Best bits of a wedding

[Teaplease29]

Posting here for traffic!
AIBU to want to know the best bests of everyone else's wedding? Or weddings you have attended?

Beginning to plan ours and want loads of great ideas and inspiration

Thank you!

Best bit of my wedding was having so many friends and family together for a great party. We didn't ever have so many family members together again, was actually the last time I saw a particular aunt well before she had a breakdown that led to to dementia. She danced with my sister in law, it's a lovely memory.

So really the stuff you need for a party, good people, good food, wine and music.

Picking a gorgeous dress was nice too.

If you can, open bar but post first dance. Then, DJ that is able to play music to match your generation.

Best in my view do not have hours of waiting around.
Good food and plentiful drinks
Sitting with people I know ( at least some)

Good food and plenty of it

As a guest, the ceildah and the chip butties at 9pm. The best weddings I have been to have been informal - one in a boat house on the beach, one with the aforementioned ceildah and chip butties.

As a bride, the lack of any guests bar our toddler

Wedding cake !

Best weddings I’ve been to have been super relaxed without hours of group photos...

Best weddings for me include no waiting around, very few pictures, local to most guests, good food, no two tier guests, no cash requests.

Food! It can be a long time between the service and the meal so put something on in-between that's a bit more filling than canapés!

Fun, relaxed weddings with plenty of food and drink.

One wedding I went to I loved. As you walked in, there was a notice telling you to sit wherever you wanted, as bride and groom loved us all, so no "sides" Then each bridesmaid walked down the aisle alone, before the bride and her father. It gave guests time to appreciate their dresses, their were eight in total.

Canapes and drinks served while photos were done, then a lovely meal, with short speeches.

Just a lovely day.

Good food and good music were the most important things for us so that was what we prioritised when setting the budget, we found a venue that was known for its food quality and did a tasting menu before committing so we could be sure, and went for a full live band. They’re the things that I look forward to most when attending a wedding too, I would obviously never make it known but am always so disappointed when I get served a soggy roast at a wedding or have to listen to a crap cheesy DJ. The evening food needs to be good too, have been to so many evening do’s where you just get served a bacon sandwich or something.

One of the best and most memorable for me was a marquee out the back of a pub, a buffet put together by family & friends, a bit of music (band and DJ friends of the couple). Incredibly relaxed and really really good fun.

best weddings for me were no waiting around (best wedding was where guests were sent off for drinks while photos of wedding party were done). As local as possible and not miles of travel between marriage venue and reception. I would rather be part of a wedding that offered me a sandwich and a sausage roll but included me for the whole event rather than an evening invite afterthought.

the best bit is catching up with friends and acquaintances
hate enforced mingling by table plan

I also prefer unfussy catering. Most formal, sit down meals I've had have been less good than well thought out buffets.

For me the best weddings have been the personal relaxed ones (despite most of these Inc my own having a church ceremony).
Generally ones with a relaxed vibe, games available and the personal touch which reflects the couple.

People enjoyed our wedding which was no paying bar with alcohol and soft drinks provided.
We had tapas boards and paella which worked really well and not too much waiting around and a photo booth set up.

Ceremony and reception all in one place. If not that then as close as possible with easy transport between the two.

As a guest, enjoyable weddings:

• do not keep you hanging about between service and the reception. If it’s unavoidable, then comfy seating and lots of canapes are a must. Sweetie table and photo booth go down well at this point.

• get the guest photos over with quicky.

• speeches between mains and pudding, so nobody is hungry and all can enjoy them.

• Finish at 11ish. The worst part of a wedding is when it goes on too long and the guests starts thinning, it gets rapidly less fun as those who are close to the happy couple (like bridesmaids) feel obliged to stay to the end and make polite conversation to strangers even though they’re utterly knackered and just want to go to bed (cough, personal experience!)

We supplied loads of food and had an outdoor space. Pretty much everybody spent their time chilling outside with pizzas and icecreams and chatting to their families.
We had outdoor toys, an air hockey table, kids were all occupied but not running riot under adults feet.

It was the best day ever.

Child free weddings that are truly child free.
Nice food.
Near/in nice area so can make a weekend out of it!

Ceremony and food are the best bits.

The worst bits - when everyone has to stand up to clap the bride and groom as they make their way to the table. Then listen to loads of boring speeches, and stand up and clap at the end. And then they give flowers to their new MILs and present gifts to various people and we all have to clap. The last wedding I went to we were up and down more than we were at the mass! Went on for hours!

No children
No excessive waiting round
Good food
Great DJ/band

I think most wedding days seem to go on forever and the worst bit is when there is a hiatus between the day and the evening. I love the ceremony itself but would quite happily never go to an evening reception again but I’m an old fart
Agree that the more informal the better and what makes it really enjoyable is when the couple are having a wonderful day themselves.

The ceremony without a doubt, all the fuzzies

Worst things; waiting around for bloody hours in high heels between service and food bit. Crap seating plans (all singles, lesser cared about family members, kids with older kids who have to babysit all day etc). Rubbish roast dinner food. Hours of dull speeches and in joke anecdotes. Best things; stuff to do while waiting. Free bar. Relaxed seating/mingling areas. Once went to a wedding in a zoo and you were taken on a tour in the boring middle bit and had glasses of pimms in the animal houses. Was brilliant. Another had each bridesmaid have a kitty to buy drinks for a group of guests so you got to know them and we're introduced around easily. Was really lovely. Another had a football match midway through in the lawn and loads of games to do. And obv needs a brilliant DJ who can cater for all generations and requests without getting huffy. Oh also being able to see a bit of the bride and groom makes it way nicer - went to close family members wedding who I barely saw all day as the whole thing was so formal and arranged fussy and overblown. Was pretty annoyed and many hundreds of £££ lighter after the accommodation, travel, clothes, gift etc etc. Grabby arseholes.