Prioritizing the Guest Experience

Prioritizing the guest experience makes the difference. At MML, we’ll be the first to tell you that curating a wedding or event that reflects what matters to you is priority Number 1. Alongside designing an event that you can enjoy and experience, are the guests who have travelled to celebrate with you! If you’re thinking about how to prioritize the guest experience, here are a few ways to ensure that your favorite people happily anticipate and enjoy the day you’ve planned!

Invest in thoughtful transportation

Transportation might seem like an unnecessary expense or a minor detail relative to the guest experience but taking care of transportation says both, we’re going to have a good time and also that you want your guests to have one less thing to worry about!  Providing transportation can also be useful if your venue is in a remote area, even some of our most favorite Charlottesville venues are a considerable distance from accommodations and if you’re hosting your wedding at a downtown D.C. venue, traffic is the enemy! Even if you’re hosting your event in an accessible city like Richmond, investing in transportation can be useful for weddings with large guest counts and venues with limited parking. And let’s be honest, no need to worry about late arrivals if everyone reaches their destination at the same time. Don’t want to go all the way and rent a 40-passenger shuttle from James Limousine, an experienced wedding and event planner, can help you think through options that make the most sense for your guests, venue, and timeline! One option, a custom Lyft code for travelers to use at their convenience!

Elevate the Food and Hospitality experience

Investing in a full-service caterer is the best way to ensure that your guest experience is excellent and memorable. But the food and hospitality experience isn’t only about what tastes or looks good, it’s also about an excellent service experience. The benefit of having a trusted planning partner, is knowing who to count on to provide excellent, tasty food and superior service. Choosing caterers and bartenders who have the capacity to address high demand and accommodate allergies and diets, without a hitch, ensures that your guests feel the intention and thought that you put into the day. And of course, there are other ways to let your culinary decisions drive the guest experience for your wedding or event. Late night snacks for example, are such a hit these days! From burgers and fries from McDonald’s, to pizza, corndogs, and chicken and waffle bites, you can keep people fed and the party going. While things stay open late in cities like metro D.C., destination weddings and events in Charlottesville might have fewer options. Plan for your guests to end the night blissfully content!

Incorporate Intentional Signage

Your escort card display, seating chart, and other signage can either introduce your guests to your event narrative and love story or mark the transition from ceremony to reception, building guests’ anticipations of what’s next. Think of your wedding as a layered onion, from invitation to celebration. By the end of the night, the guest experience should be designed and executed with more and more precision. We live for an interactive moment, be it a custom Airline ticket booth like the one created by Zelenika Design Co at Stonetower Winery in Leesburg, Virginia or a welcome beverage from our favorite Richmond mobile bar, Cheers RVA. Maybe you incorporate your hobbies like word searches or crossword puzzles into the event design and signage. Anything you can dream of, with MML leading your vendor team, we can do.

Design your wedding website with intention

Clear communication sets the tone for your wedding weekend and provides guests with something tangible and exciting to look forward to. Communication in advance gives guests the information they need and keeps your inbox clear from last minute questions and points of clarification. A beautifully organized website does this work for you by housing all the important details in one place, help your guests remember your website by sending them a note the week of your wedding. A welcome email is such a nice touch, reminding people of where to go, what to do, and what to expect. In your brief message, you’ll tell your guests you’re excited to see them and share your favorite restaurants and things to do in Richmond, Charlottesville, or D.C. Your guests will love it and love you even more for this small but meaningful gesture. And if you’re traveling to a new destination location like Charleston, S.C. or another East Coast destination to get married, as your planning team, we can help you curate an intentional list of to-dos that you too can enjoy!

Curate custom details and merch

Wedding merchandise is very much the moment, But what’s better? Personalized details and merchandise with an interactive experience. Passing out giant cutouts of your fur-baby, tossing custom t-shirts on the dance floor, or setting up grab bags with your favorite snacks and electrolytes for the morning after is such a fun way to keep your guests engaged and cared for. Something simple like a trucker hat for your crew, koozies for your drinks, or something super unique like an elegant scarf will remind guests of their visit to upstate South Carolina or put them in the mind of the Shenandoah Valley in Autumn. Either way incorporating your monogram, crest, wedding tagline, or another personal detail, will be a big hit. Guests will have something to take with them to look back on the occasion, and you’ll have a personal keepsake to share as the years go by. 

At Miss Mattie Lou’s, we believe the guest experience is an important detail to get right from the start. From identifying capable and trustworthy vendors to crafting thoughtful communication for your guests, our approach to wedding and event planning in Richmond, Charlottesville, and along the East Coast is dedicated to occasions that feel intentional, synergetic, and joyful! Because the best part of your wedding is spending it with the people that have been with you all along, leave the rest to us!

See you on the dance floor,

Debbie