Given all that's happening in the world right now, there are a lot of couples wondering how they are going to fit their dream day into a much smaller window than they originally planned. There are also questions like; Who can be there to share your big day? Fifty guests? One Hundred Guests? Two canaries and a Labradoodle? When does the band have to stop? Do we have to dance in 2-meter circles? Is the band really permitted from playing Wagon Wheel? While I can't give you guidance on that, I can give you these! Here are my Top 5 Tips!
1. A Shorter Ceremony
You might not know this, but if you're having a church wedding, you might be able to ask your priest if you can have a shorter ceremony! Depending on your priest, they may be open to just having a wedding ceremony, instead of a full mass. What does that mean? It means they cut out the offertory/ communion part of the mass, which can make your ceremony about half an hour shorter!
2. An Earlier Ceremony
Another option is to ask your priest/ celebrant and venue if you can move the ceremony forward a bit! A 12.30 church ceremony will give you and your guests loads of time to get to the reception venue and get to mingling! A 1PM ceremony in your venue will equally give you loads of time for those lovely 'I Do's' and for your nearest and dearest to burn the ear off each other about their lockdown DIY efforts!
3. A First Look
Daylight is a key commodity for your awesome couple shots, so consider a 'First Look!' If you're not aware what a first look, you and your intended meet up before the ceremony, all dolled up, and have a few moments together to gather yourself before the 'I Do's!' It's a great way to calm nerves and have a little bit of space to yourselves before you get on the wedding day rollercoaster! It also means you can have all your 'couple shots' done with your photographer and videographer before the ceremony itself, giving you ideal lighting conditions, and more time to do the important stuff, like have fun and get married!
4. Earlier Speeches
Some venues might be open to you having your speeches a bit earlier than originally intended. You can have speeches before the meal, or even before going into the meal room itself! Doing things this way means once everyone has finished their meal, the band can get straight into setting up and you guys can get to boogying nice and early! 11.30 is an early end to the night, but if you've got your dancing shoes on at 8/8.30 PM, that's plenty of time to let Aunty Jane embarrass herself with the moves she learned in her lockdown Jazzercise classes!
5. Dress WARM!!
This is kinda more the advice your mam would give you when you were ten and going to meet friends in town, but it was good advice then, and it's good advice now! Bring some kind of warm jacket to put on when your outdoors between doing some lovely pictures/ video! Make sure your bridal party have some too, and if the lads don't want to bring a fur, then maybe a nip of whiskey for some organic interior heating would be advisable! (Purely for functional reasons, obviously!!!)
That’s it guys and girls, and if you have any more ideas, feel free to get in touch with them too! If you’d like to know more about my wedding videos, feel free to reach out to me. For now, have an amazing day, enjoy planning your big day, enjoy the wedding, and enjoy married life even more!