The Invitations

The more lead time you can give your guests, the more likely they will be able to attend the party. Sending out your invitations one or two weeks ahead of time is normal, but be sure to keep everyone updated on plans and locations as the date draws near. This reminds them where they need to be, and helps keep enthusiasm up. If you are asking for anything special from your wedding guests (i.e. all guests must wear only white clothing) they will need time to get things together.

When making invitations, you can send an in-game email. Or you can get creative and have a crafter make an item such as an armor plate or even a mouse droid with the details incorporated into the title! If you do send an email, be sure to attach a waypoint to make sure that your invitees can find you. Name the waypoint with the time of the ceremony. This will also act as a reminder.

Once you announce a date, it is important to stick with it. For example, one player had to change the date of a wedding due to some minor ISP problems (aka Hurricane Isabel). It messed up the plans of many attendees and became a major headache reorganizing all of the guests and entertainment.

Consider the time zones of some of your attendees. Having a weekday event at 6pm EST makes it hard for your West Coast friends in the United States to attend since many of them will still be at work. Similar time restrictions may apply to European players. All you can do is try to find a good middle ground, perhaps on a weekend, where a majority of players can attend. You will most likely not be able to find a time when everyone can make it, so just do your best. Giving enough advanced warning will help.

See the next section: The Ceremony.