Seven Easy Ways to Help Your Guests Find Your Remote Wedding Venue
Every wedding venue has its own unique set of challenges, but a property that's difficult to find can be especially problematic. For as beautiful as it is, how wonderful the staff may be, and how perfectly it complements your ideal big-day aesthetic, a wedding venue that's in a remote locale or hard for guests to locate can make planning the celebration complicated. To minimize the likelihood of your guests getting lost on their way to your wedding, you'll need to provide clear and concise directions, use noticeable landmarks, and you may even want to book private transportation.
Related: Things to Consider Before Choosing an Unconventional Wedding Venue
Give good, easily accessible directions.
Wedding planner Susan Dunne says, "Utilize your wedding website or add a directions enclosure to your invitation suite and give turn-by-turn directions to the venue." Especially for weddings in remote locations, your guests may not be able to rely on having a GPS signal, and these personally tried and tested directions are most reliable.
Include landmarks with your directions.
Dunne says, "Give whimsical or memorable landmarks to look out for. Include what the guests will see up ahead, where to turn, and let them know what landmarks they'll see if they've gone too far." An illustrated map as part of your invitation suite is a good way to achieve this.
Keep the wording minimal in your directions.
The best directions are always the clearest and most concise ones. Formatting for directions is usually easiest to follow in bullet-point format with the least amount of words possible while maintaining clarity. If you're concerned your directions may be flimsy, you might ask a friend to test the drive, according to your directions, prior to posting them.
Set up landmarks where they don't exist.
If there's a confusing intersection or entrance en route to your venue, you might consider setting up your own landmark on the day of the wedding. This could be as simple as a large a-frame sign with your wedding logo and directional arrow on it. Try to avoid balloons, which can easily become detached or deflated.
Don't forget about the return trip.
For those guests who will be relying on your landmarks for directions, you'll want to make sure they can be seen from both travel directions. If the same landmarks aren't visible, or the return trip follows a different route, you'll need to communicate this with guests so they can get home safely.
Be sure to mark the entrance in a bold way.
You can mark the wedding entrance by parking a vintage getaway car with "just married" written across the back window at the entryway, or bring in a welcoming floral installation, or a customized all-weather sign. Whatever you use to designate the entrance to your wedding should reflect your style and somehow incorporate your names or wedding logo so your guests know, without a doubt, that they're in the right place.
Consider booking shuttles.
The absolute easiest way to get guests to a remote wedding venue is to provide transportation. Dunne says, "If it's a remote destination with a lot of out-of-town guests, in a place with limited public transportation, always consider shuttle service. Many companies offer affordable shuttle service for small to large groups."
