There are tons of testimonials we’ve heard from wedding guests about favorite big and ‘’little things'' that just kicked their overall guest experience up a notch at nuptials they’ve attended in years passed — and we loveeee being able to catalog them away for best-kept-secret posts to help our Wedding Chicks couples! I actually have one of my very own to share today, and I’m psyched to be able to give you the details on a company and ready-for-your-aisle app you’ll be SO glad you included in your wedding. Do you know what a custom wedding map is and/or have you considered it for your big day? If not, you’ll need to download HipMaps on the app store right. now.
Truth be told, I’ve only been to Philadelphia two or three times in my life, and one of the times was for a middle school field trip that took us directly to The Franklin Institute and straight back (without the souvenir keychain from the gift store, I wouldn’t have a single tangible reminder of the trip). But one of my best friends got married in the City of Brotherly Love in September 2018, and as immense as the city felt, the weekend felt smaller, more personal, and more familiar, in the best way possible.
And they did that with a simple bulletin enclosed in their wedding weekend welcome bags. On the sheet, my friend and her soon-to-be husband included a note of gratitude at the top, thanking all of their friends and family for making the trip out to witness their vows and share in the memorable occasion. Beneath it, they bulleted out a number of landmarks and hotspots in close proximity to our hotel and the wedding venue — places they loved, places that meant something special to their relationship, and places they wanted their nearest and dearest in life to experience while we were in town for just a few short days. If memory serves me right, there were a few coffee shops, an old-school ice cream and collectible candy store, a vintage record place, a couple of picturesque parks, among others. And even though I was in the wedding party (AKA occupied for a majority of the weekend), in the time that spanned from our arrival through our departure, we were able to hit up at least two or three of the highlighted haunts.
• It’s an innovative, memorable, and useful takeaway to include for your guests in their welcome bags — providing a great connection to you and where you’ll be making things official. After all, you chose your wedding whereabouts for a particular reason (possibly even multiple!), so why not let your guests in on all the things and places you fell in love with?
• It’s a personal map for you to share your recommendations of restaurants, breweries/wineries, boutiques, hikes/walks, places that are special to you both and also unique to the area
• It’s 100% customizable – so you decide what to include and what to say about each place, and all the colors, fonts, and styles woven into your map are inspired by the groundwork (invitations, website, etc.) you’ve already laid
• It’s great for destination weddings and local weddings with out-of-town guests, alike. Share your master map using HipMaps’ unique free app and your guests can see their location in actual context. They can also read your personally-curated comments about each place and get directions (that interactive/map-enabled function is clutch!) - so, they’ll have fun the whole time they’re in town for your wedding
• It’s also a perfect way to map out your specific event logistics (like where your rehearsal dinner might be, where the ceremony and celebration spaces are set for, if there’s a location for a post-wedding sendoff brunch, etc.) to get everyone to the right place at the right time. We’re thinking of your wedding party right now…
“This is amazing! We’re so excited to share it with our guests!” ~Jule & Andrew
“I have been planning weddings for 15 years and I’ve never seen anything like this, it is fantastic! HipMaps is filling a gap that we have unsuccessfully been trying to patch together, I love it and I know my couples & their guests will too.” ~S.H., Wedding Planner
Enjoy 20 percent off your HipMaps wedding map with the promo code “WEDCHICKS” at checkout (order must be placed by May 31st 2022). Learn more about how to work HipMaps into your wedding and even watch a demo of their one-of-a-kind app.