11 Great Wedding Planning Tips

I don’t want to dictate what you should do on your wedding, but I’ve been to some (50+) at this point and I’m happy to give you some tips on how to plan your wedding day so you make the most of it. 

This is my advice for a successful wedding day. 

Do your thing

As soon as the news of your wedding breaks lots of “good advice” will come from friends, family and internet (Yes here you are). Remember that this is your day! Don’t let anybody else’s expectations take over.

If a white dress is not your thing, pick something else – like a red suit (smoking hot!) If 100 guests at a castle gives you anxiety, choose an intimate garden ceremony. If you want to have cake first, do that. You choose how you want it.

Airy schedule

A traditional wedding day is usually pretty long and it goes really fast. Faster than a normal day. Small things easily get over dimensioned in time and suddenly you will have no time to go to the loo, eat and the least have a moment to yourself and absorb everything. 

That’s why you need to have an airy schedule. Lots of air. 

If you have small kids you need to calculate that shit will happen. Children always smell the tension and therefore they will no longer be the nicest baby in the world.

Add 15 minutes here and there and you will be able to relax and enjoy your wedding day. Let there be room for the unexpected.

Give the guests time

They are there for you. To celebrate you. Give your guests time to hang out with you. Maybe you haven’t seen some of them in a long time? Now is a perfect opportunity to throw a relaxed garden party the day before where everybody can meet and greet? Arrange some games so that people get to know each other and bond before the big party. People are always a bit more relaxed when they met each other before. End it all with a brunch for everybody the morning after the wedding day.

Toastmaster and Toast Madame

The toastmaster has the most significant and hardest job during a wedding day. To be a toastmaster is a full-time job and requires to shepherd the guests to different locations, make sure that everything is on time, organize what order speeches are to be held, make sure the food is served at the right time, plan games and so on. It’s preferred if they also can talk loudly and be a little bit funny. Choose wisely one or two that complete each other. 

Live music

Nothing makes a party like live music. It’s a huge party maker both during the ceremony, mingle and party. A well-executed long song that is performed during the ceremony makes most eyes wet and a really good band can get everybody up on the dancefloor -keep them there and lift everybody to the sky. No Spotify-list can ever do that. Sorry to say.

Relax

Somewhere things are going to go wrong, no matter how well planned your wedding day is. But that is OK! Yes, plan to minimize the stress but when the day finally is here, let it go and ENJOY your day no matter what. Just laugh about it and see the “errors” as a part of your story, a story to tell your grandchildren. Don’t let it ruin your day!

The weather

You can’t control it anyway so let go of the worry about rain. Just roll with it and make the best of it. It’s going to be awesome anyway! If you hired an awesome photographer, he/she will create fantastic work no matter what. After rain comes usually sunshine and the most epic light.

Hire a wedding planner

It can feel overwhelming with all that needs to be planed for a wedding and you usually don’t plan it overnight. To hire a good wedding planner can make wonders for your stress and anxiety.

Feed the photographer

Is your photographer going to shoot the whole day or most of the day? Well, make sure that the photographer gets some food during the day. A photographer doesn’t get many chances to sit down and relax during a wedding day because they are mostly up on their feet working, creating beautiful memories of your day. Make sure that you talk to the kitchen so that the photographer is first served, or one of the first (if she doesn’t sit with the guests). This way the photographer will be ready when all the speeches begin. Usually, we don’t photograph while the guests are eating so it’s the perfect chance for the photographer to eat. If you don’t have arranged food for the photographer they might have to leave and get food elsewhere and that could be quite far away.   

Unplugged ceremony

What do you want to see when you walk down the aisle? The faces of your loved ones that is there to celebrate you or 50 cellphones and iPads? Ask the toastmaster to tell them that you will share the pictures from the professional photographer that you hired just for this and that you want the guest to be present right here and now. It’s a totally different feeling when the guest is there with you. And even if you instruct the guests there is always somebody that will do their own way.

Remember why we are here

This day is not about the dress, the cake, the flowers or the music: it’s about two people that love each other and wants to spend the rest of their lives together. It’s easy to forget that in all the planning and stress. Remember what’s important.

Here you can read some tips on how to create the most epic wedding party ever.