Wednesday 17 September 2014

Wedding Wednesdays - Top Tips - Where to start




1. Set up your Guest list first

The first checkpoint to cross is getting your guest list.  The approximate number of guests will guide you, to find many other decisions much easier.  Like choosing a venue, and how big your wedding will end up being.  Make sure there is enough space for guests to move around.  Remember when picking a venue the space may seem open, but if all the tables are set up, you’ve got a DJ going, food tables are set up, the space becomes significantly smaller.


2. Investigate Wedding Blackout Dates

Know ahead of time if your wedding date falls on the same day as a trade conference, charity walk, or other local event that could affect traffic and hotel room availability.



3. Listen to Mother Nature

Take the weather and other potential annoyances into consideration, have a plan B ready when your weather takes a different route to your planned vision.  Guests have been known to skip out early from hotter-than-hot summer tent weddings and improperly heated winter loft receptions. Bugs also swarm in certain areas during certain seasons. Consider renting pest control tanks to alleviate the problem or including bug repellent in guests' gift bags. And if you want a sunset ceremony, make sure you know when to say your vows by checking the times for your day.


4. Check Your Credit

Take advantage of the high cost of weddings and sign up for a credit card with a rewards program. Whether it gives you airline miles or great shopping deals, consolidating all wedding-related purchases to this card will help you accumulate thousands of rewards points. 


5. Pay It Forward

Let one vendor lead you to another. Your wedding photographer can tell you which hair and makeup artist are the best to use, and your reception manager should know which music choice would be fit to make use of.



6. Lighten Your List

Remember the easiest way to cut your wedding budget, is by minimizing  your guest list. Remember, half of your wedding expenses go to wining and dining your guests. If it's costing you R100 per person, eliminating one table of 10 can save you R1,000. 


7. Make a Meal Plan

Feeding your wedding day crew, is another thing that might be easily forgotten.  Choose a less expensive meal for them. You will have to let your wedding caterer know a couple of days before the wedding exactly how many vendors you need to feed and don't forget the photography assistants and band roadies. 


9. Get Organizationally Focused

In a three-ring binder, compile all your correspondences with vendors, notes you make during meetings, and photos or tear sheets from magazines you want vendors to see. Set up a special email address dedicated to your wedding, and store important vendor numbers in your cell phone. 


10. Tend to Your Bar

Typically, you need one bartender per 50 guests to keep the line at a minimum. But if you're serving a signature cocktail that cannot be made ahead of time (or in large quantities), consider adding an extra server designated to this task.

No comments:

Post a Comment