5 Ways to Personalize Your Wedding for Your Guests

by Anna Price Olson
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Anna Price is a senior editor at Brides. She manages the brand's real weddings and covers planning and decor content.
Updated 03/31/18

Photo by Jose Villa

True, your wedding day is about you and your partner, but what about the other 200 people in attendance? They're important and special to you—after all, they're the loved ones (friends, family members, co-workers) you hand-selected to spend this milestone moment with. These are the people who have watched your relationship grow, who will witness your marriage, and who will be a part of your life for years to come (if they weren't, you probably wouldn't have asked them to spend arguably the most important day of your life with you). Basically, those 200 extra seats belong to the people who are part of your journey, your relationship, and your life. So here's an idea: make them part of your wedding as well!

So how exactly do you make every single person feel included in your big day? That sounds like a tall order, right? Sure, it does, but if you think ahead and plan accordingly, you can achieve this task in small but thoughtful ways. Case in point: the five examples below. Each is thoughtful, personalized, and, most importantly, aesthetically pleasing to your wedding's overall design. From tiny lapel pins personalized to guests' favorite hobbies to hand-drawn portraits and photos of favorite memories, these custom details are guaranteed to make every single guest feel a part of your special day.

We encourage you to scroll on for more innovative ideas—you have some seriously creative real couples to thank for the inspiration—to find one that you love. And trust us, your guests will love it, too. Seriously, they'll be blown away that you thought of someone else on your special day, and they may even call you the most thoughtful bride ever (which, in our eyes, is the biggest compliment).

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Illustrated Escort Cards

Photo by Jose Villa; Planning by Firefly Events; Illustrations by Karina Puente Arts

In lieu of traditional escort cards, this creative couple came up with something original: personalized portraits! “We had a portrait drawn of each guest with their table number on the back,” says Kailen, who submitted each picture to the artist, Karina Puente Arts International. They were hung on a large board during cocktail hour, and someone was there to wrap each drawing—accompanied by a triangular nail for future hanging—and send it home with each guest.

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Thank You Notes

Photo by Simply Sarah Photography

Here's a novel idea: thank your guests with good, old fashioned thank you notes! We like the idea of pairing these with the escort cards (as shown here) or at individual place settings. Of course, personalize the letters so you can tell every person what they mean to you and how grateful you are to have them there.

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Lapel Pins

Photo by Clark Brewer Photography

Make like this bride and groom, who attached mini lapel pins to their escort cards. Get creative and personalize these to your friends' hobbies—think mini guitars for the musically-inclined, novels for the intellectual thinkers, and stilettos for the fashionistas.

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Custom Cocktails

Photo by Greer Gattuso; Cocktail by The Grand Bevy

Cocktail companies like The Grand Bevy can create custom drinks featuring anything you want, meaning you can literally take your signature cocktail to the next level. We suggest tailoring each drink to each guest by adding his or her name, initials, or face (yes really!) in foam. And, yes, everything in the glass is pretty, personalized, and edible.

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Polaroid Pictures

Photo by Larissa Cleveland Photography

For a DIY take on idea number one, find pictures of friends on social media and simply print them in black and white for a cohesive look. Your guests will love searching for their faces and remembering specific memories (and maybe some with you) as they look for their table assignments.

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