It feels great having guests fly over from different parts of the world to attend your big day. As a host, it is important that you make the most of this exclusive moment, and, in particular, take good care of these out-of-country guests and make them feel at home. There may be some who may be visiting India or attending Indian weddings for the very first time. You and your family must ensure that they do not feel left out or like outsiders. Here’s how you can take care of your international guests and make them feel ultra comfortable during your wedding-
10 Tips to Take Care of Your International Guests at Weddings
1. Send out the invitations well in time
Send the invitations a few months in advance, so that foreign guests have plenty of time to revert back and arrange their trip. Give them the best flight/travel routes you know of and, if needed, get them in touch with a local travel agent to ensure getting the best package deal.
2. Include a list of local attractions in the invite
Nothing could be better than attaching a list of local attractions in the wedding card which are meant for your international guests, especially those who have never been to India. It’s obvious that they would like to use this opportunity to explore the country a bit. With your list in the hand, they can plan their activities well in advance.
3. Invite them to your wedding website
That’s a pretty fabulous idea to make your out-of-country guests get accustomed with Indian wedding primarily. Create a website and put all the details of the wedding day-wise. So that when they land here, they won’t be flabbergasted by words and rituals like ‘haldi’, ‘mehendi’ ‘baraat’ or ‘sangeet’. You can also email them some links on this website which can help them understand these rituals better.
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4. Send them the complete wedding itinerary
This can be done either through your wedding website or through the invitations. Give invitees a clear idea about the date and time. This will not only help them getting prepared for the ceremonies without being late, but also let them plan something in between as they please. Make sure to mention the ceremony-wise venues as well. Otherwise, it can create a messy situation for all.
5. Arrange a welcome kit
They are travelling continents to be with you on your special day. It’d be a nice gesture of gratitude if you can arrange a welcome kit for international guests and greet them with it at the check-in point. If you are busy in some last-minute chores, make sure someone from your family receives foreign guests with the welcome kit and drops them to the hotel where they can rest. Include some ethnic Indian gifts in the kit to give their experience a desi touch. These items make great keepsakes too. You can gift some nice Indian soaps, energy snacks, map of the place and even Indian clothes for them if they are open to wearing those. It will help if they have a phone so they can call you.
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6. Email them a list of things they need to bring from their country
This includes a list of vaccinations, travel items like hand sanitizers, wipes, repellent creams and tablets for common illnesses. Tell the important dos and don’ts about traveling to India, colours they may/mayn’t wear to the ceremony and so on.
7. Pre-wedding meet-ups
Arrange for an interesting way to get your out-of-country friends and family members meet each other. Such a meet-up will help them know each other and be comfortable around. Make sure to introduce each of them to your friends and family. Let them relax and make friends before the big day.
8. Make special food arrangements if needed
Make sure you get good quality bottled water for the foreign guests and also ensure that their food is not too spicy. Ask them if they are comfortable with eating regular Indian fare; if not arrange to have some food delivered that is more suitable for their palates.
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9. Have one or two translators ready
A must! If you are having international guests who speak other languages than English, make sure you have one or more translators ready at their service. If some of your friends know some exotic languages which your guests speak, ask them to help you out by being the translator.
10. Arrange a post-wedding city tour
Book a car and arrange a city day tour for your international guests once it’s all done. You will be busy with your honeymoon, but get a cousin or friend to be their guide. This is indeed a nice way of saying ‘Thank you’!
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