I've been to a ridiculous number of weddings in the past seven years (Shaun and I counted, and between us, it was over 30). These are some of the things I've gleaned from the many, many weddings I've seen. You might have other ideas or points to add!
Ceremony- Start within a reasonable amount of time. Do NOT start on time. Don't start half an hour late either. 10-15 minutes late is fine.
- Men wear suits that flatter the groom, without being a distraction from the bride.
- Bridesmaids should provide a pretty backdrop to the bride, without looking like they're wearing the ugliest dresses this side of a year 10 leavers dinner.
- The bride should wear a dress that accentuates her best features, and hides her worst. Don't get talked into something else. You'll regret it.
- Choose a song that is personal and interesting to you. A popular chart hit is probably not going to be a good choice. A piece of music is probably going to be a better idea.
- Make the vows personal. Set forms are a good place to start, but an honest and heart-felt expression of your feelings to the other person will mean more, and will establish your love for each other in front of your assembled friends and family.
- Have a message from the preacher if you want, but keep it short. A wedding is not a place for a long theological diatribe. A short punchy message will resonate much better with the crowd.
- Get someone to sing or play while you sign the register. Listening to a cd means the crowd ends up watching you sign the paper. Get a musically talented friend to play for a while instead.
- Have a song for the crowd to sing along to. Whether it's an old hymn or a new song, it's nice to sing in a crowd. Just make it an easy one, or a very very well known one. Otherwise you'll get the church people singing loudly and everyone else mumbling along.
- Greet people afterwards - not while you're walking back down the aisle with your new husband or wife. It gets messy.
Reception
- Do NOT get there too late. Yes photos are very important. But allow the proper amount of time to get them. You should turn up to your reception at least 10-20 minutes after everyone was told to be there, but not more than 30 minutes.
- Have a solid plan of where the reception is going, but with lots of time for people to mingle. That is very important. People love to mingle at weddings, especially if they know lots of people. If they don't, well, hopefully they'll meet someone.
- Keep the speeches to relevant people. Uncle Johnson from Toowoomba might be an old family friend, but who cares what he thinks about a couple he's only met once? Father (and probably mother) of the bride, perhaps parents of the groom, best man, and maid of honour. Unless someone has something especially great to say, keep it at that.
- Organise a good MC. Someone who can keep the reception moving at a good pace, and can get the attention of the crowd in short order. A good MC will add a couple of jokes, keep things brisk, make sure the speeches don't run on and on, and generally run things so the wedded couple can enjoy the night without having to think about the event.
- Have dancing! Whether it's a live band or a dj or whatever, have dancing!!!! It makes a wedding truly feel like a celebration.
- Prepare a short but comprehensive list of thankyous. Don't get the crowd to clap after each person's name. Mentioning them is enough.
- Keep the goodbyes speedy. It's been a long day and you just want to be out of there and finally alone in each other's company.
General advice
- Do NOT let the wedding become about anything but the two of you. Parents (mothers especially), sisters, bridesmaids, retarded groomsmen... yes there is a chance they will all try to make the wedding what they think it should be. You will have to be gracious but strong. A large number of family conflicts occur because of arguments over what should be a joyous day for everyone.
- Choose your photographer well, and instruct them on what you want. You won't get a second shot at these photos, so go with someone who has done at least one or two weddings before.- MAKE IT FUN! Weddings are fun. It should be fun for the bride and groom too.
- Get completely away for your honeymoon. You don't want to be running into people. Just get away and enjoy being together.
That's my advice! Of course, I've been to lots of great weddings that didn't fit into these categories, so don't feel bad if you had something different to what I've said! This is just a list of things I've found to be good.
No comments:
Post a Comment