What makes a wedding fun or terrible

[nellly]

I've read a few times on here about people hating weddings and finding them a chore.

I'm getting married next summer and would actually like people to enjoy themselves while they're there.

Here's what we've thought so far to make it a laugh but please tell me what it is the makes it a great day or a terrible day in case we've missed something!

• no one is seated alone for food, single friends are invited to bring a plus one

• 4 different options for meal so everyone has something they like

• drinks tokens for free drinks so everyone has at least a few on us (without the option to take the piss which we saw at SIL wedding wirh open bar (unlimited free soft drinks)

• massive cake with 4 different flavour tiers

• it's in a venue near where we all live so no obligation to stay over except for my parents who are happy to spend the night in the hotel. Everyone else can share cheap taxis back within our city

I do agree about the timing, but, as you are stuck with that, then I think it is really helpful to let folk know approx when the meal is, as I agree with pp about it being really difficult for a lot of people to manage from breakfast until quite late. At least if you know, then people with that kind of low blood sugar can at least bring some cereal bars / fruit / a sandwich with them so they don't become unwell.
I also agree that being able to get tea / coffee is a real bonus as most soft drinks tend to be very sweet.

Not waiting around for effing ages watching the bride and groom have their photos done and being bossed about by wedding photographers. Decent canapés, nice welcome drinks, good band playing all the hits!

One thing my dd did (summer wedding) was provide flip flops for the women, for when their feet started killing them.
Very popular! Unlike some, they were instantly comfortable.
She didn’t bother with table favours though.

We ordered our photos from biggest groups to wedding party to release guests from the church to the reception.
We let guests know estimated timing and suggested places they could have brunch near the church for those that had a longer journey on the morning. Lots of canapes.
Lots of soft drinks along with the usual alcohol.
The venue had lots of seating.
Everything was personal to us, it wasn't a grand show-off wedding; it was reasonably large and traditional but we chose things because we loved them and they meant something to us rather than because that's what was trendy in magazines.

The worst wedding I went to was the previous year and had the wedding breakfast 8 hours after the ceremony started, leaving guests stranded in an expensive remote hotel, standing around, hungry and cold while the wedding party pissed off for lunch and photos for over 4 hours!
The food was crap when it finally turned up. By the time we'd got through lengthy speeches we went after the first dance as it was so late and we had an hours drive back.

Apart from the bog standard tedious stuff, I’ve been to a few weddings where the couple despise each other, it’s so awkward and a huge waste of my time. E.g. the bride said that she hates the groom and doesn’t want to marry him, but doesn’t want to move back in with her parents, and so makes 100 people sit through a wedding.
Father of the reluctant spouse does a dreary speech saying how marriage is like a deck of cards; at the start it’s hearts and diamonds and at the end it’s a club and a shovel. Ha. Ha.. cringe

The absolute worst weddings we have been to are when we don’t know anyone else except the bride or groom - one of our work colleagues will have invited us with a are you busy on the 21st conversation and we’ll have felt obligated to attend. It’s happened twice now and it’s a bloody awful experience - it’s no place for a few random colleagues. Apart from that, consider the venue location and the cost of drinks and accommodation for the guests.

One of the worst things about weddings is when there's a massive gap between the ceremony and meal, when the photos are being taken, and guests are just left in limbo with one or two canapés each.

One wedding I went to lasted for 14 hours. No couple is that interesting. The register office was at 11. We all drove to a pub but the food wasn’t served until 4. Then sat around again until evening dance in a village hall which went on. And on.

Also, incredibly slow serving of food is irritating when some tables are served 30 mins before others.

Good - short ceremony, quick photos, plenty of food.

Table favours = landfill.