The best wedding you've ever been to – what made it so great?

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What's the best wedding you've ever attended as a guest - and why was it so good? Hopefully a lovely positive wedding thread!

My wedding is coming up this September (two years postponed) and we're very excited. We want to make it a really great day for our guests as well – they've also waited a long time and most are travelling a fair distance – so I'm keen to hear what people always appreciate the most at weddings, and what elevates one from 'ok' to 'amazing' for a guest. We have our own ideas of this based on friends' weddings but keen to hear others' experiences!

@autienotnaughty 😀It was amazing.

We’ll that would be nice sometimes. But I like a well organised evening do with good food and a dance.

Best weddings I've been to were low budget ones when we are all poor students. Buffet (homemade food) on a table in the garden, marquee in case of rain, some music, taking until the early hours to friends, the bride's aunt, a random neighbour who showed up. The more formal a wedding is the less I enjoy it.

The best weddings I have been to have been ones that suited the couple. I've been to lovely low budget, everyone bring a dish to the village hall weddings, brilliant small intimate weddings, fantastic huge parties and great swanky location weddings and what was great was a clearly delighted happy couple having a wonderful day surrounded by those they love.

The less good weddings I've been to are the one where I felt the couple weren't having the wedding they wanted. Either they were 'keeping up with the Jones's', trying to top someone else's day or trying to fulfill other peoples idea of a wedding.

Have the day you want, not in a selfish everyone must do as I say or else way but in a don't subject yourself to a reception line because great Aunty Doris will expect it way.
Be happy and relaxed (really don't sweat the small stuff - no-one will know that the serviettes should have been ivory not cream or the that the wine isn't the one your ordered unless you tell them).
Have a fantastic day and take a moment to reflect on a room full of people that are wishing you well.

Best one was where the bride was pregnant and so a marriage was hastily arranged ( 1970s) church wedding all done in 6 weeks . The family pulled together it was a beg bring and borrow wedding . It was a big brilliant Knees up from start to finish . Family still talk about it 45 years on

Been at so many lovely ones but what NOT to do is to have the band/music so loud that folk cannot hear themselves speak. I’ve been at two weddings that were spoilt by this. Remember lots of friends and family only see each other at weddings and want to catch up. It’s not a rock concert for the band, it’s about family and friends. And I say that as a total rock chick who likes my music loud, just not at a wedding.

Groom's parents' back garden, super-short best man's speech. Very little fuss. It was great.

My DB’s was one of the best I think. Church wedding then to an afternoon reception at a lovely hotel which is only about 5 or 10 mins drive from the church. Beautiful seaviews, beautiful food & the photographs didn’t go on for ever. Then my favourite bit - there was a marquee in the hotel grounds & they had a barndance. Can’t remember what the evening food was but I seem to remember hot pasties.

Not being vain 😬but several people said my wedding was the best they'd been to. It was very small, close family and friends only, simple service, dinner at a lovely restaurant (a la carte), lovely flowers, low-key and relaxed. No pretence or pressure, just a nice happy day with lovely nosh and lovely photos to remember it by.

One of my favourite weddings was at an outdoor art venue which hadn't hosted weddings before. The bride, who is an event planner, was essentially having her wedding be the guinea pig to see how future weddings would work in exchange for a minimal price and an understanding that everything might not be exactly as planned. Not in a bad way - just in a sort of 'the timings might be slightly off' or 'we might have to nip out for more ice' sort of way. It worked beautifully in the end and was a fantastic wedding where the venue did themselves proud and it was completely unique. It's now a well regarded and booked out wedding venue but being the first ever one gave it a special quality.

Another wedding - while we were standing outside the venue after the ceremony and the photos were going on, everyone was a bit hot and bored. One of those old fashioned ice cream bikes rode in and we realised that the couple had arranged/paid for 99 cones for us all while we waited. This was a while ago so before sweetie bars/donut walls etc were a thing so it was a lovely surprise.

My favourite wedding was held in the city the couple (and most of the guests) lived in, so no journey or hotel to book. The church and reception venues were co-located and beautiful. There was no waiting around between church and reception (afternoon wedding), and the catering was amazing. There were about 80 guests, so it felt like one group rather than mostly strangers. The music and dance floor were excellent, and there was plenty of outdoor space right near the dancefloor. There weren't any gimmicks but the whole thing was just done to a high standard and flowed beautifully.

Start late afternoon and no hanging about for photos, or big gaps.

I have been to over a hundred weddings (used to be a celebrant). The worst ones were those where the wedding was a tick box of whatever Weddings magazine guidance was at the time, those with a structure seem a bit old fashioned these days.

The best were those with personal touches, with heartfelt vows and speeches, stuff for kids to do, great music that the couple love, plenty of food, a mix of free drinks and pay bar, and ways to get guests to talk to each other.

Best wedding I went to was in Portugal. Distant family member. Gorgeous huge villa with beautiful grounds.

a number of recommendations where to stay to suit various budgets

mini bus transfers from these recommenddd hotels both to and from the venue, at various set times so options on arrival time and departure time

lots of canapés and set drinks during cocktail hour before the ceremony. Maybe there were 3 to 4 types of cocktails, ted/white wine, two types of soft drinks - so a selection but not a full bar. Enough that there was something for everyone

length of seating and shaded area during this interim period before ceremony

gorgeous outside seating area for ceremony. Music was one person playing guitar and singing.

simiiar set up for period after ceremony when photos were being taken.

lovely area for dinner, enough wait staff, we’d had a good selection of meals to choose from when we sent in rsvp

they chose fun music for when they walked into the dining hall (really set the tone)

afterwards there was a dessert buffet as well as the cake cutting, followed by disco. Shuttle service started after dinner as they thought for some people, the king day and heat may make it too long.

They were very attentive to what they thought guests may need and so it was a very enjoyable day. Did not seem to be any bridezilla moments.

Only down side was every groomsman made a speech , took an hour! Then came father of the bride who bizarrely made rambling “speech” thanked his girlfriend for being his girlfriend. Father of the bride made absolutely no contribution to wedding (nor financially in upbringing) and was invited on my to be polite.

My cousin’s was
pretty good (marriage only lasted three months but stil). As part of the invitation everyone was asked for a song they’d like to be played so there was a real mixture and it was all great .
the food was awesome too. There was a joint of meat on each table and you kind of helped yourself which meant there was very little leftover. The desserts were small and on a central high table for you to
take as, when and if you wanted.
it was fabulous!!

Great dancing music, plenty of tasty food (my favourite was a hot Buffet with bbq meats and loads of interesting, tasty salads), enough to drink, lots of good friends and family, fancy dress and props to break the ice (not a photobooth, just positioned on tables around the dancefloor so people can grab and have fun)