Gary
Your wedding day is meant to be the happiest day of your life. And so it should be, but making that day happen can take huge amounts of energy and time, quite possibly with a fair amount of stress and bickering thrown in. However, it doesn’t have to be that way and Lucy, who heads up our weddings and events coordination service, has put together a few top wedding tips that will help ensure your marquee wedding reception runs smoothly.
Work out the important stuff first
This is the biggest day of your life and your first as a married couple. So it’s really important to sit down together and figure out what you both want on the day – it can be so easy for others to interfere, however well meaning they might be. Create a list of things you want and prioritise those for which there can be no compromise – whether it’s the the theme, the venue or the band for the evening party.
Set your budget
One of our top wedding tips! Know what you can afford and stick with it. Then you can work through the list you’ve created together, sourcing suppliers and making enquiries.
Agree on the guest list
So much revolves around how many guests you want; from where to hold the ceremony to the size of the marquee and the cost per head for food. And don’t allow yourselves to be sent on a guilt trip because you’re not inviting an aged great-aunt who you’ve never met – it’s your day, it should be about being surrounded by the family and friends you know and love.
Sort out your venue
If you’re planning to host your wedding reception in the grounds of a particular venue, there will probably be a list of preferred suppliers that the venue works with regularly. Equally, by hiring an Lifestyle marquees marquee we can introduce you to just about every supplier you might need to make your reception and evening party a huge success.
Meet suppliers first
There’ll be lots of people involved in making your big day happen, which means lots of quotes from suppliers. It would be easy to settle for the cheapest quote. But don’t make any decisions before you’ve met with suppliers face to face. True, you may be able to reject quotes that are way out of your budget, but do meet with those suppliers you’ve shortlisted to go through everything in detail.
There are many relationships in a wedding
A wedding is such a personal experience. It’s so much better if you and your suppliers get on and they truly understand what you want to achieve. Building a good relationship is essential; your wedding could be 12 months or more in the planning, you’ll want to get on well with everyone involved!
Your wedding, your vision
remember, your suppliers are working for you. Whether it’s the floral arrangements or the wedding breakfast, what they deliver should be in consultation with you and very much based on what you want, not what they want to create.
Timing is everything
A lot is going to happen on the day. If the wedding car is late picking you up for the wedding ceremony, your time at the ceremony venue may be compromised, guests will get flustered as the wedding photographer rapidly tries to capture all the group shots your requested. Meanwhile, the caterers will be working to a certain time by which starters should be served. This means the food could spoil if everyone is late to the reception marquee and then the band can’t play until the speeches are over and live music has to stop by 11pm. That probably illustrates the need to create a very precise plan for the day!
Let us help you plan the perfect wedding
Flagging at the last hurdle and running out of steam the closer your wedding day gets? Need some wedding tips? Not one of life’s great organisers and don’t know where to even start? Whether you want a little or a lot of help with your wedding marquee reception, Lifestyle marquees can help. Call us on 01483 322070 or email enquiries@lifestylemarquees.co.uk.
