Planning your wedding can be tough work and knowing how everything is going to pan out is a bit of a mystery. From my experience in photographing weddings, they don’t all tend to run to plan, most of the time they run a little late. That’s no bad thing - this is usually because you are having so much fun the time suddenly goes!
It’s very different organising your own wedding from being a guest at many others.
Here are a few insider tips on how you can ensure it runs as smoothly as possible.
Talk to the professionals
When you book your suppliers ask them how weddings tend to run. Some suppliers will need to know your agenda back to front, others need to know front to back. If you’ve never organised a wedding before - how do you know what order things are meant to happen?
Your photographer / videographer are the most likely people that will know how the day tends to run. Ask them what other people do and what order they work in. Remember every wedding is different so don’t feel you need to go to the same plan as everyone else.
Generally weddings follow a certain order of events but it doesn’t mean you have to!
Entertainment at the Reception
As soon as you’re married, you tend to have your photographs taken which can take up to 1 hour. At this point it is a really great idea to give your guests something to do to keep them entertained. We find at this point a photo booth works really well as your guests get lost in the world of funny photos! They dress up with props and bond with one another as the attraction creates intrigue.
Once more we discovered when there is a member of the team with the booth, it adds even more fun as the guests have someone to interact with and feel much less awkward being the first to try.
Trust your suppliers
It is so important not only you like the suppliers but you actually trust and get on with the person who will be with you on the day. You want to feel you can ask them anything no matter how silly it might seem. This includes anytime running up to your wedding and on the day itself.
Your suppliers will want you to have the perfect day and love to be apart of it. They will have lots of knowledge on weddings as they will have been apart of many so ask them and make sure you feel comfortable around them.
Ask for timings
At some point someone will ask you for an agenda (even if it’s rough). You’ll also need an agenda so you can organise your evening entertainment. This is where it’s great to ask your venue to help you - they do this every week. Ask how long the dinner is likely to take, when are the speeches done, when does the cake get cut etc.
For evening entertainment sometimes it’s easier to work backwards, especially when trying to work out a time to invite your evening guests from.
Most evening entertainment suggests to set up while you’re eating (depending on the rooms and sizes). We suggest setting up the photo booth while everyone is eating so it’s ready for use as soon as your done.
Sometimes you need a reception in between dinner and evening as they require a room change so be sure to ask your venue. This is also the perfect opportunity for your evening entertainment to set up while everyone is having a drink at the bar.
Relax (and forget the plan)
As I mentioned earlier, it is unlikely for your wedding to run exactly to plan as often they do run over slightly - fear not, the timings will all work out and be made up for.
Your Master of Ceremonies or Wedding Co-ordinator will help make sure your day runs smoothly so remember to relax, have fun and a fantastic celebration as you have just married the love of your life!
Download your free wedding agenda guide here:
