Six years after my wedding, I got a phone call from a guest thanking me for my wedding. I've had many people say it was the best wedding they'd ever been to. They'd been to another wedding and couldn't help but compare their experience. It's a natural thing people do. When your guests compare your wedding to others, you can be sure yours is unforgettable (in a good way), if you do one simple thing: plan your wedding around your guests, not around your pictures.

Too many brides plan their weddings to look to their guests and nothing to their other senses. What will your wedding taste like? Feel like? Will it be energetic or somber? Fun or boring? Inconvenient or easy? The following suggestions are either free or low cost ways to make your wedding unforgettable, in all good ways.

Small details like appropriate toiletries in the bathrooms your guests will be using make a real difference for your guests. Accidents with dresses can make or break a woman's night, so be sure to have everything needed: tampons, pads, pins, a small sewing kit. Breath mints are also appreciated. Put them all in a basket with a cloth or ribbon matching your color theme. It is the small details that cost so little that means so much to your guests.

Making sure there is easy parking or valet services also make a real impression. Your wedding is for you and your new spouse, but your guests are the ones who can make it memorable.

Make sure you taste everything your guest will eat before you have it served to them. I wanted a cake coated with marzipan so that it looked perfect. Instead we went with fresh whipped cream and fresh strawberries instead and our guests loved us for it. It was still picture perfect, and tasted great to boot. Wedding cake is notoriously disgusting, so make sure it's as sweet as your union.

If you must take pictures after the wedding, either make it short, or have something for your guests to do while they wait on you. A cocktail hour with hors devours makes everyone happy. I once went to a beautiful wedding where most of the guests left as soon as the garter was tossed. They got tired of waiting, tired of bad food, tired of sitting down watching the wedding party have a good time. It was beautiful, but it sucked for everyone on the guest list.

Make sure your music is appropriate for the guests you invite, not just the music you enjoy. Sometimes you might want a band, but a DJ would have a wider selection to make everyone happy. I had a band and a DJ. While this may seem like an expensive option, my brother's band played for free. You might know some band members that could give you a big discount, since they wouldn't be playing for the entire reception.

Rethink the receiving line. While it is totally expected, it is also a huge waste of time for most of the people involved. Rethink letting well-wishers take the mike. Mingling at the cocktail hour and dancing the night away is much more fun for everyone than standing in line and sitting down listening to yet another speech.

The first step to having an unforgettable wedding is to put yourself in your guests shoes.

Learn more about this author, Christopher King.
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