After years of doing weddings and with about 80% of them in marquees, tipis and sheds on private properties we have learnt a thing or two about what makes for a good day! Now I get that these 10 things aren’t super exciting but they are so important to consider and they make a big difference to how much both you and your guests will enjoy themselves and how smooth the day will run.

What power do you have and more importantly what power do you need? It mightn’t seem like a lot but you are going to have caterers, all your lights and the band drawing power. Now NOBODY wants a bunch of half cut guests peering into the fuse box with a phone torch trying to fix it. If a caterer tells you they need x amount of power listen to them. A deep fryer is all it takes to trip the power and your guests are plunged into darkness and the band is all the sudden more acoustic than they were anticipating.

2. Have a plan for what guests are doing between the ceremony and reception. If your ceremony is elsewhere anticipate some guests will head straight to the reception area. So maybe have some nibbles out, some background music playing to set the scene and the bar open.

3. When it comes to buses make sure access in and out is easy. If they have to drive across the paddock are there low limbs hanging from trees, are there any big dips through gullies, how tight is the turn off from the road into the gate and if it’s been a bit wet is the track solid enough to handle buses and every other vehicle traipsing in and out. Remember the track will be used by the trucks bringing the marquee in, all the furniture, the caterers etc. It is a lot so really think about it.

Also, scatter the bus times and make sure you have a couple of early ones, particularly if guests have a bit of a bus ride home. You might be keen to kick on into the early hours but not everyone will and waiting for a bus to show up can take your guests experience from amazing to pretty ordinary so just remember to look after them.

4. Google maps is great but be sure that everyone has a clear idea on directions. A pin drop will be awesome from some but give clear written instructions too. This goes for your celebrant, florist, band etc AND guests. I have heard of all of the above getting lost and turning up late. It is stress no-one needs and is so easy to avoid.

5. Keep your guests in mind when buying drinks for the bar. Not everyone is there to get on it so make sure you supply light or mid strength beer and have a few non alcoholic options. It’s a long day for everyone to only be drinking booze so this isn’t just for the pregnant friend or your nana. It’s for everyone.

6. A few things when it comes to toilets. A. Get 1 or 2 more than you think you need. Two might be enough for 100 people on a normal day but remember everyone is drinking and it’s a long day. B. Work out how to put lights either in the toilets or at least around the outside-they get dark in there! C. Pop a table outside to put glasses on and have a full length mirror (or any kind of mirror) nearby. It will come in so handy for both you and your guests.

7. Remember the ceremony is where everyone is catching up for the first time so help set the tone for what’s to come. Have some drinks (water included) at the ceremony site and if you can have some music playing that will be even better.

8. Regardless of the time of year consider heating. Our nights get cold here in south Vic so if all your guests have turned up in a nice dress they are unlikely to have packed a coat for later in the night. When grass in a marquee gets dewy it gets cold and there is no mood killer quite like everyone being frozen.

9. How loud is the music? Sure you want everyone to bop along to some good tunes but weddings are a massive catch up from families so they want to be able to hear each other speak.

10. Have plenty of rubbish bins about. The tidier it is that night the nicer it will be for everyone the next day because someone has to do the clean up.

So, there you have it. As I say it’s not the exciting stuff but if you keep all these tips in mind you and your guests are in for a good day! If you’d like help getting your wedding in order shoot us a message via the contacts page. Otherwise happy planning!