Here’s something I’ve noticed becoming increasingly common at weddings lately.
Guests arriving WAY too early!
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for being organised.
In fact, I’m one of those people who would much rather arrive early than risk being late, particularly if I’m travelling somewhere unfamiliar.
Because nobody wants to be that person sneaking into a wedding ceremony after it’s already started!
Picture this.
One half of the happy couple is walking down the aisle. The music’s playing. The atmosphere is perfect. Everyone’s caught up in this beautiful moment.
And then there’s you.
Standing awkwardly in the background with nowhere to hide because you couldn’t arrive on bloody time!
And congratulations, you’ve now earned yourself a permanent place in the wedding photos.
For all the wrong reasons!
But here’s something you might not have considered.
There’s actually such a thing as arriving TOO early.
There’s a Lot Happening Before You Arrive!
When you’re invited to a wedding, you generally only get to see the finished product.
The beautiful ceremony space. The flowers. The styling. The music. Everything looking absolutely incredible.
But what you don’t see is the amount of work happening behind the scenes to make it all come together.
Your celebrant, photographer, florist, stylist and venue staff are all working towards a carefully planned timeline.
And importantly, that timeline usually revolves around the scheduled guest arrival time, not the ceremony start time.
Here’s a perfect example.
You arrive at a wedding venue 45 minutes before the ceremony, and the florist is still arranging flowers.
You might think…
“Bloody hell, they’re cutting it fine!”
But here’s the thing.
They’re probably not cutting it fine at all.
In fact, particularly during Queensland’s warmer months, florists may deliberately leave certain arrangements until closer to guest arrival to ensure everything looks its absolute best when the ceremony begins.
Those beautiful flowers aren’t going to appreciate sitting in the blazing sun any longer than necessary!
And the same goes for the rest of the wedding team.
We’re not necessarily running behind.
You might just be running ahead!
It’s All About the Experience.
Here’s the other thing.
When guests arrive before the scheduled time, the venue and vendors might not yet be in a position to welcome them properly.
Staff could still be preparing the space, vendors might be finishing their setup, and everyone is focused on getting things ready.
Which means those early arrivals can sometimes be left wondering where to go, what to do or why everything doesn’t look quite finished.
And that’s not the experience anyone wants for their guests!
We want you arriving, feeling welcomed, looking around and thinking…
“Wow, now this is going to be a good day!”
And trust me, we’re working hard to make sure that’s exactly how it feels.
A Simple Little Tip for Couples
This is something I always encourage my couples to consider when preparing their wedding invitations.
Clearly communicate both the guest arrival time AND the ceremony start time.
For example:
“Please arrive from 2:30 pm for a 3:00 pm ceremony.”
And if you’d like to make it even clearer:
“We kindly ask guests not to arrive before 2:30 pm.”
That’s it!
Such a small detail, but it can make a huge difference to how smoothly everything comes together.
Early Is Good. Too Early? Not Always!
Look, I completely understand why guests like to allow themselves plenty of time.
And I’d certainly rather see everyone arrive safely and on time than have people rushing through the doors halfway through the ceremony.
But if you’ve allowed yourself a little extra travel time and arrive earlier than requested, there’s nothing wrong with grabbing a coffee nearby or enjoying a few extra minutes before heading into the venue.
Give the wedding team the opportunity to get everything looking bloody amazing before you arrive!
Because when it’s time to welcome you, we want everything ready to go.
Happy planning!
Ryan.
