Two Important Tips For Greeting Wedding Guests

It’s crucial to understand that your guests aren’t just there to fill up space; they are people who are part of your love story, history, family, and future. How you greet them isn’t just about etiquette and manners; it’s about showing you care and letting them know they are wanted, welcome, and chosen as part of a monumental day.

When you interact with guests, lead with authenticity, be genuine, and use words that show how grateful you indeed are. At a basic level, everything you tell your guests will revolve around telling them, "Hey, we’re so glad you came to celebrate one of our life’s biggest milestones with us. We see the effort you’ve put into being here today, and we’re grateful you’ve taken time out of your life for us.”

A personal touch goes a long way in all aspects of life, especially at weddings. The priority is making your guests feel warm and welcome in this intimate setting.

Tip 1: Identify the right time to greet your guests

All wedding ceremony schedules will be different, so there is no ‘one size fits all’ time to apply to every wedding, but you can take advantage of certain times throughout the wedding to greet guests. We’ve compiled a list of examples of times you could greet your guests, depending on which option applies to your wedding:

If you’re having a destination wedding, you may have a welcome party on one of the days before the wedding, during which everyone will arrive and get to know each other.

If it’s a local one-day event, taking photos during cocktail hour if they are finished by then is a great option. Otherwise, taking time out to circle during dinner is always a great option. It lets you keep things short and sweet while the other guests eat.

Tip 2: How to greet your guests

If you’re unsure of how you should greet your wedding guests, my first tip would be to take the path of not overthinking things and be genuine. Make eye contact when speaking, be happy (it’s your wedding!), and add a personal touch to anything you say. One great piece of life advice I’ve received when engaging with people in conversation is to make them feel like they are the only person who exists in that moment; it always goes a long way.

Something we get asked about a lot when it comes to greeting guests at a wedding is the protocol or etiquette on handshakes, hugs, etc. Ultimately, context and prior history generally take the lead here. If it’s your aunty you’ve been greeting with hugs since birth, just keep the same energy at your wedding. If you haven’t spent much time with the person, do whatever you find comfortable. Open with a handshake, start with the close-up wave gesture, or let your guest lead and allow things to happen naturally.