Planning a Wedding: The Wedding Loop

For many families, a wedding is a time to regroup and rediscover the ties that bind. Not only is a wedding a wonderful, life changing event for the couple, it is also a time when family members, scattered about the world, can renew old friendships and make new ones. Since we’ve become a “global community,” it is more important than ever for couples to make sure those who will be sharing in their celebration stay in the “wedding loop.”

Take time with your fiancé to review your guest list. By doing so, you will get a better idea of who will be attending, where they are located and what type of guest services they require. If you have a large number of out-of-town guests, locate various hotels and inns in the general vicinity of your wedding and reception early on. Additionally, think about the modes of transportation that will be available to your guests while they are visiting. Many car rental companies can create customized vehicle packages for you and all your guests.

Next, think of creative ways to inform everyone of all of the wonderful happenings! Come up with a few preliminary ideas that will really get your point across. Perhaps a colorful, striking newsletter would be just the ticket to keep everyone in the loop. Look for fresh, inventive paper selections to set the perfect tone for your wonderful news. Keep the tone light and fun – and make sure to inform your guests that the communiqué is not a wedding invitation. Here are some ideas to include in your “nuptial newsletter” to give it some punch!

How We Met. Include a brief story about how you and your beloved met and made the all-important “love connection.”

Fun Facts. Reveal tiny tidbits about the two of you: your hobbies, mutual interests and stuff you don’t like (such as okra or waiting in line).

Wedding Central. Reserve a portion of the newsletter for pertinent information on locations, times and types of events that will be held during your celebration. With each issue you can add additional facts that will keep everyone on the same page, such as hotel accommodations, childcare arrangements, transportation and carpooling details, preferred attire and much more.

Get Wired. With the explosion of personal computers and the Internet into daily life, it’s easier than ever to keep friends and family “plugged in” to your wedding planning process. Consider creating your very own Wedding Website, a great way to give loved ones “e-access” to all of the festivities. Take the information contained in your newsletter and transpose it into a fun, easy to read format that will be welcomed by all of your Internet-savvy guests. Set up an email account for easy correspondence with your guests, and post helpful maps and directions so everyone will know where they are going and how to get there!

It’s a good idea to create and send at least three editions of print or online information pages to your attendees during the course of your planning process. As your guest list becomes more definite, you’ll be able to forward information to those who will need it, and delete out people who aren’t able to share in your special day. You can also create a post-wedding letter or website to reach those who weren’t able to be with you to celebrate your wedding. Add a few wonderful pictures from the ceremony and reception, a brief story about the celebration, list who came from near and far to be with you, and close with a heartfelt sentiment that lets the recipient know that even though they were not there on that day, you wanted to share a bit of your happiness with them!

While planning a wedding can be hectic at best, keeping everyone informed and on top of things is a sure fire way to maintain a sense of order and calm to what will no doubt be one of the most enjoyably frenetic periods in your life.

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