The wedding does not begin with the appearance of the newlyweds on the threshold, not with their meeting. The wedding begins with the first guest. Guests must understand that they are welcome here, that every guest is special and loved. All preparations must be completed before the first guest, and he should not see the kitchen of the event (figuratively and non-figuratively?)
In our hall (Ocean Love https://kazan.nevesta.info/catalog/952084/) at the entrance there is a separate room reserved for the welcome zone, which can also be accessed during the wedding. The welcome room is not small, which we were very lucky with.
So, what will our first guest see (what is now at the stage of wishes and possibilities):
Welcome sign.
There are 2 entrances to our hall, and we want to let guests in through one entrance so that they get straight into the welcome area without passing through the reception hall. To do this, we want to place a sign next to our entrance like:
Greetings, names, our unusual date and hashtag.
Gifts for the guest (bonbonnieres).
I read that originally a bonbonniere (French bonbonnière - “candy bowl”, from French bonbon - candy) was a beautifully decorated box for chocolates. In Europe, in the old days, these were five sweets - candies or nuts in sugar. They symbolized five wishes for the guest: health, joy, good luck, prosperity and longevity.
It’s interesting, but this tradition is no longer observed.
That's why I thought about filling and decorating the gifts. Honey, which has been very popular lately, as well as sweets and magnets. Then we thought - we love practicality, economy... And we can add a pinch of humor there.
My mother ferments natural tea from currant, raspberry, fireweed, apple, etc. leaves. She also loves to sew and recently just learned how to sew a Japanese omiyage bag (photo from the Internet) and bought a cool machine? That’s it, mom, you’ll help!
We have tea bags, we’ll fill them with tea, we’ll buy fabric for omiyage in the color of the wedding, we’ll sew them and it’ll be a gift. AH, yes, a pinch of humor. I would like to put a beautifully designed small certificate there too. The certificates are comic (taken from the Internet and supplemented with your own ideas), something like:
- The certificate gives you the right to walk Albus (our dog) once
- The certificate gives you the right to an exclusive photo with the bride and groom
- The certificate gives you the right not to give a gift to the newlyweds today, but to give it tomorrow.
You just need to tell the host to tell the guests that the certificates inside the gift can be used during the evening.
Next, the question arose of how to present them beautifully. What options are we considering:
- just put it on the table and sign next to it to take a gift as a token of gratitude for attending the celebration
- There will be a similar Donats-Bar in our hall. We can hang these bags around the edges instead of donuts
- There is an option to combine seating arrangements with gifts. The guest will need to find his name on the bag with the name of the table at which he is sitting.
Need to think. When we draw the entire welcome zone in a sketch, we will understand how best to do it.
Seating.
In general, our hall provides seating for free. But I wanted an original seating arrangement.
Firstly, we really don’t want table numbers, but names. If only it would be convenient for the host and the name could be beautifully placed on the tables so that the guest does not get lost (although this can also be decided with the help of the coordinator or manager).
Secondly, I want voluminous seating. Something like geometry, as in the photo. There is a separate figure for each table.
And, probably, you can even think about having a description next to the names about who the friend is, or how they met, or a funny incident. It's cumbersome, but it can be thought through.
For example, make such a volumetric wall
Welcome zone decor
The design of the welcome zone should be in harmony with the theme and color scheme of the wedding, i.e. be part of the overall decor of the celebration. The portal www.svadebka.ws presents to your attention the basic principles of welcome zone decor:
- Decorate the entrance to the wedding hall or outdoor painting place: hang flower wreaths on the door, decorate the stairs with garlands, etc. If your celebration is organized outdoors, then you can install a beautiful arch at the entrance through which all guests arriving at the celebration will pass.
- Come up with a unified style for “navigation” accessories: a welcome stand and signs, taking into account the theme of the celebration. For example, if you decide to organize a wedding in a rustic style, then they can be made from untreated boards, and information for guests can be written with regular paint.
- The buffet table should not only be filled with all kinds of treats, but also beautifully decorated so that guests immediately pay attention to it.
- The lounge area should also match the theme of the celebration in style and color. The only thing worth considering is that the colors in the lounge area should be muted, conducive to relaxation and calm communication.
A properly organized welcome zone will “guarantee” a great mood for your family and friends, because the holiday for them will begin not with tedious waiting, but with an interesting pastime!
Book for recommendations.
We scoured the Internet for a long time in search of book options. They even wanted to refuse because nothing was impressive. But then the idea came to combine business with pleasure. We made a photo book from our Nikah (wedding) with some blank space around the photos and extra blank pages at the end so guests could look at the photos of our first family celebration and be excited to write wishes right on the book next to the photos.
A few options we had:
- order a book of wishes from a pro. Yes, it’s beautiful, but I don’t want to store it later
- make cards on which you can write a wish, answering a question written there in advance. For example: “what to name your second pet”, “what is love”, “who should apologize after a quarrel”. It can probably be arranged. Let it be extra
- renting an Instax camera so that guests can paste photos with wishes is expensive and it has been proven that guests often take photos for themselves
- Before, about 5 years ago, I wanted a puzzle of our photo so that wishes could be written on the back. The space is too small and I fell in love with this option.
Crossword about our couple.
I have already drawn it in a graphics editor. The crossword puzzle consists of questions about our couple, our desires, dates, places, favorite things. In principle, friends and relatives will easily figure it out. Therefore, we have added SPECIAL QUESTIONS that only those friends about whom the question can answer can answer. For example: “Who did the bridesmaids dress up as when they ransomed their best friend?” So that the crossword puzzle is not solved by one guest who knows everything about us?
And also the name of our wedding is already written in the crossword puzzle. The crossword puzzle highlights “The sky” “fell” “in” “us” on separate lines.
Buffet
Surely the guests, already a little tired from walking, getting ready and waiting, will want to have a snack and something to drink. Organize a buffet table with snacks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, where all guests can quench their thirst and kill a worm. This could be a cheese or beer table, a bar with Viennese waffles, pizza, ice cream or classic canapes and snacks, a sushi or seafood station, a sweet table, a chocolate fountain or cheese fondue.
WEDDING WAY organizer | |
| organizer WED KIOSQUE | organizer WED KIOSQUE |
| organizer BONWEDDINGS | |
It is better not to offer strong alcohol at the buffet so that all guests wait for the ceremony in good spirits and good health. Champagne, wine, beer or light cocktails will be the best aperitif, depending on the theme of the holiday. Non-alcoholic drinks include homemade lemonades, tea and coffee, and in the cold season mulled wine, cocoa and hot chocolate are popular.
| organizer CARPE DIEM | |
| organizer LOVE.ME | decor ANASTASIA KUCHINSKAYA |
| organizer WEDDING STUDIO CARROT | |
Photo wall of friends' weddings where we were guests.
The idea is to print out photos from weddings we've been to (there were enough of them over 8 years) and hang them up beautifully. So that they would be pleased to remember the atmosphere of their wedding. And we add a smile to this idea. On each photo there is a caption like: “this is how we rocked at your place, now it’s your turn”; “played air guitar”; “hugged tightly”; “helped with registration”; “they were carrying weights,” and there was a photo of Airat carrying a pillow; in the photo where Airat is doing the splits the caption: “Ilshat, now it’s your turn to repeat it.”
I’ve already printed out the photos, I just need to complete the idea and write the captions and figure out how to make this zone. It's early to think, but I'd like to keep them hanging. If this can be done, I will be happy. Airat said that it is possible to make a separate structure for this. We need to start from the final sketch.
Artists at the Welcome zone
A magician - an illusionist , dressed in a security suit, meets guests and, in full accordance with the instructions of the special services, conducts a search. Naturally, magical security finds a variety of things and objects not only in their bags and pockets, but also behind their ears. As a result, it creates a light and cheerful holiday atmosphere, making the event unforgettable and spectacular from the very beginning.
A mime is an actor who performs without words. He expresses feelings and thoughts through movements of the body, hands and facial expressions. Humorous performances and improvised entertaining skits will be a pleasant addition to the celebration.
Living statues are an imitation of a statue by a professional actor playing the role of a specific hero (historical or fantasy) and in any genre in accordance with the theme and idea. To create the image, makeup and costume are used that fully match the color of the original statue or monument. By coming to life, but maintaining plasticity, the actor involves the audience in a silent game.
Stilt walkers are artists of an original genre who move on stilts. The height of the stilt walkers is about 3 meters. They can greet guests and sprinkle them with rose petals or confetti.
Fortune teller - predictions for the future in a humorous manner, charging talismans and wedding souvenirs for success, luck and harmony in business and making astrological forecasts will undoubtedly bring a touch of positivity to your holiday.
Girls - hostesses - at the beginning of the holiday, greet guests and lead them to the ceremony site. They answer and respond to any requests or questions from guests, help collect and carry flowers and gifts, and before the start of the banquet they are involved in seating guests. Hostesses attract guests to various areas and explain what needs to be done there; they are fully responsible for all the props of the “program” - for competitions, rituals and other activities. During feasts, they work in conjunction with the host, in his support.
Doorman - he gives status and a sense of solemnity to the event. Just imagine, you come to a party in beautiful evening dresses, you are greeted politely and with a smile on your face by a doorman who opens the door, helps you leave your outerwear in the wardrobe, escorts you to the hall and in every possible way guides you if necessary.
Shoe shiner - a professional master cleans shoes for guests on a specially equipped chair. Suitable for bad weather weddings as well as Chicago themed weddings.
Lady buffet is a live buffet table. The models inside the table simultaneously perform the function of a hostess - meeting and greeting guests, as well as the function of a waitress - offering a welcome cocktail, aperitif, champagne and snacks.
Animators - if you are organizing a themed wedding based on the plot of a film, book or cartoon, you can invite these characters.
Freaks are artists in unusual costumes.
Robots -
superheroes from modern films
