The Land of Forgotten Wedding Tasks

This is so often overlooked or forgotten but it can completely change a wedding. Members of the wedding party, on both the groom’s and the bride’s side, and even some of the guests, will be more than happy to help on the day. All too often those offers of help are overlooked as just being polite, but if you accept their help it will not only lighten your load but it will also make them feel more a part of the big day and even make it a little more fun for everyone. Some of the key roles that need to be delegated are the photo wrangler – having someone ready to gather guests for each photo will save a huge amount of time. Point of contact – choose someone reliable to be the point of contact for the vendors on the day. They can always run to you for advice, but having that go-between will allow you to enjoy the day without having to worry about all those little details.

The hair and make-up stylist might be booked, but what about all the other tricky little details, for example transport for the bridesmaids to where you are getting ready. Do you have a calming but fun playlist for getting ready? What about food and drink for the morning? A balanced meal will help to settle everyone’s nerves (because your bridesmaids will be nervous about walking down the aisle too!) and give you energy for the long day ahead.

Tipping is probably the last thing on your mind, especially when you think about the total cost of the wedding, but for outstanding service you will want to add a little something for some of the vendors. If you don’t need it you can always put it towards the honeymoon, but it doesn’t hurt to add this to the budget so you’re prepared.

As outrageous as it may seem, there’s always someone who didn’t think they needed to RSVP or someone who decided to bring a date at the last minute. Having extra seats will not only accommodate any surprise guests, but it will also give everyone more of an option on where to sit during the ceremony. Usually, couples will want to sit together, so if they have the option of a lone seat on the end of a row or a few seats together at the back they will feel much more comfortable at the back. You can always have someone remove unused seats once everyone is seated so they don’t show up in your photographs.

A very popular option nowadays is providing a bus (quite often a beautiful vintage bus) for the guests to get to the venue. But, have you considered the bigger picture? If you’re providing transport between the church and the reception venue, how will your guests get to the church? If everyone is driving, are there enough parking spaces? What are the taxi options at the end of the night? Let your guests know if they’ll need to book taxis in advance. If you’re having any photos away from the venue, do you need transport for your wedding party or the photographer?

No matter what the weather throws at you, you’re sure to have a wonderful time if you have the right attitude. Typically, your guests will be determined to celebrate, so a little rain won’t ruin the day. However, it is best to have a bad weather plan, especially if you are serving food or having the ceremony outside. We’ve seen everything, from the guests carrying their own chairs over their heads like an umbrella, to the bride and groom hidden under a tarpaulin in the pouring rain during their big entrance on a speed boat. However, in both cases everyone had a huge smile on their faces. It is also worthwhile taking note of the time of sunset as your photographer will certainly want to capture a few photos of you during the golden hour.

Last minute details like creating signs for the venue and printing menus for the tables are often forgotten or rushed, adding to the stress of the night before. If you can, print them or make them in advance so they are all ready to be put in place without any fuss. Mistakes can happen when you’re rushed and printers have a tendency to break when you most need them.

Surprisingly, one of the most common forgotten things is feeding the photographer and other vendors. Always find out what their expectations are in advance and be prepared. Photographers face a long day and a great deal of responsibility, so the offer of a meal will help them a lot. If possible, you can also give them a space for a calm break and to eat their meal in peace before returning to the wedding.

As the wedding winds down and the last few stragglers stumble back to their rooms, more often than not the venue is left abandoned, filled with the carefully selected decorations, wedding gifts and favours. Delegate this task to an eager member of the wedding party so you don’t need to worry about important items left at the venue. You will also need to arrange cleaning up the next day. Some venues do this for you, but you’ll probably still need someone there to ensure any items you intend to keep aren’t thrown away.

The custom always used to be that you had 1 month to send out the thank you cards. Recently that has been extended to 3 months and some couples throw caution to the wind and send the cards out 6 months or even a year after the event. Bear in mind that certain guests who have given generous gifts of money, contributed to the cost of the wedding or even spent hours creating a handmade gift, will probably be expecting a little thank you card to reassure them that you received their gift. If you are waiting to get your photos back before you send out your cards and it goes over the 3-month mark, it might be worthwhile sending out your cards anyway. An easier solution, of course, is to simply thank them for their gift the next time you speak to them. This will avoid any awkward messages from guests asking if you received their gift.