There are definitely some do’s and don’ts of your wedding day that you want to try and stick to. Your wedding day, which we hope will only come around once in your life, should be the most important day of your life. It’s most likely going to be something you’ve always dreamed about as a little girl, and something you know you’re ready to commit to once you’ve found the right one. We think the principle of marriage is somewhat lost on people at the minute, with people getting engaged so early, married too soon, and splitting up even sooner. But we think that once the reality sets in that you are going to be with that one person all your life, it’s easy to get cold feet after the wedding. When you’re around each other all of the time, and having to deal with true couple responsibilities, it can just put such a strain on a marriage. So this introduction is a little bit of a don’t in itself. We don’t think you should rush to get married, even if you know in your heart it’s what you want. We think you should spend some time just happily being together without the added pressure. Once you know for sure that you’re a solid couple that’s going to go all the way, it’s time to think about the real do’s and don’ts of your wedding day that you might not have thought about before…

The Do’s

So, we might as well kickstart this article with something lighthearted, as we feel the introduction might have laid it on a little thick about people and their preference of when to get married. But when you know the time is right for you, the list of things to do is super long, and we think there are some things that you need to prioritise. The first, and this relates solely to your actual wedding day, is make it all about you and your partner. You wouldn’t believe the amount of people who make their wedding day about the people who are coming. From obsessing over the people who are going to be invited, to making sure the table layout is perfect for everyone else, to making sure that they get time to see everyone on the big day. This is a big no no in our eyes. You only need to have the people who you truly want there. Don’t make what we consider to be a rookie move, and invited every Tom, Dick, and Harry, just to fill the numbers. For one, you’re going to spend a fortune, and two, you just don’t need the hassle of a big wedding. On the actual day, just allow people to come up to you. Stick with your partner or your friends, have a good time, and mingle with the people who mingle with you. We promise you everyone will make their way towards you at some point, it just eliminates the stress of you worrying about seeing everyone, especially when you wake up the next day and start wondering whether you’ve actually spoken to everyone who came!

Another do is what you need to do before the day, and that’s think about how you want to capture some of the beautiful memories that you’re going to be able to make. So many people miss out on the opportunity to do this properly we feel, because they don’t hire a professional photographer who specialises in weddings. What you get when you hire one of theses, is a service like no other. You can get all sorts of effects which we think people are loving at the minute, such as the black and white wedding photography effect. Or, if you have an absolutely beautiful location that’s filled with colour, you might want to go with a photographer who specialises in capturing landscapes as well as special moments. But the main tip we have, is to have them on hand all night. Some people only have professional photos taken after the ceremony, then the person sort of disappears when it comes to the wedding reception. But the reception is where the real fun begins, and we highly recommend that they stick around to capture something amazing. If you really want to push the boat out and make things as fun as possible, you could get yourself a photobooth like you would find in a pub, or at an amusement park. One that does funny faces, puts props on you, and just sparks a bit of all round fun.

So, talking about fun, we might as well talk about how you can ensure your wedding party isn’t the bore of the century, and we’re sorry to say that a lot of them actually are. There’s just no life, people aren’t dancing, and all that can be heard is the DJ playing love songs in the background hoping people will get up to do the slow dance, but no one actually does. What you need is a sort of Project X styled wedding reception, where the fun is literally all around you. Well, not so much Project X, but you get what we mean. We think that a big do before the wedding day is planning the fun that’s going to happen on the day. Get drinking games on the go, make sure the DJ knows how to get people dancing, and have plenty of fun things to do there. You could have entertainers walking around, or what might really get the party started, an open bar. But most of all, just make sure it’s something that’s going to suit you and your partner. Everyone has their own idea of fun, and it’s so important that you inject your ideas into your wedding day!

The Don’ts

So, now onto the biggy that everyone might have been waiting for, because the don’ts amount to an awful wedding day if you put them altogether, and none of us want that for you. The biggest don’t in our eyes is don’t stress about the day. So many brides spend the weeks beforehand not being able to eat or sleep they’re that stressed, and when it comes to the big day, so many things will be ruined. If you haven’t ate or slept, you’re going to lose weight which could lost the fit of the dress. Or, it could go the other way and you could stress eat, once again losing the fit of the dress! You just really need to make sure you’re staying cool, calm, and collected, and that there’s nothing to worry about. The main thing people worry about is that all eyes will be on them, and we totally get that fear. But, it’s important to remember that all eyes will be on you because people are just so happy to see you happy. Remember to focus on yourself, focus on your own happiness, and don’t let the day slip away from you because you’re a bag of nerves!

Another big don’t is don’t go too overboard with your budget. When you first got engaged, you might have wondered how you would ever actually be able to afford a wedding. After getting a few quotes and figuring out how much it’s all going to cost, your eyes might have popped out of your head. But as expensive as they are, you’ll soon realise that people will pull money out of thin air to help you, and you’ll be doing it yourself as well! Your budget will just go up and up and up, until one day you have so much money to spend on this wedding that’s going to be over in around 12 hours. You have to prioritise and compromise as to what you want. The location and your dress is key, but everything else we feel can be done a little cheaper. What you can then do, which is a big do in our eyes, is spend more money on the honeymoon. This is the time where you can finally escape as newlyweds and enjoy your first few weeks together. If you plan your money right, there’s no reason why you can’t wake up the day after your wedding day, and jump right on a plane to somewhere warm and beachy! The honeymoon definitely is a key component that gets missed!

Our final don’t, is don’t forget to just enjoy the day, and literally take in every moment. As we said, the whole day will probably be over in around 12 hours or more, and when you’re so wrapped up in the moment, these 12 hours can seem like 2 minutes. Before you know it, everyone is saying goodbye and leaving the venue, and you’ve just got the blurred memories of the day and night to look back on. So really do make a conscious effort to take in every moment, and appreciate what’s happening around you. Take personal pictures, relax, dance, and just do everything that you should be doing on your wedding day!