Six Tips For A Top Wedding
If there's one thing the six of The Marrying Kind know, it's about marrying people. And with a combined gazillion (or so) years of experience between us, we've put together six top tips to help you with your wedding planning.
No need to thank us... we love to talk weddings!
ONE: AS [BLANK] IS MY WITNESS
How do you choose your witnesses? You’ll need two, and witnesses can be anyone over 18 who is present for the ceremony (can understand English and not be stonkered). Whether it’s your mum, dad, sister, brother, godparent, best friend, adult child, or, in the case of elopements, two randoms who happened to be walking past, anyone can be a witness.
You can choose them beforehand or hold a witness lottery by placing names of those who meet the criteria in a hat, drawn out as part of the ceremony.
It’s always a good idea to have a bit of music playing/a reading/interpretive dance whilst signing is happening as it takes about 4 to 5 minutes. Photo below by Rubistyle
TWO: THE HEAT IS ON
During these hot summer days it’s really worth thinking about your guests comfort before the ceremony has started. You may think ‘it’s only a 30 minute ceremony’ but some guests will arrive 30 minutes (or more) beforehand and if the ceremony starts a bit later than expected then it can be a long, uncomfortable wait. If it’s a venue without a bar, cafe or shop nearby, it can get a bit dicey for your guests and we’ve had some near misses with fainters.
Play it safe and have some water on offer for your guests. If this isn’t an option, let guests know it’s a good idea to bring a bottle with them. Guests who are travelling to QLD/NSW and who aren’t familiar with just how hot it can get will thank you.
THREE: ORDER OF BOOKING
Getting started with wedding planning can sometimes be the hardest part. So, what order should you start booking your vendors?
1) If it’s all feeling a bit overwhelming, or you’re time poor, you may want to use a wedding planner or coordinator. If this is this case, choose them first. They’ll save you a lot of time plus they know which suppliers and vendors will work best to fit in with your vision.
2) Start scouting for ceremony and reception venues. If you’re flexible with the dates, then you’ll obviously have more choice. If you already have a date locked in but are flexible with venues then you can start to book other suppliers.
3) Book your celebrant. Popular dates tend to get booked quickly such as May the Fourth, Saturday’s in peak season, Easter Saturday etc.
4) Book your photographer. If you’re overwhelmed by the amount of talent out there, ask your celebrant who they’ve work with and would recommend. Some couples book their photographer before their celebrant and that’s totally cool too.
5) Book your make-up, hair, florist, stylist, on-the-day-coordinator, cake, music, food, dog-chaperone, signage or anything else you may want to make your day amazing.
FOUR: BOOM-SHAKA-LA
What music do you need for the ceremony? As a minimum we suggest a song for arrival of the bride(s) and/or groom(s), a song during signing, and then something post-smooch.
You can also play tunes from when guests arrive, setting the atmosphere from the get-go.
Music is such a personal choice and we're sometimes asked for suggestions which is hard to do as our tastes vary wildly - Liz is full on country, Roxy is an ex-rock music journalist - so ours are probably very different to yours and visa versa.
We suggest to help you decide, that you close your eyes and picture the actual moment within your wedding where the music is playing. What emotion do you want to feel? One of romance? A feeling of joy? Of high excitement? Then choose some music which fits that feeling – whether it’s Pachelbel’s ‘Canon in D Major’, Farrell’s ‘Happy’, or Metallica’s ‘Nothing Really Matters’ – and play it, imagining your wedding at that actual moment. Does the song evoke the right emotion you’re hoping for? If so, bingo!
FIVE: WHOSE WHO IN THE ZOO?
How do you plan your wedding party? How many people should you have? What do they actually do during the ceremony? Do you even need them?
Choosing bridesmaids/men and groomsmen/women is, of course, completely down to personal choice. There are many ancient traditions as to why we have them (including best men stealing the bride from her family, and bridesmaids checking that the marriage has been consummated) but nowadays most wedding party members are there for emotional support, to help plan bucks/hens parties and to provide company when getting ready on the day.
More and more couples are moving away from this tradition. Take Hannah for example. She has a large close group of friends she’s known for years. Choosing just a few seemed impossible, so she didn’t. She still had friends with her when she got ready, but during the ceremony it was just Sean and her.
Consequently this created a real intimacy which is evident in this great photo by Wildflower Weddings.
You may want to have attendants, and that’s totally cool too. It’s also worth considering whether you’d like them standing up there with you for the whole ceremony, during the introduction and post-signing part but in with your guests for the main part of it, or for them to join your guests once the ceremony has begun.
Whatever you choose, do it because it feels right for you, rather than tradition dictates. It’s your day after all!
SIX: ‘IT’S LIKE RA-A-AAAAIN ON YOUR WEDDING DAY…’
Rain. Ugh. It’s the one thing you have zero control over on your wedding day and even if you choose a non-rainy period there’s still a chance. Our lowest rainfall months in Brisbane are July/August yet these months still average seven days of rain. So, if you’re planning an outdoor wedding, it’s worth having a ‘plan b’ so you don’t spend the whole day prior to your wedding obsessively checking your Bureau of Meteorology app.
Option 1) Chat to your reception venue to see if there’s a suitable spot to hold the ceremony.
Option 2) Book an indoor ceremony space as your backup plan. This doesn’t need to cost a fortune if you’re just using it for the ceremony and paying the extra $$ will be worth it for the peace of mind.
Option 3) Buy some umbrellas. If it rains only lightly then investing in these could mean you’re still able to go ahead.
Finally, if it does rain on your wedding day there’s one thing you are guaranteed and that’s amazing photographs like the one below from Unveil Photography
Please don't hesitate to contact us here if you'd like more words of wisdom or just have a wedding-related question. We're always happy to chat weddings!
The Marrying Kind