The most important people at any wedding are without a doubt the bride and groom. However, guests expect to be treated well at weddings and are likely to complain if they feel they aren’t. Read on to discover 12 of the most common complaints guests have after a wedding and how you can avoid them to have the best wedding ever
1Complaint: “The date was inconvenient.”
If your wedding falls on another big celebration (whether it be a holiday like Christmas or New Year’s Day, extended weekends like Labor Day Weekend, or on a big sports day like the Super Bowl), some of your guests will inevitably complain. Some may already have plans on these days and may not be able to make it to your wedding.
How to avoid:
The easiest solution is to plan in advance and keep dates in mind that may keep guests from attending your wedding before choosing a date. But sometimes, if it’s the date you want, there’s no way to avoid this complaint. If your wedding is Christmas themed, odds are you want it on or near Christmas! Your best bet here is to check in with your close family and friends and ensure that they will be able to make it to your wedding. Then, let everyone else know the date well in advance so that they will be sure not to make other plans on your wedding day!
2Complaint: “The invitations didn’t have enough information.”
Do your guests get a plus one? Is the wedding outdoors? Will there only be appetizers? These are questions that your guests are probably wondering and want to be planning ahead for.
How to avoid:
Include all the information guests need to know on your invitation! This takes the guessing game out of the invitation and makes things much more stress-free for both you and your guests. If you’re concerned about having too wordy an invitation, include the link to your wedding website with all of the relevant information.
3Complaint: “The weather is too hot/cold/humid/buggy…”
Now obviously you have no control over the weather on your big day and if guests are complaining, you probably feel the same. No one likes having to deal with weather problems, especially on a day to celebrate!
How to avoid:
This complaint can be avoided by planning ahead and thinking of your guests. If you’re having an outdoor wedding in the winter, provide scarfs, gloves, or shawls for your guests! Summer wedding? Provide fans to keep the heat away or umbrellas to keep guests shaded!
4Complaint: “There was a huge wait in between the ceremony and the reception.”
No one wants to have to wait hours between the ceremony and reception!
How to avoid:
Make sure your cocktail hour isn’t too short! Celebrity event planner Colin Cowie suggests a cocktail hour between 45 minutes and 1 hour. You can serve signature cocktails here, provide appetizers to hold your guests over until the main meal, and even play games!
5Complaint: “I had to travel to different venues that were far from each other for the ceremony and the reception.”
For guests who have flown in, it can be difficult to travel to different venues for the ceremony and reception.
How to avoid:
If you need your guests to travel to different venues, provide transportation for those who need it! A shuttle service is one easy solution.
6Complaint: “There was unassigned seating, and I didn’t know where to sit or who to sit with.”
Guests don’t want to be taken back to school when they had to search for the perfect seat with the right people they would get along with and be able to talk to. If seating is unassigned, your guests may not be able to sit with their family or friends which could cause tension.
How to avoid:
No matter how tedious it can be to create seating assignments, it will make your guests’ experience all the better! Make it fun for both you and your guests by creating an escort board or wall. Kill two birds with one stone and have escort “cards” your wedding favors!
7Complaint: “I could only talk to the people on the left or right of me at my table because I couldn’t see over the centerpieces.”
People want to be able to have conversations when they’re at your wedding. When there are centerpieces blocking the flow of conversation, or even their view of other things happening at the reception, they are sure to get annoyed.
How to avoid:
Don’t sacrifice the gorgeous centerpieces you want, but just make sure that they aren’t too tall!
8Complaint: “There was a cash bar.”
Guests understand that having the perfect wedding is expensive and that you need to save money somewhere. Most guests just don’t want those savings to be on the bar.
How to avoid:
If you don’t want to pay for an open bar but don’t want guests complaining about a cash bar, stick to a limited bar. Serve only wine, beer, and maybe some signature cocktails to keep guests happy.
9Complaint: “The food wasn’t good/There wasn’t enough food and I was starving.”
Some of the biggest wedding complaints revolve around food. Whether it be that the food wasn’t good or that guests weren’t given enough food, people can get a little hangry when they aren’t served the food they want at weddings.
How to avoid:
To avoid complaints of the food not being good, of course, make sure you try everything before choosing to serve it! Catering costs can be very expensive – if you’re looking for a way to cut costs, supplement your reception with a food truck or provide more appetizers during cocktail hour so a smaller dinner isn’t noticeable.
10Complaint: “The music was too loud/The music wasn’t good for dancing.”
People have a lot to say about music at weddings. Sometimes it’s too loud, sometimes it’s not upbeat enough for a good dance, whatever the case may be, guests tend to complain.
How to avoid:
Make sure you don’t sit people too close to the speakers if you’re concerned about people complaining about the volume. If you don’t want to hear complaints about the right music for dancing, allow your guests to make requests with your band or DJ so that they can hear the music they want.
11Complaint: “The reception was boring.”
Whether guests feel your reception is lacking good music or there are toasts that go on for what feels like hours, you NEVER want your guests to feel bored at your reception!
How to avoid:
Don’t let your guests get restless by making sure your band or DJ get the crowd up with upbeat music. Try to keep toasts to a time limit. Even though you love everyone at your wedding, a half hour toast filled with inside jokes can leave other guests feeling left out and bored – which you absolutely DON’T want!
12Complaint: “I never saw the bride and groom and never got a ‘thank you’ from them.”
It can be hard to get around to everyone at your wedding, and it can feel like a lot to send thank you cards to every person who attended your wedding, but doing so may make guests feel unappreciated – which you absolutely don’t want!
How to avoid:
A receiving line takes up so much time and can get boring really quickly. Try to stop by every table and say a quick “hello” and “thank you” before the night is done to make guests feel cared about. Then, send out thank you cards ASAP after your wedding and honeymoon!
