My Best Wedding Planning Tips
Most people rarely if ever plan an event like a wedding in their lives. After participating in hundreds, here are my best tips for planning a successful wedding day!
A later start time always works better
The most common mistake couples make is starting their wedding too early. By the time the dance floor opens, everyone’s exhausted. Plan to get photos in before your ceremony so your guests don’t have to wait hours between the ceremony and dinner. 4:30 is the earliest I would suggest starting a ceremony. Plan for 3 hours maximum of open dancing. Any longer and the event will end with a whimper. When I see that the itinerary includes 3+ hours of dancing, I know the wedding will end awkwardly. The best wedding I’ve ever been a part of started at 6PM!
Guests will stand until they are told to sit down
SO OFTEN, officiants forget to tell guests to be seated after the bride and groom walk down the aisle. Your guests will literally stand for a 45 minute ceremony if they aren’t told to be seated. Make sure your officiant tells guests to sit down.
Familiar music is the best music for weddings
If you decide to make a playlist for your wedding, I recommend picking music that your guests will probably know. If you have unique music taste, your formality songs like your first dance or recessional song can reflect that. For the dance floor, nothing beats familiar, popular music!
Put the best speech last
Whoever you expect to give the best toast needs to go last. This wraps up the formality on a high note, rather than an awkward one. Alternatively, a quick “thank you” speech from the newlyweds is always a good way to end speeches!
Open the dance floor with the anniversary dance
I have pioneered what I call “The Reverse Anniversary Dance” where we invite couples to the dance floor based on how long they’ve been together. This is the opposite of how it’s traditionally done, where guests are asked to leave the dance floor. This is an organic way to pack the dance floor before open dancing, so that when it opens everyone’s already out there!
Shorten the songs for parent dances
I always suggest doing an abbreviated version of the song during the parent dances. This keeps the night moving and the energy up. I have a way to cleanly exit those songs without it feeling weird to your guests.
Do your first dance right after the grand entrance
This way, you already have your guests’ attention, the lighting is ideal for photos, and you can get this stressful formality out of the way and relax for the rest of the night!