Tips For A Great Wedding Day - Mark Donovan Photography

Five simple tricks to take your wedding day from stressful to full of cheer!

It’s a sad fact that planning a wedding day can be a stressful affair. Too many times, I’ve seen couples worried and stressed about having the perfect day. But that’s not what should be happening! If you’re not finishing your wedding day with a massive smile on your face, then something has gone wrong. So, here are my top 5 tips for a great wedding day that will leave you (and your guests) happy and raving about it for months to come.

1: Give yourself plenty of time and delegate everything

As the couple who are about to be wed, you two are the main event on your wedding day. The wedding doesn’t go ahead without you both being there! So, if you’re rushing around in the morning trying to get ready or, worse, still at the venue putting up decorations and tying bows to the backs of chairs, you’re going to be feeling incredibly stressed about things.

So, give yourself plenty of time on your wedding morning to get ready and make sure you delegate any work still to do to friends and family around you. All you should be doing is relaxing with a glass of fizz and concentrating on getting made up. Oh, and getting to that ceremony on time!

2: Have an unplugged wedding ceremony

With phone cameras as good as they are these days, it’s become very easy for everyone to want to capture their own photographs of your day. But there’s something a bit disappointing about seeing all your guests viewing your wedding through their little screens.

Encourage guests to be present, at least for the exchanging of vows, by requesting an ‘unplugged’ ceremony. It’ll only happen if you ask for it though!

3.Plan a confetti shot

If you rely on your guests to bring confetti along and plan a confetti throw, the chances are you’ll be disappointed. But a confetti throw is a lot of fun. Guests love them, and the photos always look great if they’re well planned!

So, if you want an excellent confetti shot from your wedding day, make it happen by providing plenty of confetti for your guests to throw when instructed (or at least pre-warn your photographer so they can be ready!).

Do make sure you check with your venue first, though, as some do have restrictions about where it can happen or what type of confetti you can use. And if they don’t allow it, consider bubbles instead!

4: Keep group shots to a minimum

It’s natural to want group shots of every variety with all of your guests on your wedding day. But here’s the truth. When you’ve been standing in one spot for an hour or more with a smile plastered to your face, you’ll soon want to get back to enjoying your day!

Keep group shots to a minimum. Around 6-8 groups are plenty, and your photographer will have them done in no time. Then you’ll have a chance to go and get some couple shots and still have time to mingle with your guests before dinner!

5: Set a time limit on speeches

How many weddings have you been to where the speeches ramble on for what seems like hours? Long, rambling speeches can get pretty tiresome, for you as well as your guests.

Think about it. You’ll all have just finished a big meal. Perhaps you’ll have had a few drinks, and you’ll have been up since the crack of dawn getting ready after not a lot of sleep! The last thing any of you need is a long speech sending you all off to sleep. This is a celebration, after all!

So, set a time limit for each speech. Ask your Dad, the best man and your groom to keep things short and snappy so you can all get back to enjoying the party. I’m sure they’ll be glad to wrap things up quickly as well!