15 April 2019

How to minimise nasty surprises on your wedding day

Your wedding day should be a wonderful occasion for you to celebrate your love with that special someone but sometimes things do go wrong and it’s important to have a backup plan, just in case. Here are our top tips for minimising the risk of nasty surprises on your wedding day.

Make sure everyone knows what they are doing

If you will need help from people in your wedding party or perhaps other friends and relatives, take the time to ensure that they know what you are expecting of them, whether that task is on the day or beforehand, that they properly understand the requirements and that they are okay with it. It is better to find out early on if someone doesn’t understand what you need or doesn’t feel up to the challenge, that way you can make a new plan that will suit everyone involved.

Keep in contact with your venue and your suppliers

If you can, have regular catch-ups with your venue to make sure that everything is on track and that they don’t need anything more from you to be able to put your plans into effect. These don’t have to be meetings, you could call or send a quick email to your event co-ordinator just to check-in. This can also be done to an extent with your suppliers, just make sure that everything is confirmed in writing afterwards, that way you have a record of exactly what was agreed. If anything in your plan changes, or you change your mind about what you want, make sure you inform the relevant people as soon as possible, so that this can be factored into any plans.

Order everything with time to spare

If you have planned everything well, then everything you need to buy or organise will have been done well in advance. If you are going to need supplies, whether that is outfits, chair covers or centrepieces, make sure that you have ordered quickly enough that they have a buffer of a week or two after their estimated delivery date to arrive, just in case.

Have backup transport

If you’re staying the night before at your venue, that can be a great way to minimise stress on your big day, not to mention get a great night’s sleep. If you’re travelling to the venue on the day, you will need to make sure you give yourself enough time to get to the venue and have a backup plan for if something happens to your transport, even if you have to drive yourself – or better yet, a helpful member of the wedding party, relative or friend may be able to drive you. You should also make sure that the instructions for reaching the destination are clear so that people won’t have trouble finding the place.

Be prepared for the weather

British weather can be gloriously unpredictable, so it’s always worth having a backup plan, just in case. If you want to spend a lot of time outside at your reception (or even for your ceremony) make sure there will be another place for you and your guests to take shelter under in the event of rain. On the other hand, you may also need to check that there are some shaded areas for a very hot day.

Set out any applicable rules for the day

Depending on the type of wedding you are having and how strict you are, you may need to set out some ground rules. This can be for a number of different things, for example, you may wish to ensure that songs by a certain band are not played, there may be areas that are off limits and you may wish to ask your guests not to publish photos online until you have had the chance to do so. Another common rule is to ask guests to avoid wearing white or black on the day but if you don’t mind this, then there’s no reason for you to worry about it. Only set up guidelines and rules for things that actually matter to you, or you could end up with a tense atmosphere but remember to consider what you might like to outlaw so that you and your other half can have the day you deserve.

Get a good night’s sleep

It may be hard to drift off with all the excitement but it’ll be easier to enjoy your wedding day if you’ve had a good rest the night before. You will also be less likely to risk oversleeping or appearing at the wedding looking overtired and miserable.

If you are planning a wedding in Nottingham, get in touch with our wedding experts today and book your wedding at Eastwood Hall.