Before you know it your special day will be here. With all the emotional investment of planning a wedding, it is easy to lose track of time. In our recent expert advice blog post, we looked at the wedding planning process Expert Advice: Top Tips For Your Wedding Journey, and here we are going to share professional wedding coordinator’s advice on how to have the perfect wedding day you have been longing for! We want to ensure that this experience of a lifetime will fill you with pure joy and excitement as you start this new chapter of your life with your beloved.
1. Spend time with your partner
As a couple, you will be the centre of attention, in the run up to your wedding day. Once the day arrives, that will be amplified from the moment you open your eyes on the morning of your wedding right up until the end of the evening. Understandably, everyone around you will want to engage with you before, during and especially after the wedding ceremony. They will want to congratulate you, admire you, fuss over you and check in with you, and that can be overwhelming for even the most social of us.
It’s an imperative to take mini breaks together throughout the day whether you feel you need it or not. It is good to check in with each other and to have a couple of moments of alone time with your partner. You’ll be glad that you can connect and share the memories afterwards.
Amy Nation, Senior Wedding & Events Coordinator at The Bear Hotel in Wales recommends: “Try to and have a moment together following the ceremony, even if this is for a short time to do couple shots! The day goes by too quickly. Lots of my couples say to me on the day – “wow, the time has flown” Make sure you enjoy every moment”
2. Live in the moment
As Amy mentioned above, try to really enjoy every moment of your wedding day because the day will go fast! After all your careful planning in the lead up to your wedding, you can start to relax. Everything will work out the way it is supposed to and it’s important to simply celebrate all that you have achieved, and cherish the significance of the day with your new darling spouse.
Remember that this day is about the love that you and your dearest share, and the life commitment you have made to each other. Try not to be thinking about tomorrow and be here today.
Samantha Smalley, Wedding and Events Coordinator at Lodge on Loch Lomond says: “Remember that the day is about the two of you. Plan things that you both will like, not what you think you are expected to do or have.”
3. Take candid photos
Having a professional photographer is a must as they will know the best angles for your formal wedding shots and will know exactly how to capture the special moments of the day. It’s a great idea to get photographs and videos of behind the scenes, when you are both getting ready. Daisy Hall, wedding and events coordinator at Kings Head Hotel, Cirencester emphasises this point by saying: “Even though you’ll have a photographer/videographer, ask a bridesmaid, friend or your wedding coordinator to take photos and videos during the day!”
So do ask a trusted friend to take on the responsibility of taking some candid photos during the day that the photographer might be too busy to see, let alone take.
Set up an open dropbox and ask wedding guests to share their photos with you. Another great idea is to leave disposable cameras on the tables at the wedding reception, for the guests to take their own photos. It’s fun to get the film developed afterwards and re-live the day all over again!
We’ve also seen an idea where a guest book was passed around the tables during the reception with an Instax camera. People took photos and put them straight into the guest book along with their messages for the newlyweds. It was fun to see people’s reactions as the book was shared around again and again.
Bonus Tip: Minimise the stress.
Easier said than done for sure, but this is an essential bonus wedding tip to keep in mind.
Prepare your wedding essentials bag for your big day well in advance rather than on the day of your wedding. This will help to make sure you don’t forget anything. And it will give you time to add additional items that may come in useful.
Get enough sleep the night before your big day – you will be burning the candle at both ends, up early to get ready and hopefully revelling until the wee small hours. You will need your energy, and should there be any minor glitches, you will be better able to deal with them if you feel rested.
Build in extra buffer time to your wedding day schedule – you will want to be relaxed and not rush. Leave plenty of time for getting ready and travelling to the venue. If you are ahead of schedule – you can always steal few extra moments with your partner as we mentioned above! Your wedding coordinator can definitely help you with that.
So there you have it, three tremendous tips for your Wedding Day. No doubt, you will have a magical wedding day and you will have memories that you will cherish for years to come. All your planning will have been worth it and you will have and enjoy the day you and your betrothed have waited for.
