What is your best wedding tip?

[PlaymobilPirate]

Booked our wedding a few weeks ago for July. Registrar and venue sorted but nothing else!

Don't feel pressured into doing things just because they are what everyone does. We didn't want to do a first dance (or any dancing for that matter) so we had a jazz band for the evening and pool, darts, giant jenga etc plus an open terrace for people to go outside (June wedding = light evening).

We didn't want a video as we would have felt self-conscious, so that was off the list too. Do get a professional photographer but don't break the bank, our photos were great but no one ever looks at them and they were expensive.

I’m with @AlwaysCheddar. I think spending significant money on a photographer is mad. It’s a lot of money to shell out for a virtually unlooked-at souvenir.

Ignore people who say it impossible to get drunk on your wedding day..you really can.

Dont spend a fortune. Every wedding i have been to that cost a fortune has been boring and the B&G have split within 2 years. My neighbours Daughters wedding cost £24K not including the rings or the Honeymoon and the family holiday for them and the children they already had. Less than a year later they split because they didnt have a penny to their names.
Best wedding i ever went to was a no frills knees up in the couples garden that backed on to the beach, 2 decades later they are still together and everyone still talks about it being the best wedding ever

Spend your money on your guests, then being happily fed and watered will add much more to the day than more flowers/chair covers/any other little extras will.

Hire a really good band for the evening.
Make sure that the food is excellent.
Be as generous as you can with drinks- wine with the meal, money behind the bar, a toast etc gets the party going.
That's the guests sorted. Then make the rest about you two - have a few personal touches that show your personalities.

Go round, together or singly. And make sure you talk to everyone. Thank them for coming, have a chat.

Have enough food and don’t take forever on the photos.

Enjoy it.

I wish we’d not had the photographer and spent more on booze and food.

We’ve hardly ever looked at the real photos. The best ones are those taken by friends.

don't get into any debt for a fancy wedding and remember the fun you can have in your future life with the sort of money you might shell out for just one day. No one cares about favours so don't buy them.

Bridesmaids - I didn't have any, but time and again I hear about people falling out because the bride and the bridesmaid/s have different expectations of what being a BM involves, so please spell out if you're just going to give them a dress and have them turn up on the day, or if you expect them to drop everything and come with you for every single shopping appointment and to do loads of planning with you. (And if you expect the latter, make sure it's someone whose life circumstances and job allow for that).

Although it's "your" day it's actually a day for all of your guests, so put their enjoyment first. If you're spending 10k on flowers and a string quartet but people have to put their hand in their pocket to get a drink then this is what they'll remember. Make sure everyone is fed, watered and entertained and you'll all have fun

Get your photographer and make up person booked ASAP, they tend to book up months in advance. Enjoy the planning! It all goes by so quickly

Get disposable cameras and leave them on all the tables and in the ceremony room for guests to use. We did this and the pictures are amazing and some hilarious! We had the best time sitting going thru them all

Remember it’s the marriage that really counts the wedding is just the fancy bit.

Do not go in to debt.

We had dc at our wedding, there were four small ones around 5 years old and we had a craft table for them which they loved. Their all about 25 now!

We had a large photo of us as dc above the table plan. We joined our family trees together at the wedding and got people to sign next to their names. We had spent a year researching and had done quite well, back to the 1700’s on one branch of mine. Discovered DH Huguenot background in more detail and how others had fled Ireland during the famine.

Relax and try to enjoy it. It doesn't have to be a Hollywood film, it's a lovely day with family and friends. And accept that something will go wrong but you can still have a wonderful day.

There is a correct way to hold a bouquet. With a relaxed arm down by your waist/abdomen.

Not with an uptight springy arm holding flowers under your chin / by your boobs.

Google images brides holding their bouquets and you will see how much better they look when they get it right.

Wrong:

Right:

If you are using a florist make sure they completely understand what you want ... too many tales of them actually replacing the flowers requested with other flowers ... and on the day too late to really take them to task or return.

Amazing tips! Thanks so much... I'm making notes! Barely anything booked yet but roughly:
*3pm wedding in an open barn 14 miles from town
*Mini buses on from town for guests (need to work put if we can afford to pay or whether we'd ask guests to)
*taxi for us
*canapes straight after the wedding
*informal pics, none staged. Taken by a friend with a decent camera
*sharing platters of local meats, herbs potatoes, salads etc at maybe 4.15ish? Hopefully served in the barn (july)
*dessert buffet
*evening guests at 7.30 (same dilemma with mini busses)
*dancing in the barn
*9 ish hog roast and cheese / crackers (having a cheese wedding cake)
*Indoors available

Don’t get drunk so you can remember it all later as the day will fly by. Tell guests what time they should expect food so they can plan not to be hungry around that - remember to have fun, congratulations

Speeches AFTER the meal!!

You need more dinner food than that. And what about vegetarians? At least have bread rolls, butter, big vegetable tarts/veggie quiches on the table as well. You DO NOT want people being drunk amd hungry! And you can't ask them to pay for the minibus. You choose an inaccessible venue, you foot the travelling cost.

Sharing platters are massive and per table rather than buffet - so like a meal you'd serve with family around the table if that makes sense!

Mini bus would be around £5 per person

informal pics, none staged. Taken by a friend with a decent camera

I’ve been that friend. It’s a lot of pressure. Get a professional

• they’ll have a decent camera and a back up camera, battery packs, flashes etc
• they’ll have a back up person/contacts if anything happens to them before the wedding (the photographer who did DSis’ wedding suffered an unexpected major bereavement the day before, but had the contacts to find himself a replacement at very short notice)
• they’ll have some credibility, rather than trying to ask their mates to step to one side, just move that glass... (even informal photos sometimes need a bit of setting up)

-they’ll have an idea of the types of shots you want

• they won’t also be trying to enjoy your wedding, catch up with great aunts, snog the bridesmaid...
• they’ll dedicate time to sorting and processing, uploading your pics, photoshopping out lampposts growing out of people’s heads etc , because it’s their job, they won’t be trying to fit it around their actual job
• you’ll have comeback if it all goes tits up

By all means ask a friend with a decent camera, but don’t rely on them.