Top Wedding Planning Tips
When it comes to top wedding planning tips there are many to choose from. We have created a list that may help you to avoid the more uncommon pitfalls we tend to see on a regular basis as wedding photographers.
Please see our Questions to ask your wedding photographer for help with what to ask your prospective wedding photographer.
Table Centrepieces
Now there’s nothing quite like having a beautiful centrepiece to complete the venue dressing, but sometimes the more ornate and pretty, the more complicated and unpredictable things can end up being. Especially on the top table.
Yes, they can look amazing and be a great talking point, but they can also hide the most important people of they day once they have sat down. The last thing you need on your big day is your wedding photographer having to politely ask for them to be removed so the camera can see you; leaving you with a bare table.
Although this doesn’t always apply, you have to remember that a wedding photographer will need to move around the room as freely as possible to get the best shots she/he can. And quite often it’s the spontaneous reactions we seek out, the simple gestures that are worth their weight in gold.
So, when considering your centrepieces also consider how they will not only just work with the room and guests, but also your wedding photographer.
Track Lists
Walking down the aisle to your favourite song or piece of music is one of the many highlights of the day, if not the main highlight; friends and family looking on with handkerchiefs at the ready. So it’s super important to make sure that your track list is well prepared.
Most commonly these days there will be an option for you to offer your own pre-prepared CD containing your wedding music, and some venues even allow for you to connect your iPod or other form of MP3 player. When preparing your CD remember to make sure that all of your tracks are labelled, named and ordered correctly.
Why? We hear you ask.
Well, the answer is easy: You will not be in charge of playing the CD at the appropriate times as you will have other things on your mind. Namely, getting married. So this task falls (usually) to your wedding planner at the venue, or if you don’t have a wedding planner a member of venue staff will be given the task.
You will need to bear in mind that different venues have different sound systems, creating the possibility of confusion. If you label, name and order your music correctly it will make things easier for the person who will be in charge.
So when you are asked about your CD music for the day, it will be much easier to give them the track order instead of a list of song titles and what order to play them in. Always remember that you may need special permission to play certain songs.
Say you have five pieces of music that you are about to burn to a CD, the likelihood that these have been picked from different albums will be high so you will need to sort them correctly.
Therefore:
| Track Number | Artist | Track Title | Play Order |
| 21 | Mozart | Piano Concerto No. 21 | 3 |
| 3 | Bruno Mars | Marry You | 5 |
| 19 | James Newton Howard | The Wedding | 1 |
| 6 | Sara Bareilles | I Choose You | 2 |
| 8 | Ben Folds | The Luckiest | 4 |
Becomes:
| Track Number | Artist | Track Title |
| 1 | James Newton Howard | The Wedding |
| 2 | Sara Bareilles | I Choose You |
| 3 | Mozart | Piano Concerto No. 21 |
| 4 | Ben Folds | The Luckiest |
| 5 | Bruno Mars | Marry You |
By replacing/renaming the track number with the play order, before burning to disc, your music will be prepared and ready to go, leaving the venue in no doubt as to which track to play first. We know this may seem a little over the top, but believe us, a venue playing the wrong song in the wrong order happens…more often than we like to believe.
Pack Some Flats
Being on your feet all day can not just tire you out but also end up being quite painful. Especially if you’re wearing high heels. You will find that your wedding photographer will want to steal you both away for a while to get some stunning photographs, so not being able to would be a bit upsetting.
Many venues have wonderful grounds, and what seems like endless opportunity for lovely images may turn into “…but if only I’d…” And with wonderful venue grounds comes a varied landscape, much of which may be difficult to navigate in heels.
Gravel, cobbles, inclines and barked areas can all be difficult to walk on in heels; even lawn areas can be a stuck in the mud if it’s rained the night before.
So remember to pack some flats and then change into your heels ready for the perfect picture.
Empty Guest Book
What better way to read all of the loving and warm messages people leave for you, than in a wedding guest book. But remember to make sure that the pen doesn’t take the day off, leaving you wondering what happened.
Make sure that the accompanying pen has a place holder or chain attaching the pen to the book, as it’s not in the minds of most guests to take a pen with them. You can even make a little sign politely asking guests not to walk away with the pen. It may seem like it will never happen, but anyone who has had our Aunty Nora or young children to their wedding already knows it can.
Master the Time
It goes without saying that the best laid plans are always well timed, so it’s important that the timings for your big day run well; because if they don’t it may cost you.
Think about the range of people and services you are bringing together for your wedding, all to run like clockwork. From the moment you wake on your wedding day the clock starts, and it’s always a good idea to have key markers within your timings for the day; such as “I need to be in my dress/suit by…” etc…
A common form of running late is not being in your dress/suit on time, and this could be for many different reasons. So if you’re the groom, you will need to gather your best men together well before you need to, giving you the flexibility and luxury that being a bit early brings. If you’re the bride you will need to know how long it takes for your hair and make-up, as well as how long it takes to get into your dress, then work backwards with your key times. Making sure that you are not late to the altar, as many registrars (and churches) perform more than one wedding per day, which means they can’t be late for the next bride and groom, no matter what.
If your ceremony is 12 noon and it takes you 30 minutes to get into your dress and to the altar, you need to make sure that you have started to make your way there by 11.20am, factoring in some micro stops along the way. Remember that if one thing overruns, everything else does. Which means that you may end up losing out, as the services you have hired will still be running to their times.
The worst we have seen? … Bride ran 40 minutes late which had a domino effect, leaving the bride and groom running nearly 2 hours late by the end of the evening. Which if you look at it another way, they had paid out for 2 hours worth of service from each provider that they didn’t get the benefit of.
Check and Check Again
Although wedding photographers will always speak to the person in charge of performing the ceremony before the wedding, it is the responsibility of the bride and groom to check for any limitations for the photographer. Usually there will always be some kind of limitation, such as no flash use etc., but there are, at times, limitations that are created long after you have spoken to your minister/registrar, that has not been conveyed to you.
Quite often, the person performing the ceremony can be busy, so it’s important to check and recheck their rules for photographers. You don’t want to show up to the church to find the minister changed the rules at last minute, leaving you scratching your heads.
top Wedding planning tips.
top Wedding planning tips.
top Wedding planning tips.
top Wedding planning tips.
top Wedding planning tips.
