Categories
Categories
by on May 12, 2020
271 views

Few Tips For A Good Wedding Exit Strategy

 

#1 Make a Clean Break

Making a smooth exit from your wedding reception is easiest when you don't have to stay late and sweep the floors. As you research wedding venues, give careful consideration to their cleaning options. Is a cleaning service included in the rental price? Do you need to hire your own (or one from an approved list)? How much mess can you leave without forfeiting your deposit? There's a big difference between making sure your trash is thrown away and scrubbing the baseboards on your hands and knees, so make sure your venue's definition of "clean" is spelled out in writing.  

#2 Leave No Rental Behind

In the happy whirlwind of a wedding day, it's easy to forget exactly how many chairs you rented, how many chairs you already owned, and what time of evening the cupcake candelabra lady arranged to pick up her fifteen cupcake candelabras. Leaving your wedding should be a time of happy goodbyes, though–not flipping through spreadsheets and counting furniture! If you have more rentals than you can easily track, assign a trusted friend (or professional event planner) to keep everything straight for you. That way, you won't have to worry about being held responsible for missing rentals the next day. Is your rentals company taking care of its own item drop-off and pickup? One way to reduce confusion is to make sure your rentals company knows what time your venue closes. It sounds obvious, but a little carelessness in scheduling can end up incurring quite a lot of late fees.  

#3 Simplify Your Baggage

Hopefully, you're not carrying a ton of emotional baggage into your new marriage. But don't stop there–lighten your literal load, too! The fewer items you have to carry out of your venue at the end of the reception, the better. This applies especially to couples who make DIY decorations or use their own belongings and furniture to create the perfect reception atmosphere. If you have to carry it in, have a game plan for how each item will get carried out. When you're talking about leftover junk, wedding favors are prime suspects. Many couples are startled to find that the wedding favors they spent so much money to buy are left sitting on tables after guests leave. Remember, wedding favors aren't mandatory. If you feel the need to give your guests a treat to remember, try something like a candy buffet that allows each person to choose items they want. That way, you'll have a much higher percentage of favors that actually make it home with the people you want to thank. One way to simplify the number of items you have to deal with is to combine uses. For example, instead of ordering bouquets for your bridesmaids, centerpieces for your tables, and favors for your guests, just provide vases for each table and let your bridesmaids dunk their bouquets in the water while they eat. The wedding flowers will stay fresh, and the bouquets-turned-centerpieces will make lovely favors for the bridesmaids (or any other guests who want to take one home). Encourage guests to take your balloons, table decorations, and other décor items home with them as favors–even leftover desserts can make welcome treats! The more items your happy friends carry off at the end of the night, the less cleanup you have to do.  

#4 Leave it for Another Day

If possible, arrange to take care of the venue clean up the day after your wedding instead of the same night. You'll be able to make a graceful exit from your reception without worrying over logistics, and besides, you'll be fresher in the morning and likely get it done in half the time. The only thing better than leaving your cleanup for another day is leaving it for another person. If you have the room in your wedding budget, hire an event planner to coordinate venue management, rental companies, and cleaning crews. If any rental item goes missing, the responsibility won't be on your shoulders and you won't have to run around being a stress-ball until you find it.

The only thing better than being able to "just show up" at your own wedding is being able to leave as the carefree guests of honor, too!

Posted in: Wedding Venues, Wedding
Be the first person to like this.