Wedding Tips And Advice For Your Perfect Wedding

Wedding Tips And Advice Picked Up Along The Way For Your Perfect Wedding

Here are some great wedding tips and advice picked up along the way when helping hundreds of brides and grooms plan their perfect day – as well as playing all their favourite party tunes!

The BIG Picture

• Never forget it’s your wedding and that your wedding should reflect your own personal touches and tastes – let your personality come out in the day.
• It’s your wedding so do what you want to do and not what others think you should do!
• Pay attention to the items that really matter to you and your special day – people will forget those printed napkins – they will not forget the crappy DJ!

Save Money On Your Wedding

• You can choose your perfect venue and save about £1500.00 by choosing to not get married on a Saturday.

Avoid Wedding Stress

• Before you start planning any details sit down with your fiancé and decide on the top three things that are most important to you both. Then compare the items – are they the same (doubtful) or do you need to sit down and decide on these major items – small wedding / big wedding, church wedding / registry office wedding, wedding in the UK or wedding in Las Vegas? Then you have to take a deep breath and come up with a ‘solution’. Getting the importnat details sorted early on will save a lot of stress later on.
• Every couple will have one or two well meaning but overbearing friends or relatives who will be telling you what you should and should not be doing. Remember it is your special day and that there are no set rules to follow – you must stand your ground, thank them for there advice but firmly state your positions with the support of your partner.

Health

• Make sure you get plenty of sleep in the run up to your wedding – as the date gets nearer things are soooo exciting it might be hard to catch up.
• Get your beauty sleep the night before your big day – get tucked up warm early the night before and rise and shine early to enjoy your wonderful day.
• Make a point of drinking plenty of water in the weeks running up to your wedding – it will help keep your skin in great condition – a gallon the day before is not going to help!
• No heavy drinking the night before – a glass or two is fine but you do not want to be under the weather for a great party the following day!
• Make sure you have a good breakfast – at most weddings there is no such thing as lunchtime – don’t get hangry!

Planning

• Try and get as clear picture of what you want your wedding to be like – it will reduce the distractions that will be all around as you look in to the details
• Set a budget, with a contingency sum in it, and portion that budget to the various areas of expense, and try to stick to it – easier to say than actually do.
  If you have money left over in your budget you can always add in more ‘stuff’ – it’s a lot more painful to remove items that you cannot afford.
• Keep a list and keep it up to date. It will save you a lot of stress having to remember things – why? – because it is on your list.
• Get as much help as you can – many hands make light work of a big task. If you can have one main person to lean on throughout the wedding planning and on the day, they can help you overcome any road bumps along the way.
• Get as much done as soon as you can – there is always something that will come up in the last minute that will require your urgent attention
• Set up some Pinterest Mood Boards for the important elements of your wedding with pictures of what you like, to show to the florist, cake maker, room decorator etc – as a picture is better than a thousand words (except if you want to rank a website on Google!). Be aware though, those flowers may only be available for 6 weeks in November from Peru, but seeing the type of thing you are after, helps the florist to come up with ideas and suggestions to bring your dream wedding to life.
• Our wedding reception planner pack with will provide you all the help you need to plan your perfect wedding reception entertainment – more details here:- http://www.jmfdisco.co.uk/weddings/weddings.html

Wedding Guest List

• Avoid wedding guest list bloat – with every guest you add you are adding more cost and making it less intimate. Make a list and reduce it by 20%, then reduce it by another 10% and see if you are happy with it.

Wedding Gifts

• If you have been living together as a couple for some time you might not want wedding gifts – why not ask for wedding help rather than wedding gifts. If Aunty Joan is good at making cakes she could make your wedding cake rather than give to another toaster. Ask family and friends for help or services that align with their talents – mmm right what are you going to use Bob’s forklift truck for!!

Wedding Invitations

• If you have a good quality printer, why not print your own to save some  money. Blank invitation cards are available at stationers – why not make them unique and save few pounds.

Wedding Fairs

• Pop along to local wedding fairs, pick up a free goody bag and eat some free cake. Wedding fairs area good opportunity to visit potential wedding venues and meet weeding suppliers and services.
• Wedding fairs may be arranged by the venue themselves or the venue may of been hired by a company that run wedding fairs.
• If arrange by the venue themselves they will most probably be attended by their recommended suppliers, however do not feel pressured in to having to use one of their recommended suppliers, however you need to find someone you are happy to work with to suit your own particular requirements.
• Some wedding venues have ‘agreements’ in place with recommended suppliers.

Choosing Your Wedding Venue(s)

• Is it available on your chosen date? No point in checking out a venue if it is not available on your chosen date. You may set your date according to your favourite venues availability.
• The earlier you start looking and booking the more likely you are to get your chosen venue – the same goes with your wedding DJ and other services – if you snooze you loose.
• If you choose a wedding venue that can accommodative your wedding ceremony and your wedding reception, this will save on time (the day will go very quickly) and costs involved in moving from one venue to another.
• Check with venues what you are are are not allowed to do with regard to decorations, suppliers etc. Some venue do not allow you to decorate the room, in some venues you have to use a certain outside bar supplier – what you can and cannot do varies tremendously so make sure you ask.

Choosing Your Wedding Photographer

• Research is vital  – find a photographer that matches what you are looking for, their artistic style and make sure they are in line with what you want. Look for consistency in their photos and the the creativity angle that you are looking for – you want creativity if that is your thing.
• Look for consistency in their photos and the the creativity angle that you are looking for – you want creativity if that is your thing.
• See if your photographer will do a freebie engagement shoot session to get a better feel for their style and get to know your photographer better. If you are not meshing on your wedding day it sucks! A engagement shoot also allows you to go to places that you cannot on your wedding day.
• Ensure they allow for meeting you a few days before your wedding, to go through a ‘firm’ timeline of your day, so that they can help your day run smoother. It makes sure you are both on the same page and confirms what you want out of the day. Photographers can cause the first course of your meal to be served up late!

Wedding Dress

• You may already have an idea of how you want your wedding dress to look, but have a look around and try some on – you may change your mind!
• If you are open to ideas with regard to your wedding dress, visit a few bridal shops and try some on. Experienced bridal shop staff will provide you with great advice on styles and colours that suit you.
• Getting the right wedding dress is vitally import to most brides, however many wedding gowns are not ideal for dancing the night away in – on the crowded dance floor they get trodden on, they sweep up (and absorb) everything that is on the floor, holding a long train over your arm all night is tiresome and awkward, and the hooks or loops designed to hold them up at the back are not infallible – no matter what the lady in the bridal shop says. If you can afford it, a second shorter dress to change in to, to dance the night away is highly recommended.
• You will need three pairs of shoes – those to get ready in, those for the ceremony and those for dancing. You’ll want to break in those shoes before you walk them down the isle.

Bridal hair and make-up

• Beware of tanning up for your wedding – tan lines are unsightly in wedding photos in my opinion.
• Beware of fake tanning – you know when you have been tango’d! Fake tans and sprays can rub off on white wedding dresses. Ask your make up artist to bring out your natural colour with a touch of bronzer or blush [I’m just a male DJ so this area is above my pay grade to be honest – I have no idea of what other war paint tricks they have!! I know what looks good but how they do it is a mystery to me!!].

Catering For Your Wedding

• If you are arranging your own catering, either by hiring in professionals or doing it yourself, save some money by getting friends together and making your own desserts – you’ll enjoy doing together as well!

Wedding Table Plan

• Having a wedding reception table seating is a great idea to let your guests know where they are sitting – make sure it is erected in a prominent place with room around it for people to gather.
• Here are some great creative ideas for your table plan

Wedding Table Layout

• Traditionally the Top Table will seat 8 guests, the groom sits on the brides right hand side, with the brides parents and maid of honour on the brides side, and the grooms parents and best man on the grooms side – but don’t be afraid to go against the ‘rules’
• Some brides and grooms opt for a sweetheart table – a sweetheart table is a way for brides and grooms to enjoy their reception with a special spot just for themselves – a special table set for two. They can highlight your own unique style and embrace the theme of the reception in an exclusive way. A sweetheart table can make it easier for brides and grooms to circulate around the room to talk with their guest.
• When laying out a top table make sure there is plenty of room between the table and any wall behind it – this enables the bride with a wide wedding dress to pass elegantly behind the seated top table guests without scrunching up her dress and forcing her to shuffle along sideways.

Decorations

• Hand made decorations are great for adding that personal touch to you wedding – but make sure you have plenty of time to do them.
• Check with your venue on what you are and not allowed to decorate the room with – in many village halls nearly anything goes, some 4 star hotels are less accommodating.

Wedding Flowers

• Instead of spending boatloads of money on fresh flowers that will die shortly after the reception – keep it simple and elegant with less.
• If you are having flower centrepieces for the tables – give them to one of the guests on that table to take home – spread the colour and joy that flowers can bring

Displaying Photos At Your Wedding Reception

• Displaying photos at your wedding reception is not only a fun way to inform guests about your past while celebrating your future, but it also makes for easy and affordable wedding décor.
  Here are 29 creative ways to display your photos:- http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/389744/creative-ways-display-photos-your-wedding

Wedding Flip Flops

• Ladies love to go out and buy new high heels for weddings to make their legs look longer and sexier – however a day of heels can be too much and they can be impractical for country weddings. However the heels will be quickly kicked off when the dancing starts (I always wondered by ‘my’ brides got shorter as the night went on!), so providing a box of various sized flip flops will be most welcome by the ladies to avoid walking on a sticky beer covered dance floor or on the gravel paths when wandering outside for some fresh air or to use the portaloo toilets.

Timings On Your Wedding Day

• Timings on your wedding day will flex, no matter how well planned you intend it to be, something will alter the timings – do not get stressed over it.
• If there is only a short time period between your wedding ceremony and the start of your wedding reception meal, or daylight will disappear shortly after your ceremony and you must have those out door shots, consider a ‘First Look’ photo session. The bride and groom can meet before the wedding ceremony for a session with your photographer – these shot can be the most emotional shots of the day.
• If you leave your cake cutting ceremony till the evening, your evening guests will have chance to enjoy this moment as well – if have you have spent a lot of money on your cake why not let the most people see it before you cut it?

On The Day

• Task someone with making sure you have something to eat in the morning – you may well forget.
• Try not to be too nervous – it is an exciting day to look forward to, you are marrying your best friend and everyone around you will be supporting you.
• Enjoy the day – let everything go as you have done all the planning required, now it’s time to enjoy the day you have planned. If something goes wrong, let it go because most probably the only person that will notice is you.
• Get someone to hold on to your phone for the day and they can field off the texts you will receive, they can let you know about important ones and you can have a lovely day.
• Have some body tape or double sided tape in your wedding emergency kit – a bridesmaids nip slip in the photos can be embarrassing.

Memories

• The day will go past in a flash – take time out together to take it all in.
• Do not skimp on your photographer, videographer or wedding rings – these will keep your wedding alive in your memory.
• Getting your wedding filmed will enable you to look back on the day over and over again, and see other things that happened while you were busy elsewhere.

Speeches

• Do not make them too long, if you are nervous or not used to making speeches
• Check to make sure that the Father of The Bride, Grooms, Best Mans, and the Brides own speech do not over lap and cover the same topic – hearing the same anecdote twice is not that funny
• If speakers are nervous, get the speeches over and done with early on or at the start of the meal – no one will enjoy their meal worrying about a speech that is looming up!

Gifts from the Bride and Groom

• Although considered customary to give gifts to the Best Man and Bridemaids, it’s not really necessary – a special thank you note and a kiss or handshake is all that is needed, particularly if these usually close friends know that you are having to be careful with the budget.

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I hope you found these Wedding Tips And Advice Picked Up Along The Way For Your Perfect Wedding helpful – check back soon for an update – these are being added to all the time – everyday is a school day for us as we aim to improve the Wedding DJ service and help that we offer.