While of course weddings are happy and joyous occasions—and usually associated with a big celebration to boot—they're also consistently rated among one of the top ten most stressful events of a person's life.

But it's no wonder. There is so much that goes into wedding planning leading up to the big day. And even the best-laid plans can fall into disarray as guests start arriving, checking into hotels, and shuttling around town.

One of the latest wedding trends making easier the lives of brides and grooms—and their guests—is wedding maps.

Including a custom wedding map on your wedding invitation or wedding event website is a great way to help organize your guests and help them—and you—enjoy your special day to the fullest.

Why Include a Wedding Map?

These days, weddings are big, expensive productions. Your wedding likely includes multiple locations and events, maybe even over the course of a few days.

If you've got people from coming out of town—or if you're having a destination wedding—your guests may want to know the local tourist attractions or best restaurants in the area. They may even need help getting to and from the airport, or from their hotels to your wedding venue.

Providing wedding map invitations is an easy way to point out your guests' important meeting locations. This could be for shuttles to and from the reception, or from the restaurant where you're having your post-wedding brunch, for example.

This way, they are not calling you in a panic when they can't find the church or reception hall.

A wedding map will also provide them with a plethora of activities to entertain themselves in the downtime. So you can focus on taking care of inevitable last-minute details—and on enjoying the day yourself!

Ways to Use a Wedding Map

There are many ways to use your map once you've decided to create one. Let's start with the most obvious:

In Your Invitation

Custom wedding map invitations are a great way to provide your guests with all the important location information they'll need right on the invitation itself. If you're already mailing out invitations, this is an easy add-on step.

You can hire an artist or graphic designer to create a stylized design to suit your wedding's aesthetic.

If you're looking for something simpler, you can use google maps to create a small thumbnail that you can include, either on the back of your printed invitation or as a separate insert.

Create an Interactive Map for Your Guests

Take it a step further by creating an interactive map for your guests using a wedding map creator. This is an excellent addition to a wedding website or digital invitation and provides a great benefit to your guests.

With these maps, guests can access all the key locations and times from their phones or computers. No more frantically digging around old mail in a panic, trying to remember where they put that darn invitation.

In addition, you can provide a curated list of sights to see, recommended restaurants and bars, as well as other activities to keep them occupied in between events.

For those traveling from out of town, you can also help them find accommodations close to your venue and information on transportation services. And if you're providing shuttles to and from events, you can mark pick-up locations and times so everyone shows up on time.

This is especially important if your venue is in a place with poor cell reception, or if the location isn't accurate or clear on commonly used GPS services like Google Maps. Providing specific instructions in an interactive map can save a lot of confusion and headache.

Interactive maps are easy to make and customize for your event. Check out this beautiful wedding map this couple created using Proxi for their Oregon wine country wedding.

Tell a Story

Beyond just being purely practical, a map for wedding invitations can also be used to tell your story—about you and your partner, and the unfolding of your unique love.

You can use Proxi's date and time feature to show the history of your relationship as the bride and groom. From where you and your partner grew up, to the events in life that led to your meeting, to where you shared your first kiss and finally popped the question.

Include your guests as well! You can have guests pin where they are from on your map, and make them feel a part of the saga.

After all, a wedding is also about your friends and family, and about all your loved ones celebrating and being a part of your story.

A Keepsake of Your Special Day

A custom wedding map isn't just for one day. A beautiful custom map can make a wonderful keepsake for you and your family to remember your special day.

Not only will it highlight the memories from the day's or weekend's events, but many couples choose to get their map framed to hang as a work of art in their homes.

Just another reason to take the time to design something beautiful—or hire someone to do it for you.

Get Started Making Wedding Maps

Wedding maps are a trend we hope sticks around. Pretty and practical, they just make sense. They keep your guests organized and entertained and can be used to tell a story, serving as a beautiful reminder of everything that took place during your wedding.

Make your special day seamless with a wedding map. Get started today using this free and easy template from Proxi.

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