Do you want to help wedding guests get to know each other? Either before, or during, your wedding? This is the right spot to learn how!
The wonderful thing about weddings is that you get to bring all the people you love together to celebrate you. The not so wonderful thing is that often these people don’t know each other. However, the more people we know, the more comfortable and fun we have at weddings. Have you ever been to a wedding where you didn’t know anyone? Case in point. It probably wasn’t as fun as the ones where you knew lots of people.
Luckily, there are ways to help wedding guests get to know each other ahead of your wedding. And, it doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t even have to be in person. The virtual world has opened lots of opportunities for connection. More on that later. The point is, you have options. There are lots of ways for you to help wedding guests get to know each other, so they have an awesome time at your wedding.
8 Ways To Help Wedding Guests Get To Know Each Other
As you can tell, this post is going to give you eight ways to help wedding guests get to know each other. The main goal of these efforts is to bring awesome people into each other’s lives, and help everyone have a better time at your wedding. It will also make some pre-wedding events, like bridal showers and bachelorette parties, more fun as well. Because, let’s face it, we’d all rather spend time with people we know than those we don’t.
Let’s get into it.
1. HELP WEDDING GUESTS GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER AT PRE-WEDDING EVENTS
One of the best, most effective ways to help wedding guests get to know each other is to introduce them ahead of your wedding.
Whether it be your bridal shower, bachelorette or bachelor party, engagement party, rehearsal dinner, dress shopping, or welcome party, these events are prime opportunities for connections to be made. While you may be the guest of honor, and not the actual host, you should be intentional about introductions. Don’t just mingle and stop. Take some time to share information with guests about things they have in common, or may both enjoy. It will help those relationships start to form.
2. CREATE A SOCIAL MEDIA GROUP
Don’t have a lot of in-person opportunities to introduce guests to each other? Why not start a social media group?
Let’s use Facebook, for example. You can create a group on there, and invite only those who are invited to your wedding. Start posting things in the group to get people engaged with you and commenting. For example, post a photo of your dog and ask if anyone had ever met your pup, and when. Then, move on to asking people to share photos of you and them doing something fun. Let your guests comment, share, and get a little personal. It will be a great way for those paying attention to understand who will be at the wedding, and how you know them.
3. ASK FOR HELP INTRODUCING EVERYONE AT THE WEDDING
If you want to help wedding guests get to know each other at your wedding, you may need to delegate introductions to someone else.
Of course, you can introduce people to each other. However, since it’s your wedding, this may be difficult for you to do. You’ll be pulled in a bunch of different directions, and it will be hard for you to concentrate on introductions. So, find someone else who can help. This should be a friendly person, or a few people, who know different friend groups.
Once you figure out who can help with introductions, ask them to focus on it during cocktail hour or your reception. Let them know you’d love it if specific people met each other, and see if they can ensure the first meeting. I’m sure many of your friends and family would love to help in this way.
4. LEAVE TIPS ON WHAT WEDDING GUESTS HAVE IN COMMON AT EACH TABLE
A fun idea to help get wedding guests talking is to leave a little trivia note or clue on each table.
It doesn’t have to be a lot of work to do this. All you have to do is create your seating chart, and then some sort of card or sheet that provides clues or notes about what certain people at that table have in common. It can be things like “many of the people at this table went to the same college”. Or, “everyone at this table has a small child”. Whatever it is, it will help guests learn more about each other.
5. CREATE A TABLE GAME TO GET THEM TALKING TO EACH OTHER
Think that creating specific trivia cards may be too much trouble? Why not just leave some ice breakers on the table?
This is a great site that is filled with questions to help get guests talking. Again, all you have to do for this is leave a card or sheet on the table. You can even pin the questions or attach them to the back of your table signs, if you have those on the table already. There are questions like “favorite memory of the bride” and “the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received”, among many, many others that may work for your wedding.
6. HAVE GUESTS WEAR A NAME BADGE WITH A NOTE ON HOW THEY KNOW YOU
This is simple, and perhaps isn’t appropriate for your wedding, but let’s mention it just in case it’s appealing to someone out there.
Each of your guests *could* wear a name badge with a note on how they know you or your new spouse on it. I’m talking a simple note, like “friend”, “work”, or “gym”. The name badge will help others remember who they are talking to, recognize names they have heard before, and also break the ice. Plus, it can be awkward to forget a name.
Don’t want your guests to wear a name badge? No worries. Maybe don’t do this at your wedding. You can do this at your rehearsal dinner, engagement party, or any other events, just for fun.
7. MINGLE AT YOUR WEDDING
Want to get guests moving around and talking? Mingle.
People will be attracted to you at your wedding. They will automatically flock to those who just got married. They will want to talk to you. And, if you’re moving around, they will get closer to people they may not know.
Want an “out” to go mingle, when you’re stuck in a conversation? Introduce anyone standing around you to each other. It can be as simple as Uncle Fred congratulating you, and when you’re ready to move on, you say “Uncle Fred, please meet Tom’s Uncle Pete”, and then you can exit the conversation to the next one. After you leave, the two guests will be polite and may start talking themselves.
8. BE THOUGHTFUL WITH YOUR SEATING CHART
Look, chances are that people will stick by those they know well during your ceremony and cocktail hour. The same is likely true for any dance part of your wedding.
However, dinner or mealtime is prime time for guests to get to know each other. They will inevitably talk to those who are seated by them. Be sure to put some thought into who is sitting with whom at your wedding. Put those who have commonalities together. For example, I had a sort of mismatched table at my wedding, but it was filled with people who had a lot in common. Not only did most of them go to the same college, but everyone at that table loved fitness. I knew many of them would start talking and hit it off.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Friends, there are so many ways to help wedding guests get to know each other. You and your partner are the common denominator between all of them, so take some time to be intentional about introductions. If it appeals to you, create interaction for your guests at their table. And, don’t be scared to delegate introductions. Your guests will have a better time because of it. Happy wedding planning!
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