Wedding Planning Advice

Over the past couple of weeks we have shared wedding planning advice from choosing your photographer, décor and flower consultation, choosing your videographer and wedding stationery, to tips for your catering consultation, music and entertainment, choosing your wedding dress and how to host the ultimate pre-wedding gathering. We really hope that you could benefit  from these tips!

Here are some of the most important tips for planning your perfect wedding day:

• Have a wedding coordinator. This would be first prize. Your wedding coordinator will ensure that all run smoothly during the set-up of your wedding and on the day. They will relieve your stress and you only have to focus on saying “I do”. Your wedding coordinator will ensure that service providers are on time, the venue is set-up and your guests are looked after.

• Have a supervisor on the day. Your supervisor can also get a programme of your wedding day and can ensure that everything is done. Most staffing companies include a supervisor in their quote. They will also make sure that service runs smoothly and is done in a timely manner.

• Brief all parties involved before the wedding. Do not neglect this step. Ensure you have wrap-up meetings with the florist, hair and make-up artist, photographer, caterer and venue. Provide all of them with a copy of your wedding programme so that they also know what is going on and what is expected of them.

• Make sure the set-up is done the day before the wedding. This will be ideal, if possible. Not all venues allow this and some have an additional charge, but this will help everyone involved to focus on more important things on the actual wedding day. Tables, chairs, cutlery, crockery, glassware, décor and furniture can be set-up the day before the wedding. The rest of the décor such as flowers and candles can be done on the wedding day, to ensure it looking fresh. Even candles should be set-up the day of the wedding, as these can start melting in the hot summer months.

• Have sufficient staff. Nothing makes you run around more than not having sufficient and well-trained staff. Make sure you use a reputable bar and staffing company, if this is not included in the venue hire. Well-trained staff can also save you money by being able to work more efficiently than untrained staff.

• Don’t get involed on the day – relax. This is vital for any bride. If your wedding is coordinated by you and your family, the bride can help with the final arrangements the day before the wedding, but get someone you can trust to make sure that everything is done on your behalf, on your special day. Weddings are emotional and stressful as it is the last thing you need is a bride that still has to run around getting the final touches done, while she should be relaxing and getting her hair and make-up done.

• Have a wedding programme.  This is my favourite. I will not host a wedding without a programme. This is a breakdown of what is happening next and who is responsible for what. This will include from the time the hiring gets delivered to the time the last guest leaves. You will need a few hours before the wedding day to compile it, but once you have a final programme, you can put someone in charge of this and they can make sure that everything is done right on schedule. Sure, things sometimes run late, but this will help keep track of what still has to happen.

•  Make sure someone cleans up and counts hiring.  Image the end of the evening and you haven’t booked the staff for long enough. Now you have to help clean up on your wedding night, when it could have been much better spent.

Article by Just Jack

Images courtesy of Zara-Zoo Exclusive Wedding Photography, Daniela Zondagh and Glee Photography.