We often discuss wedding reception ideas, wedding etiquette, coping with stress before the wedding, you name it. However, what we can sometimes forget is that we are not alone when it comes to planning. Several—and by several, we mean millions— have walked down the aisle before. That being said, married Redditors reveal what they would do if they could do their wedding again.
Wedding Receptions and Ceremony Tips #1. Hire Professional Vendors
One Redditor kept it simple with, “Hire a professional photographer.”
Remember, your wedding only happens once. You want to be able to capture those moments and look back on them fondly. What you don’t want is to squint your eyes at a blurry picture, trying to find your smiling face. This is why it is so important hire a professional photographer and not go the amateur route.
While you may have the urge to give your aspiring photographer friend a chance, your wedding is not the platform to do this. When hiring a professional photographer, make sure you go to their website and scroll through their photos to see if you like their work.
Also, try to find some reviews to see what past clients have thought about the experience. At the end of the day, if the photographer is really good you will hardly notice when he or she is there, and will end up having phenomenal photos to look back on fondly for years to come.
Wedding Reception and Ceremony Tips #2. Remember Food After the Ceremony and Reception
“Eat more, By the time we got to our hotel, it was later. We were tired, so hungry and had no food.”
Often times we focus on planning the ceremony and reception and forget about the after. While you don’t have to go all out, simply stashing some snacks in your hotel beforehand may be worth it.
If you are not able to do that, try to keep them in your purse or give them to your maid of honor and have her give them to you before you and your partner leave. That way, you will not be hungry after the ceremony and reception and won’t wake up starving.
Wedding Reception and Ceremony Tips #3. Make Sure You Consider the Music When You Book Your Wedding Venue
“Ours was an outdoor wedding. As we were doing pre-wedding photos…[the father of the bride from the wedding next door] found out our processional would be led by a bagpiper. His daughter’s processional was scheduled for the same time, and they were being played in by a harpist. He asked if we could delay our procession by 10 minutes.to not drown out the harpist… our piper starts playing at the exact time they are starting their vows in the other wedding…”
It is not uncommon for wedding venues to schedule wedding ceremonies and receptions at the same time. However if the special events planner is not careful, he or she can forget about the different types of music being played not only as the bride walks down the aisle but when the couple is having their first dance.
While you cannot control the scheduling, you can inform the special events planning who is handling all of the details about your music selection and any other wedding choices you have made that may affect another wedding closer by. Also, you can ask the event planner if the other wedding is having any loud music. You can also casually (and kindly) bring this up again if the special events planner does not have all of the details at the moment.
This way, it saves you and the other party from “competing” with one another. And, you can all enjoy your weddings, being able to hear vows, music, and conversation.
Wedding Reception and Ceremony Tips #4. Make Sure Your DJ Tests Out Your Song
“[The DJ messed] up and burned the song we had chose for our bride/groom dance to CD. [The DJ] never tested it, and when it came time for that dance he discovered the CD did no work. We had to pick another song on the fly from his playlist…”
While CDs may be a thing of the past now, it still does not hurt to ask the DJ to test his or her equipment before the wedding starts. At the end of the day, you want to be assured that when it is time for the first dance that your DJ has everything covered. And all you have to do is remember the dance steps you and your partner had practiced.
Wedding Reception and Ceremony Tips #5. Consider Making the Big Purchase and Buying that Wedding Dress
“It was pretty awesome. But maybe I would have bought a proper wedding dress instead of the $75 blue infinity dress I got online…”
While you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg for your wedding dress, remember this is you and your partner’s special day. While this is the only day you will be wearing that dress, sometimes it is nice to make that big purchase and go for that wedding dress.
If you are on a budget, you can always look at used wedding dresses, the sales rack, vintage, and even thrift stores. The truth is, even if you are not initially in love with it, you can always take it to the seamstress for him or her to clean up.
Wedding Reception and Ceremony Tips #6. Have Some Extra Spending Money If You Have a Destination Wedding
“I wish we had a little more money so we could have paid for the outdoor wedding by the falls versus the indoor wedding…”
While many couples envision a beautiful destination wedding, a lot of times the focus is on the wedding and not after.
That said, you might have enough saved up for the ceremony, reception, lodging, and fun, but can easily forget to have enough so you and your new spouse can enjoy the tourist-y activities and be able to explore the destination.
If you don’t have the funds needed to do this, you can always ask friends and family if they would be willing to contribute to this instead of buying you wedding gifts.
Wedding Reception and Ceremony Tips #7. Remember It is Just One Day
“The piece of advice that I give to engaged couples is to remember that the wedding is only one day and that is a gateway to the rest of your lives. All to o often, we meet couples who are so focused on the day…”
While weddings can be equally fun and challenging, remember this is just one day. You have the rest of your lives together. So, if something does not go quite like it was planned, know that everything will work out.
While you can take proactive measure by hiring a professional wedding planner and have some Plan Bs in case Plan As don’t work out (i.e. raining on your wedding day, late vendors, etc.), at the end of the day don’t sweat the small stuff.
Wedding Reception and Ceremony Tips: Final Thoughts
For those who are married, would you have done your wedding differently? What advice do you have for engaged couples? And, for engaged couples, are there any married questions for married coupled who have been there? Let us know by commenting in the comments section below.
Wedding Reception and Ceremony Tips: Summary
- Always be sure that any weddings that are near you do not start at the same time as you
- Different types of processional music, not to mention music from the DJ can interfere with both weddings
- To prevent this from happening, ask the special events coordinator well in advance of start times and music preferences
- Be sure to pack snacks in your purse or give them to your maid of honor
- What you may not know is that after the ceremony and reception, you and your partner will be hungry; these snacks will save you until the morning
- Hire professional vendors, especially a professional wedding photographer
- Remember, this is your once in a lifetime day; you want to be able to look back on the photos and have fond memories, not squinting and trying to see you and your partner’s faces
- Ask the DJ to test out his or her equipment before your first dance; the last thing you want is for it to be time for the first dance and not have music to dance to
- Since it is your big day, why not splurge and buy a fancy wedding dress
- If you are on a tight budget, you can always look for a used wedding dress and look through a vintage wedding dress store or even the thrift store
- Have extra spending money if you have a destination wedding; that way, you can partake in touristy activities
- No matter what happens, even if things don’t go as plan, your wedding day is only one day; you and your partner have to rest of your lives to celebrate
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