Suggestions for avoiding stress on your wedding day

As a wedding videographer I’m fortunate to attend many weddings – big weddings, small weddings, fairytale weddings, minimalist weddings. Almost every second or third weekend throughout spring / summer I’ll be creating video memories for newlywed’s of the happiest days of their life. So I decided to create a blog with some pointers that you might find helpful in preparation for your big day.

Family photos are usually the most stressful part of the day, the main event for the day is over and your guests are probably busy trying to find a drink or somewhere to rest their legs. To alleviate stress I suggest writing two lists for photos - list #1 will be of your ‘Must Have’ photos and get those taken first. List #2 can be ‘bonus’ photos you might want if you’re tracking well, often newlyweds end up cutting the photos after the must haves as it can be like herding cats trying to line people up for photos...which brings me to the next suggestion – designate someone with a loud voice who knows most of the people who will be getting their photos taken. This will without a doubt speed things up and reduce stress.

Throughout the day, there will likely be a few surprises – vendor issues are a prime example - a failed cake, flowers running late, a lost photographer or the bar tab running out after an hour are all prime examples. Designate one of your bridal party to be the go-to contact for vendors for any issues that arise, that way, depending on the problem, they may be able to deal with it accordingly without you having the stress. The last thing you want on your day is worry so it’s ideal if it can be avoided right?

Likewise, I’m sure you don’t want any uninvited guests turning up (trust me it happens) so it’s best to clearly write on the invitation who it’s for. You’re best to spell it out rather than being ambiguous and hoping recipients get the hints.

If you’re a bride-to-be planning an outdoor wedding, no doubt you have nightmares about bad weather on your wedding day. Even though you’ve probably got your fingers, toes and whatever else crossed for sunshine, it’s best to have a suitable back up option ready to pull the trigger on if needed. I’m sure you’d rather that fitted out shed you’d planned for back up rather than the local town hall or for you and your guests to be dripping head to toe. If you decide to continue with an outside option and the weather looks dodgy the day before it might pay to stock up on $2 shop or Kmart umbrellas for your guests, and if it’s in winter, it won’t hurt to have blankets on hand, particularly if you have older guests who will feel the cold more.

On the other side of the coin, if you’re planning a summer wedding, ensure there’s adequate shade and water available. Even have parasols handy in case of extremely hot weather if your guests will be seated in full sunshine and consider putting up an umbrella or shade for saying your nuptial’s under. I’ve seen numerous celebrants struggle in the heat.

The morning of the wedding will likely be a busy one even for the most organised of brides - with hair and makeup appointments for you and your girls and photos in the lead up to the ceremony. You might also have a checklist of things to get done between family and friends – i.e. food preparation, seating arrangements, decorating tables, flower arrangements and maybe even looking after a four legged special guest if you’re that way inclined. Even though our parents are amazing at putting their hands up for jobs like these, can I suggest that maybe a good friend, an aunty or family friend might be better fitted to these roles. On numerous occasions I’ve seen parents sweating it out until an hour before the ceremony at times – which is awesome, but nevertheless it will likely be even more special to have them

getting ready with you on your day.

Your guests have come to witness and celebrate your union with you – so be sure they can hear the ceremony by having a reliable sound system. Test your sound system the day before and on the day to make sure there’s no crackling, interference or cutting out.

Lastly, if you have a wishing well, have someone you trust watch over it and empty it throughout the day / evening. The last thing you want is having to have those awkward conversations afterwards not knowing if people gave to you, or how much (has now gone). This isn’t something you’d expect to happen at your own wedding and I haven’t heard of it at the weddings I’ve been to but I’ve heard of it happening to others who were so unsuspecting. You know what they say right – better safe than sorry.

I’ll be creating a series of blog posts for ideas and inspiration for anything wedding related so be sure to like my Facebook page to keep up to date!