If you’re like most people, you want your wedding party to be a fun, cohesive group where everyone gets along, are well informed and helps out with some of the wedding tasks. More often than not, though, your wedding party consists of friends and family that are spread across the country. Not only that, many of your friends have never met. A sibling, a childhood friend and a couple of college buddies might all make up your wedding party. It’s difficult to expect that everyone will be comfortable together. This can make communication extremely challenging. Fortunately, there are solutions to make your wedding party communications easier.
Here are 7 tips for communicating with your wedding party:
- Start a private Facebook Group to Introduce everyone. If members of your wedding party have never met, it’s time for an introduction! Don’t wait until a few days before your wedding for everyone to meet. Instead, why not start a private Facebook group, and invite your wedding party to introduce themselves (and of course, everyone can check out each other’s Facebook profiles)? It can be a great way for you to keep everyone informed on wedding events and for the group to chat with each other. There is even a Facebook Group app that makes it really easy to stay up to date without having to be distracted by the rest of your Facebook feed.
- Facebook Messenger is great for group chats or for individual chats. It’s best for short chats that don’t require more in-depth responses. You can even use Messenger for group telephone calls!
- Have a group chat on Google Hangout. This is especially fun to do in the beginning. It’s a great way for everyone to say hello and put a face (and voice!) to the names. If it’s not possible to meet in person, this can be the next best thing!
- Create a VIP contact list. Make a list of all your wedding VIPs. Include their names and individual role in the wedding (e.g. Maid of Honor). You’ll also want to include contact information for each, such as an email address and cell phone number. This can serve as a handy, quick reference for you and for your VIP’s to contact each other (e.g. when the girls are planning your bridal shower with your mom). It’s especially useful to have a copy printed up on your wedding day. You might have all your contacts listed on your cell, but it’s unlikely everyone else will do the same.
- Use FaceTime or Skype for quick chats with individual members of your wedding party. When your friends don’t live close by, it’s always nice to see their faces! Not only is it great for keeping a close relationship, it’s also great to see your friend’s expressions. While emailing and chatting on the phone can serve a purpose, you can’t always pick up on the little nuances of expression. You know your friends better than anyone and you’ll likely pick up on when they don’t like something (even if they don’t tell you). If you get in a habit of using FaceTime, at least some of the time, you can hopefully steer clear of conflicts and misunderstanding.
- Use a free app like Doodle to ask group questions. It’s a great way to create polls and ask questions to get a group consensus without having to email back and forth. For example, if you and your wedding party are trying to decide on a good date for your bachelorette party, a quick poll might reveal a convenient date really easily. You can also do polls in Facebook Groups.
- Keep the lines of communication open. Great communication is the key to a happy wedding party. You and your partner are the common thread of your wedding party regardless of whether everyone knows each other or not. Your friends are there to support you and you to support them. Let your friends know how much you appreciate them. No matter what dynamics may arise between the group, you want to ensure your friendships with the individuals stay intact. Set the stage and encourage open and honest communication with everyone. If you’re doing your best to make sure everyone is happy, they’ll likely take your lead and work towards ensuring you’re happy as well.
Hopefully, with these tips, you and your wedding party will have an amazing wedding journey together! Tell me in the comments below, in what ways are you communicating with your wedding party?
Happy Planning!
Photo Credit: T.LAW Photography
Banff wedding planner and stylist, Naturally Chic, is available for mountain weddings anywhere in the Canadian Rockies. Contact hello@naturallychic.ca.