Wedding Planning Tips

Having attended a number of weddings we'd like to think that you could benefit from our experience in terms of planning for your special day.  Like any event, the success is largely down to effective planning.   Here are a few tips we hope will help you.

1. Don't underestimate the logistics

Always give yourselves plenty of time on the day.  If you have a wedding with 70 guests you might think that getting them from your first venue to the second venue might take 20 minutes but you would be advised to add something onto this as the more people there are, the longer it takes.  Take into account also that you may have elderly family and friends who are not as mobile and you can only move things on as fast as your slowest guests.  Giving yourself time, also helps the day to flow and be relaxed and helps to account for any inevitable glitches which might happen on the day.

2.  Engage the support of others

The Best Man is a key to making the wedding day as smooth as possible.  The last thing you want to be doing is running around sorting out problems.  Make sure your helpers are fully briefed and know what they are there to do (look after you) on the day.  The Best Man is there in part to take the pressure off you, so make sure he is there on hand and is actively involved in the management of the day.  The bride may want to appoint a friend to attend to her dress or look after her make-up throughout the day.  Remember this is your day to be pampered and looked after and the one moment in your life when friends and others will be more than happy to help you.

3.  Keep to agreed timescales

If you have arranged to sit down for the wedding breakfast at 4:30pm and you are not ready, the venue will start to get worried as they have prepared food and want it to be served and consumed at the optimum time.  Similarly, keep an eye on the timings throughout the day as your guests will also get a little frutsrated if there are significant delays.

4.  Plan for contingencies

The British weather is notoriously changeable.  Ensure that you have considered what would happen if the weather was too wet.  An alternative venue for photos is important as you want the best results from this.  Without this your photographer is left with trying to make do with what is there.  Likewise if your day is set to be in the outdoors, think about the what if's.  Is there somewhere people can go if ther worst came to the worst.  It is always advisable to speak to your venue when thinking about this as they will have the right answers for you.

5.  Think about the season

It sounds obvious but if you are wearing a sleeveless wedding dress in early March, you are going to really struggle when you are standing around waiting to have your photo taken.  Standing in the cold for upwards of an hour is not fun in anyone's book.

6.  Check about venue restrictions

One thing that your photographer will need to know is whether any of your venues have restrictions on photography.  Flash photography may not be allowed during a ceremony for example, so it is always useful to find this out and let the photographer know in advance so they can account for this.