Having been to over 150 weddings, it will come as no surprise that there’s not a lot that we haven’t seen! Wedding days are beautiful and magical and lovely! But things do go wrong, it’s just the way the cookie crumbles (yum, cookie).
Lately, we’ve noticed some of the same things happening with weddings that need to be nipped in the bud. These are all manageable and avoidable instances that can be addressed before your wedding day to ensure on the day you’re busy making-out with your new wife/husband and not worrying about the DJ cutting off the music early.
The Run Sheet
The run sheet is my favourite thing in the whole wedding planning process (after meeting the soon-to-be newlyweds, of course). And it’s not because it means we get to use our favourite stationery from Officeworks (ok, it is a little). It’s mainly because without it, the whole day falls apart.
Repeat after us: “I need a run sheet for my wedding day”. You: “I need a run sheet for my wedding day.” GOOD! We’re on the same page.
Why do you need a run sheet for your wedding? Put simply, a wedding is an event, a big production that sees guests, suppliers, vendors and YOU moving from place to place, needing food and drinks, photos, dancing, and speeches all within a certain timeframe. None of this can happen smoothly without everyone being on the same page (literally, a run sheet). It’s also a great way to ensure that on the day, all of your allies (suppliers) know what’s happening so you don’t have to be there to remind them.
A friend of a friend went to a wedding recently where the catering was almost served 45 minutes prior to the guests arriving. Not ideal!
The Venue
Let’s be honest, we’d be nowhere without them. Literally. So without your venue on board with your wedding day schedule, coughrunsheetcough, things can turn south quickly. We heard of a recent wedding where the music had to be cut off 30 minutes early due to the venue’s licensing restrictions but the venue hadn’t communicated that with the couple beforehand. This is a very avoidable situation with a detailed discussion in the lead up to the wedding. The solution to this one was simple: start the reception 30 minutes earlier! Unfortunately, there’s not much that can be done at 9:45pm when the music needs to be turned off at 10:00pm.
These are the types of conversations that need to be had in the lead up to your wedding with all your suppliers, but also properly documented for all parties to see and abide by.
The Budget
Can you imagine over-spending by $10,000 on your wedding day because you forgot to include postage, lingerie, styling, celebrant and MC costs in your breakdown? Yep, that really happens! A budget isn’t very sexy, but neither is paying bills you weren’t expecting while living it up on your honeymoon.
One of the common misconceptions about the wedding industry is thinking if something is out of budget, then that supplier or option needs to be scrapped altogether. No! This is not the case. If you desperately want to work with a venue, stylist, designer, photographer – whoever it may be – and they come in over budget, let them know how much you do have to spend, and if there’s a package or option they can tailor to your budget.
To be able to do this successfully, you need to of course have a budget to begin with!
These are some common lessons we’ve seen couples learn on the wedding day, adding unnecessary stress and anxiety. Remember to plan, prepare and document everything.
K xx
