Lovely Little Reminders
Reminders, tips and notes to make sure your wedding day doesn’t pass you by.
You’ve spent months planning and creating your special day. It’s finally here. You wake up, have an amazing breakfast, spend quality time with the girls while getting ready, you walk down the aisle and then…poof! – your wedding is over. People always tell us that it goes by so fast, yet nobody gives advice on how to go about making these moments last.
This article highlights the little things that nobody told me about, but that I regret about my own wedding. Not regret in the sense that it ruined our wedding – to be honest it would not have made a significant difference on the actual day, but things that I know would have been nice if I did do or add it to our special day. Personal things.
You can take it or leave it, it’s my ‘opinion’ so to say, but pick what you find important to your own story and be sure not to regret anything on your wedding day.
- Remember – your wedding is not an opportunity to upstage or show off! If it is your personality to be over the top, then by all means stay true to yourself, but remember what your wedding is actually about. It is an occasion that celebrates the covenant created on the day. What is most important is the love, the joy and the commitment that you share with your spouse. Your friends and family are attending this special day to share it with you.
- It may be pricey, but have a videographer at your wedding. Photos are amazing, but as time fades, so do the memories of all the little details. A video showcases emotions, words, activities and random gestures that photos cannot. In ten, or however many years from now, you can look back and ‘read’ your story again. It’s like a diary, describing so much that we often forget, but once you read (see) it again, all the memories and emotions specific to this day that you cherish, will come rushing back. I love watching our wedding video…
- Make time for your guests. You will be extremely busy doing who knows what – I cannot remember. Yet, I didn’t even spend time with any of our guests. Be sure to take time to be with your guests during canapé hour, or go around to each table, chatting with them or thanking them for attending celebrating with you. Minutes vanish quickly during your wedding – distribute them wisely.
- Be sure to take pictures with those close to your heart. Sometimes photographers are hasty and pushing this way and that way to get the perfect shot. If your family is close to your heart and you are sentimental, make sure to tell your photographer to capture you with them – formally and spontaneously throughout your wedding. I only have about five pics with my mom & dad, formal ones. I would have loved if we had pics of us laughing, chatting, embracing during our wedding day. My parents played such a big and important role in our wedding and it saddens me that I didn’t make more of an effort to spend time with them and share everything that we planned once it finally came to life.
- Before our wedding people always told me you never eat at your own wedding. It happens. You only eat the main course because it is the only time you are actually seated and nobody wants your attention as they are eating too. If you are serving canapés, ask your wedding organizer or the caterer to save some for you and place it at your seat if you will not be joining in on the canapé hour. You can nibble on these during formalities. The same goes for desserts. You will be out and about, but have your maid of honour bring you dessert to wherever you are, or have the caterer box up some dessert ‘to go’ – it’s great fun eating sweet things with your hubby and opening presents after the wedding.
- If your ceremony and reception is at the same premises, be sure to stop in at reception before you head off to the ceremony. Seeing your dream come to life before everybody has disrupted your beautiful tables with their handbags, beer & coats, will make you appreciate it so much more. It does look different without people. A vision. I cried because our reception looked better than I could have imagined. I think it would not have had the same effect if I only saw it once people were all over the place. You miss the details then, so take a few minutes, absorb the beauty of this special occasion and appreciate all the details of the venue and your settings.
- Don’t let people go over your head. Or confuse you. Decide what it is that you want and like, right from the beginning. Then listen to every opinion that people may throw your way – THEY WILL – and then give thought to what they suggest. I am very stubborn and think my ideas are always best, but I learned that sometimes people’s input may change a scenario for the better. If not, thank them for their ideas and politely let them know that you feel that your plan/idea/logistics will still be best for you.
- Spend a day. If you are going overseas for honeymoon, don’t rush the day after your wedding to get on a plane. It’s chaos. You want to sleep in. Yes, you do! Wake up on your own time, enjoy breakfast with your hubby and savour being newlyweds. Then spend the day packing and getting everything ready. It works on EVERYBODY’S nerves when things are hasty and stressed. Just book an extra day in that honeymoon suite and slow pace through the events of the previous night and enjoyably get ready for some adventure with the hubby. (P.S. I’m pretty sure the same will go for local honeymoons).
Here is a glimpse of our wedding day.
Sieglinda vd Westhuizen
Wedding Planner & Bloggist
This lady is a
foodie, artist & optimist.
A wife, daughter, sister & friend.
A traveler with too few miles on
her passport and a planner
of pretty parties.
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