How to have the best wedding day ever

The perfect wedding day. Great weather. No wedding day nerves. Well behaved wedding guests. No wardrobe malfunctions…… That’s the wedding day we all dream of isn’t it? But how do you have the best wedding day ever? After photographing beautiful weddings for over 10 years we have picked up a tip or two (or fifty!) and we are here to give you our expert advice to ensure you have the wedding day of your dreams.

DO AS MUCH AS YOU CAN AS EARLY AS YOU CAN.

Once your wedding venue has been booked start securing your vendors such as hair & makeup artists, florists and of course your wedding photographers. Good suppliers get booked up to 2-3 years in advance, the sooner you get those deposits down the more you can relax knowing you have your favourite wedding suppliers secured. And if you are planning on making items for the big day, don’t leave it until a week before to start them, you will have a million and one things to do the closer it gets to the actual wedding. Plan a few  ‘crafty’ weekends, get your wedding party over, and get making & planning!

GOOD FOOD.

A lot of couples forget to eat on the wedding day, it’s not just planning your wedding breakfast, you need to make sure you have food planned throughout the day. A nice healthy brunch in the wedding suite is a great idea, think delicious pastries, juicy fruits, tasty muffins, healthy juices. And if there is going to be long breaks between canapés & your wedding breakfast, maybe pack some protein snacks or nuts to keep you topped up throughout the day. We always find an evening buffet goes down a treat after all that dancing, wood-fired pizzas and traditional fish and chips are very popular. And remember to keep hydrated! Lots of water in-between those lovely glasses of bubbly.

DELEGATE.

Ask your wedding party to support you throughout the day by assigning small tasks to them. Your maid-of-honour can be in charge of making sure all your wedding suppliers have arrived, give her a list ahead of time with the names and contact numbers for all your on-the-day suppliers & the time of their arrival so she can check everything is on time. Let your ushers know all the details of the day such as checking-in times for your venue or disabled access if it is needed so they can inform all your guests on arrival. And assign your bridesmaids or best man to get your guests on the dance floor! Trust us, your wedding party love to be involved and have specific roles on the day, and the more you get them to help & support you, the more the two of you can just sit back, relax and enjoy the day.

ALLOW FOR EXTRA TIME.

There is nothing that will stress you out more than being rushed on your wedding day, especially during the morning preparations. Over estimate on your timings to allow plenty of wiggle room in case something is overrunning, you want to make sure you have plenty of time to get important shots like the bridal party toasting with a glass of bubbles and a few bridal portraits before you leave for the ceremony. Your family photos will take longer than you think, there will always be a guest who has disappeared somewhere (usually the bar!) or maybe you have an elderly relative who needs extra time to gather for photos, so leave plenty of time to guarantee you get all the photos you want.

BOOK THE RIGHT WEDDING SUPPLIERS.

Really do your research before booking any supplier, we always suggest first asking your wedding venue for a list of their trusted wedding suppliers. If you can’t find someone you love there, turn detective and trail through reviews, check out their social media to see what previous clients are commenting about their service, chat to them in person and ask ALL the questions. We cannot stress this enough. Having the right wedding suppliers is gold dust, you can trust them to do their thing without having to chase them all the time or worry they won’t deliver.  

INJECT YOUR OWN PERSONALITY INTO YOUR DAY.

Don’t get caught up in what other people say you ‘should’ do. Neither of you like cake? Then don’t have one!!  Brides walking down the aisle on their own, asking all your guests to join you on the dance floor for your first dance, bridesmaids giving speeches, in this day and age anything goes! Plan the day for YOUR personality, nobody else’s. 

Last but no means least, try not to fixate on everything going ‘perfectly’. No matter how much planning, organising, and praying you do for the ‘perfect’ wedding day, it doesn’t always go exactly to plan! You can’t control things such as the good old British weather, or if certain guests arrive late…. or not at all! One of you may say a part of your vows incorrectly, but honestly, it’s the little imperfect moments that make the day uniquely yours, and these are the moments you’ll look back on in years to come and have a giggle about (don’t get us started on the time the groom forgot his trousers so spent the whole morning walking around in his underwear until his best man came to the rescue!). So embrace the unexpected, have those cute umbrellas at the ready, and remember we are here for you every step of the way ready to capture all the perfect and imperfect priceless moments. 

If you would like to discuss your wedding photography, we would love to hear from you! You can contact us here and we can arrange a call.

Your perfect wedding day starts here. James & Kerrie x