Think you're planning the perfect party? Not so fast. We know what guests really think about cash bars, waiting for the bridal party to arrive, late-night drinking, and seating arrangements. To spare your friends and family the kinds of things that make guests grit their teeth, some veteran wedding-goers graciously agreed to tell us what you need to know to make your wedding rave-worthy.

Receiving Line Traffic Jams

"I hate long receiving lines. I once went to a wedding with over 300 guests and I sat in the last row of the church. Therefore, I was also the last row to leave the church. I had to wait for more than an hour to get to the receiving line and to exit the church."
Blacksburg, VA

"I dread those receiving lines with about ten people in them, including the entire wedding party. I suppose it's great for the very few guests who know the bride and groom's families and all of their wedding party pals. But most of us just want to congratulate the couple and their parents. Unfortunately, you always get stuck making chitchat with a stranger in a bridesmaid dress who doesn't particularly care who you are, either, while the people in front of you hug the bride."
Sarasota, FL

We're Not Going to Maui Tomorrow

"My wife and I recently went to a wedding on a Sunday evening, and we had to be at work the next day. The ceremony was at 5 p.m., the reception wasn't until about 6:30, and dinner wasn't even served until 8. The meal was finished around 9:30, and most of the guests were not from the area where the wedding took place. We left before the reception was over, and still didn't make it home until midnight."
New York, NY

Shall We See a Movie?

"I don't like long pauses between the ceremony and reception, as it is terribly inconvenient for out-of-town guests."
Austin, TX

"If your ceremony ends at 5 p.m. and the reception starts at 6 p.m., you can assume that guests will be heading for the reception hall immediately following, so maybe it's best to book the location from 5:30 on. It's so awful to feel like an eager beaver and just be waiting in the reception hall lobby until the party officially 'begins.'"
Middletown, CT

A Little Mystery Never Hurt

"One thing I didn't like was seeing the bride before the ceremony. It was totally anticlimactic when she came down the aisle."
Brooklyn, NY

"I hate when people decorate the pews and altar in their church after guests are already seated. I have been to two weddings where I watched the attendants or friends attach flowers and bows to the pews and set up candles at the altar while all the seated guests watched. It looked so disorganized and informal."
Miami, FL

"I hate it when the bride and her dad or the bride and groom stop halfway down the aisle for a photo op."
Ann Arbor, MI

The Good News

"I really like it when a wedding is unique and doesn't follow a 'How To' manual. It leaves me feeling like I really experienced something, and will walk away with a memory."
Greensburg, PA

"I love being asked to take part in making a special guest book. I went to one wedding for which we were each mailed a page to write in and decorate however we wished, and then to bring to the wedding to be put in a book for the couple."
Seattle, WA

"The best weddings are the ones that make me cry during the ceremony. If I cry, I know I have been touched by the couple, and after that I am just really happy to be there sharing the whole event."
Philadelphia, PA

"I absolutely love the day-after-the-wedding brunch tradition. Nothing fancy is necessary, just a chance to see the happy couple and wish them well without all the fanfare of the wedding day."
Chicago, IL

"I love when the couple welcomes children to the wedding. It's the biggest family-oriented event of your life, and the kids of close family and friends should be there. It makes for a happier occasion."
New Fairfield, CT

"Nothing makes a wedding better than a bride and a groom who are smiling and clearly enjoying themselves. It's completely contagious."
Reading, PA