A Wedding Map! A Helpful Idea for Your Guests!
If you’re a crafty bride-to-be, you may want to order some wedding maps or create your own personalized map as a courtesy to your guests. A wedding map can go a long way towards ensuring everyone has a great time on your special day.
Include a map or written instructions to the ceremony and reception sites with your invitations. Maps are available from your wedding invitation stationer or online.
Here are 3 “invitation stationers” in the Greater Phoenix area that you might want too consider:
• Art Couture – Melody Salamo
• Y-Knot Party & Rentals – Ginia Lucas
• www.PaperCrazy.com/ – Joanie Guidry
If you are having your wedding maps printed be sure to add enough lead time so you can include them with your invitations. Order your invitations, personal stationery and notepaper at least 4 to 6 months before the wedding.
Should you choose to compose and print the map yourself, keep in mind that photocopies are not considered acceptable. A more appropriate option would be to create the map on your home computer and print it on a paper similar to your invitations. Maps can include clip art, driving directions, icons and fun facts.
You can use the popular WeddingMapper.com to help your guests get to the hotel, ceremony, and reception. Provide directions from multiple areas or cities, freeways, expressways, etc., so guests can choose the one closest to them. Another great idea is to add any nearby attractions, restaurants, bars, airport, etc., to your wedding map. Too many markers may be confusing. Pretend you are a designing a guide book and add only the most important attractions, letting people know why something was important enough to add to the map.
You may even want to add a link to MapQuest to help them navigate around town. Wedding maps are especially helpful to your guests if you are having a destination wedding. Most guests arriving from other cities are unfamiliar with the immediate area around the hotel.
They assist your out-of-town guests to become familiar with the area before they arrive. There are lots of Casinos in the Greater Phoenix area for those who like to take chances. Creating a map of your wedding and including some highlights of the area will give them ideas of what to do beside spending all their time just hanging out at the hotel.
Be sure to give your wedding map to your photographer, caterer, DJ, etc. so they can easily have directions to any number of places they need to go during your wedding.
Don’t look at your wedding map as a purely informative tool. This is a chance to tell your guests about that special place you are getting married and why you chose to get married there.
You may want to add a couple of photos. Nothing brings a wedding map to life like a photo of the ceremony location. It will add an extra dimension to your maps.
My new friend, Jim Hunt, does custom “Save the Date” maps and terrific Wedding maps! See some of his work at: http://www.ACartoonist.com/wedding.htm. The “Getting Married” cartoon at the top is one of his. Here is an example of his wedding map cartoons:
Snappymap.com will create a one of a kind map that features your wedding location, local attractions, and travel instructions. The map can be designed to match your invitations and can be as detailed as you like. The maps come printed and ready to guide your friends and family. When you order you can get a discount by using the promotion code: Larry James. Ask for Debbie Saul. Here is an example of SnappyMap.com’s whimsical wedding map!
Here are two more resources for information on wedding maps.
Read more about Wedding Maps: http://www.Getmarried.com
Read: How to Create a Wedding Map.
BONUS Link: Have cupid send your Wedding invitations (or any other romantic card) that bears a postmark from Loveland, CO 80537. This city is one of several cities that have a special name whose postmark can embellish your invitations with romance. For a complete list, go to: Special Postmarks.
Copyright © 2010 – Larry James. This idea is adapted from Larry’s Wedding Website. Larry James is a non-denominational minister and performs the most “Romantic” wedding ceremony you will find anywhere! Every wedding ceremony is customized to your complete satisfaction. Call to check availability: 480-998-9411 or 800-725-9223. You will find more than 445 pages of Wedding ideas, tips (90 tips and growing), ceremonies, and more at: http://www.celebrateintimateweddings.com. Check Larry’s availability.
Subscribe to Larry’s FREE monthly “LoveNotes for Lovers” eZINE. Contact: CelebrateIntimateWeddings.com, P.O. Box 12695, Scottsdale, AZ 85267-2695. – CelebrateIntimateWeddings.com
NOTE: All articles, “LoveNotes” and wedding tips listed in this Wedding BLOG – written by Larry James – are available for reprint in magazines, periodicals, newsletters, newspapers, eZINEs, on the Internet or on your own Website. Click here for details.
Add Larry James to your Facebook page: http://www.Facebook.com/larry.james
Follow Larry’s “once daily” Relationship Tweet at: http://www.Twitter.com/larryjames
Follow Larry’s “Relationship BLOG” at: http://CelebrateLove.wordpress.com/
Follow Larry’s “Networking BLOG” at: http://NetworkingHQ.wordpress.com
