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Want to ensure that your reception will be the one guests talk about for
days, weeks or possibly years to come? Then make sure the big day goes out with
a bang. Here are some creative ways to give them a goodbye to remember.
Hot pretzel stand. At a recent wedding, I walked out the door after
the reception and was greeted by a member of the site's catering staff
tending a grill. As guests waited for their cars to be retrieved, they were
offered a hot pretzel to munch on.
Bagels, cream cheese and the morning paper. If your Saturday night
wedding ends during the wee hours of the morning, treat guests to
breakfast-to-go. If they're not hungry enough to eat the bagels when they
get home, they will be after getting some shut-eye.
Adult goody bags. Who can forget the childhood memory of receiving
a goody bag at the end of a birthday party? For this particular bag, replace
the lollipops with breath mints and toss in a travel-size packet of Tylenol,
Advil and a roll of Tums (just in case someone had too many helpings of pigs
in a blanket during the cocktail hour).
Custom-made CD. Who says the party has to end after the DJ or band
plays its last tune? Keep guests entertained during their ride home with a
CD featuring the songs played throughout your reception. After the wedding
day, they can listen to it and recall fun times spent on the dance floor.
Bye-bye Miss American pie. Have your baker create mini versions of
your wedding cake for guests to take home and nibble on with a glass of milk
before bed or for breakfast the next morning with a cup of coffee.
A serenade for loved ones. As guests leave the reception, have a
guitar player, flutist, etc., stand outside the site and serenade them. It's
a goodbye they will be sure to remember. To make it even more personal, have
the musician ask the guests for requests.
Something for the out-of-towners. We've all heard of treating
out-of-town guests with a welcome basket in their hotel room, but what about
a thank-you basket placed in their rooms upon returning from your wedding?
This special touch will be sure to surprise even the most astute
out-of-towner. Or, have hotel management place a chocolate on their pillow,
along with a thank-you note from you and the groom.
Bottled water in galvanized tins. On their way out the door, guests
can grab a bottled water or soft drink to keep their thirst quenched during
the ride home.
Photo-op. The bride and groom aren't the only ones dressed to the
nines. Guests, too, don their best when attending a wedding. Hire a
photographer (in addition to the one shooting your wedding) to take
Polaroid's of each couple so they will have a memento they will cherish.
Everyone loves flowers. Ask the valet attendants to place a rose on
the dashboard of each guest's car with an attached thank-you note from you
and your groom. Coordinate the color of the rose with the colors of your
wedding.
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