Extras at a wedding - what do you actually enjoy?

[Bridecilla]

Guests will be fed and watered. Not wanting to go mad with £££ that won't make a jot of difference.

We've booked a really good wedding DJ. Beer on tap.

Glitter bar? Photo booth??

Hovering with wine is a good idea. If they sell wine behind the bar then drinks tokens are also a good idea, but not having any wine at all just feels a bit unwelcoming. I realise not everyone drinks wine, but it is much more of a drink with food than gin or beer.

I think the main thing I like less about weddings as older is the length of them. Arrive early, ceremony, mingling with canapés, sit if dinner, speach, get chucked to the bar and then evening part.
I'd be quite happy to go home after the dinner. But it seems like that is never an official option and you feel bad wanting to leave "early" so try and work out minimum acceptable time (9pm)
Sneaking out seems rude too.
So invited that allow you to say " day time only" would be perfect to me.

I've just booked an amazing caricaturist and ditched the glitter lady!
2pm wedding.
2.30pm beer pump, pimms, elderflower presse, substantial canapes and caricaturist

Beer pong and garden games on the go

3.30 very quick speeches and toast

4 ish, rustic sharing platters, wine (I give in) and buffet dessert of homemade cakes and tray bakes

Beer pump, tea and coffee, elderflower presse still on the go

7pm night guests and dj - hopefully dancing in the barn.

Fire pits and outdoor heaters, blankets available

Either pie and peas or hog roast

Jury is still out on the marquee

Totally agree Burn, I have no interest in the ‘evening’ ... I honestly don’t think I have ever danced at a wedding ... or stayed until the end (what happens - do the bride and groom leave early ?). My own wedding was an afternoon reception ... and then people left, no need to hang around.

The best wedding I went to provided onsite childcare and children’s activities while the meal and speeches were happening. Children got a separate meal (choice of child’s portion of the wedding meal or child friendly alternative), children didn’t get bored and parents could enjoy the meal in peace. If I even plan a wedding, I’ll be including that.

The only kids will be 6, 9, 9 and 12

Don’t be daft, of course you need a marquee! What will you do if it’s raining or cold and windy ?

I’m assuming this is in the Uk.

@Cora there's an inside too, it's just not as nice as the barn

If you can afford it, a really good band who can play a variety of stuff that you can dance to.

Photobooth and a sweetie cart or table! Bacon sandwiches and chips at 9pm!

Food and lots of it.

The weddings I’ve really enjoyed have had things like

Fish & chips/bacon baps in the evening
A ceilidh
Roast dinner
Cheap drinks and soft drinks
Lots of seating
Somewhere outside the kids can play for a bit

The ones I have not enjoyed have had lots of waiting around. Tiny quantities of posh food. Nothing available for the kids/me when pregnant when we missed a meal due to ceremony/reception timings
Beef served that was so raw it was Still mooing (not good when pregnant)
Sweetie carts the kids wanted to raid before they’d had food or wanted to gorge on
20 million speeches
Activities

The huge and excellent food portions are what made us book the venue - accidentally when we went for lunch

We had a separate room with sofas and tea/coffee machines with biscuits. It meant people could escape for a bit if they wanted to.

Also, order more canapés then you think you need. There never seems to be enough and people end up like pigeons trying to get hold of what they can!

@Namechange the lady at our venue suggested a granny room

I'd love a granny room - even though I'm not a granny and would want wine not tea.

For the first time in years I've actually received a wedding invite (save the date) today - it's not until next year, my DH's godson.

Can I join you in the granny room ? Will it have comfortable chairs so I don’t have to perch on a hay bale in a freezing barn wearing a dress and high heels ?

I do like weddings but I find them very stressful as I’m gluten free and there’s almost no chance of getting much to eat at a buffer, I’m often left with lettuce and plain rice. All the food that actually might be gluten free is usually scoffed by the first few tables of people.

Labelling it doesn’t seem to help either. It gets eaten by the guests who have “ always wanted to try GF / vegetarian / vegan food “ .

If you take your own food, the hosts get offended and other guest think you are rude / weird. Of course I’m scared to have any alcohol on an empty stomach ( I’m a bit of a lightweight ) so it’s never much fun TBH.

Things that went down well at ours were colouring books for the children, a quieter room where anyone could get away from the music, a sweet cart (which was raised by the adults) and bacon or egg baps in the evening.

A big one for me is somewhere to sit during the drinks reception. So many assume everyone will stand but I have RA and it gets very painful for me after forty minutes or so

Raised? Raided

I would say I don't drink at all and loathe elderflower. If you can, have a choice of soft drink. I have had to drink water at several or in one case, leave to go to the supermarket and buy drinks

A bit of entertainment and nibbles while photos are taken. Last wedding I went to the brides friend sang for half an hour while mini cakes were handed out.

Plenty of food. Even more than you think you might need. I've been to a couple of weddings where there just wasn't enough and people ended up getting really pissed up. Plus I hate being hungry! Much rather that than some crappy photo booth.

I haven’t RTFT, but at a wedding I went to last year, the loos had been stocked with little kits of plasters, ibuprofen, antihistamines, tampons/towels, tissues, sun cream, plastic things to put on stilettos so you don’t sink in the grass, and probably more stuff I can’t remember. It was lovely and felt like they really cared that everyone should be having a good time and want for nothing! I wished I’d thought of it for mine.. there’s always someone who forgets something and it’s spoiling their enjoyment of the day.

Really don’t see the point of having a caricaturists they can only do one picture at a time so people get fed up waiting for their turn ,not really worth it. Spend the money on plenty of food /drinks for guests while waiting on bride/groom pictures as they can take a while, good idea to have seating for this too.
I thought I was the only one who prefers a DJ to a wedding band but seems I’m not, as long as they play good cheesy crowd pleasers! Being Scottish a bit of a ceilidh Dance too is a must!

Caricaturist is a mingler - he'll move round everyone straight after the ceremony for 3 hours

Drinks wise I know not all non drinkers will want elderflower but there's a really cheap bar too.

We went be going off for photos, my mam wants a couple of posed shots which we'll do but otherwise the photographer will just mingle too. I hate posed wedding photos.