Four great tips to make your wedding go with a bang!

They say that if you fail to prepare, your prepare to fail. And that’s certainly true when it comes to the world of weddings. Beyond the shadow of a doubt, the best weddings that I’ve been a part of have been typified by a complete and utter focus on forward planning.

This could involve anything from sorting your wedding entertainment a year in advance to making a start on a great wedding speech months before you have to deliver it.

And with this focus on planning very firmly in mind, I’ve looked back over my old diaries of weddings I’ve performed at, and tried to think back on them – pinpointing what made them so special. It’s obviously difficult to pin it down to one particular element, but over the coming few blogs, I’ll be looking to offer tips that can turn your wedding from ‘average’ into ‘unforgettable’.

If you’ve any similar tips of your own, please feel free to share them with me on my various social posts – I’m sure my network would love to hear your suggestions.

1. SORT THE ELECTRONIC SIDE OF THINGS.

We live in a world where electronics dominate – especially in the area of communications. So why not stay super-organised by setting up a separate email for all your wedding correspondence. Bride and groom can share access to the email account, and you can use it for all correspondence with suppliers – or with your guests.

Doing it this way means that you're less likely to miss an important email in the slew of emails that pop into your normal mailbox each day. You should also use this email to tell suppliers that if it's really urgent, they should phone you or text you – as you often pay more attention to calls or texts than you do to emails. This makes it super-easy to resolve any disputes in the future regarding who said what.

Having gone to the trouble of setting up a dedicated email address, make sure you check it at least once a day – and preferably two to three times. Be aware, too, that some suppliers don't work typical nine to five hours, so checking your email in late evening is a very good idea.

2. Consider an unplugged ceremony.

Photo by Olga Hogan Photography - www.olgahoganphotography.com

The typical wedding involves pretty much every one of your guests clicking away during the day on their phones, iPads or cameras. But just imagine how cool it could be if you asked your guests to put them away for the day – with the exception of emergencies such as taking a call from the babysitter.

What happens in this scenario is that your guests focus on what’s happening in front of them, whether it's the speeches, the church ceremony or the bridal party arriving in all their finery.

This doesn’t mean that they won't have any souvenirs of a great day. Rather, you can freely share all the shots taken by your professional photographer or videographer.

I’ve seen this in practice, and believe me when I say that it made for some of the most enjoyable weddings ever!

3. ORGANISE A SIGNATURE COCKTAIL.

Providing a free bar for when your guests arrive at the reception venue is very generous, but the impact can be far stronger – and cost less – when you arrange to have one or two delicious customised drinks at the reception.

It feels a lot more personal, and indicates that you’ve put some real thought into this aspect of the reception. I recommend that you go with two signature cocktails – one traditional and one a bit more contemporary. For example, you could have a Gin & Tonic bar with fresh aromatics on hand to make it super-tasty – along with a tequila-based concoction for younger guests.

4. KEEP COMFORT TO THE FORE.

Making sure your guests are comfortable right through the day and night will earn you lots of brownie points with your guests. Thoughtful little gestures like having disposable slippers on hand for dancing can be a godsend when those fancy new wedding shoes start to cut the feet of energetic dancers.

Also, if you expect some of your guests to be socialising outside – even if it's only for a smoke – make sure that there are blankets or wraps on hand. Those flimsy wedding outfits are really less than useful when our Irish weather kicks in. And bizarrely as it may seem, if your wedding is in the summer months, having some parasols on hand for your fair-skinned guests will be really appreciated on the day!

So there’s my first four things that you can be doing to plan an utterly unforgettable wedding. I’ll be blogging again in the coming week or so about some more clever planning exercises – including selecting the best wedding entertainer in the business. Cough, cough!

Shane Black

t: +353 (0) 86 847 8550

w: shaneblack.ie