can always take left overs home, freeze them, or send them home with family members as a thank you for all their help with the big day. If you are not able to send all of it home with people, donate it to a homeless shelter! Either way, if you have extra food it will not go to waste. 

There Was No Variety at Cocktail Hour
In addition to making sure you have enough food at cocktail hour, you need to also serve a variety of foods. Yes, you can serve the traditional party tray of fresh veggies, that bowl of fresh fruit, and the cheese and cracker tray, but you also need to have appetizers and more substantial snacks for your guests to enjoy. This is especially important if you are having a break in between your ceremony and reception, or a long break between cocktail hour and dinner. Also, be sure to take peoples' diets into consideration too. Make sure there are vegetarian options for those who do not eat meat, label foods with nuts and other allergens, etc. 

We Had to Pay for Our Drinks
Guests already carve a day out of their busy schedule, travel to get to your wedding, and bring you a gift. The last thing you should expect them to do is pay for their own drinks. If you are worried about the budget, offer one type of beer, one type of wine, skip the champagne, and offer a couple signature cocktails, but do not ask your guests to pay for their own drinks. Cash bars at wedding receptions make me shiver! 

We Got Bored
Do not let the reception lag. Offer activities, dancing, snacking, drinking, etc. at your reception to keep guests entertained and happy. In addition to the usual traditions of our first dance, the bouquet toss, garter toss, cake cutting ceremony, etc, Thomas and I will be offering lawn games, a photo booth, photo scavenger hunt, dancing, kids activity books, and more. Everyone is sure to have a good time. 

EWWW...BUGS!!!
This is one of our main concerns with having an outdoor wedding and reception. To help keep the bugs at bay we will be setting up bug spray and sunscreen stations at our reception. We are purchasing shepard's hooks and galvanized buckets from the dollar store, as well as various sunscreens and bug repellants. We will set up the stations around our reception for guests to use. 

The Food Was Cold
Make sure you have taken the proper steps to keep hot food hot and cold food cold at your reception. If you're using a caterer, let them know how important this is to you. If you are self-catering like we are, make sure you are renting the proper buffet equipment and hire a wait staff to keep an eye on the food tables and freshen up the food every now and then. 

Dinner Was Serves Way Too Late
I once went to a wedding where dinner was not served until 10:30pm and I went home that night feeling sick. Most people typically do not eat meals any later than 8pm. Take this into consideration when you are planning your reception. If you want pictures at sunset, pictures in the moonlight, or whatever, you can do this while guests are dancing, eating cake, etc. Do not make guests wait for their meal until after most people are in bed! 

We Never Saw the Bride and Groom After the Ceremony
Make sure you take the time to mingle with your guests. Stand outside of your ceremony site as guests are exiting to speak with them, make rounds to tables at your reception, dance with guests, take pictures with guests, play games with guests. Do whatever you have to do in order to make them feel like you really want them there! The worst thing you could do is make your guests feel unwanted or excluded. Do not be an ungracious host! In addition, do not under any circumstances ditch the thank you cards! Every wedding guests deserves a thank you note for taking the time to spend your special day with you, bringing you a gift, etc. Thank them for everything! If they helped with the decorating...send them a special thank you. If they bought you a shower gift...send them a thank you. If they helped clean up after the reception...send them a thank you. 

The Lines Were Too Long
Guests hate waiting in long lines to get a drink or to get their food. To avoid long lines, we will be having multiple bar tenders, multiple food tables, and guests will be able to go down the food lines on both sides of the table. 

The Ceremony Started Late
Make sure you are on time. When you are making your time line, take into consideration the size of your wedding party, the time it will take everyone to get ready, pre-ceremony pictures, traffic, etc. 


It is obviously impossible to please everyone and if you try you are going to be one super stressed out bride! However, that does not mean you should not think about the complaints listed above in order to ensure that everyone has a good time at your wedding.