10 things that make a wedding memorable

Book the venue and the key suppliers early

The most popular venues, photographers and musicians for Saturdays from May to September are often booked months ahead. Start with the venue, because it sets the date. Straight after that, book the photographer and the music.

If your date is flexible, consider a Friday, a Sunday or a month outside the season. You will have more choice.

Set your budget and decide what matters most to you

Sit down together and choose the three things that matter most to both of you. For some couples it is the food, for others the music or the photos. Spend more on those, and save on the rest with a clear conscience.

Set aside about a tenth of the budget for things that crop up at the last minute.

Draw up the guest list early

The number of guests decides almost everything else: how big a venue you need, how much the menu will cost and how many invitations you will order. So make your first list before you even look at venues.

Split it into two parts. The first has the people you definitely want there. The second has the people you will invite if there is room.

Choose a style and colours, and repeat them everywhere

When the invitation, the decorations, the flowers and the photo frame are all in the same colours, the wedding looks put together and well thought out. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Two or three colours and one motif, such as a flower or your initials, are enough.

Look at the venue through your guests’ eyes

Check whether there is room for dancing and for a photo booth area. Ask how late the celebration can go on and when the suppliers can get in to set up their equipment. If the ceremony or the reception is outdoors, agree a wet-weather plan with the venue.

Think about guests coming from other towns, too. If needed, book rooms for them nearby or arrange transport.

Plan the day hour by hour

With a programme, the photographer, the musicians and everyone else know when their moment comes. Here is an example:

17:30

Guests arrive

18:00

Ceremony

19:00

The couple’s entrance and first dance

19:30

Dinner and dancing

22:30

Cake

23:00

Bouquet toss

Don’t leave the cake and the bouquet too late, because some guests leave early.

Choose someone to deal with the suppliers

On the wedding day, the venue, the photographer, the musicians and the photo booth will all be looking for someone to ask. Make sure it is not you, or your parents. It could be a friend you trust, or a wedding planner.

Give them the programme and every supplier’s phone number a week in advance. That way you will be with your guests, not on the phone.

Think about what guests will do between dinner and dancing

Not every guest dances, and older guests often end up on the sidelines. A photo booth area or a game brings them into the celebration. Put the older guests’ tables further from the speakers, so they can talk.

The photo booth area works especially well, because it brings relatives and friends who would hardly ever be photographed together into one shot.

How we do it. The photo booth area does not replace the photographer – it complements them. The photographer follows the story of the day, while in the photo booth area the guests take their group photos themselves. With AI photos, guests can even become superheroes.

Give your guests a keepsake with your names and the date

A printed photo with your names and the wedding date stays on the fridge for years. Guests are happy to take one home. You can also put an album next to the photo booth area, where guests stick in their photo and write a message. That way you also get a guest book full of good wishes.

How we do it. With PremiumPoint for 5 hours and with LumiPoint ‘Day and Night’, we give you a wedding album for 600 photos of 10 × 15 cm and a photo mosaic as a gift – a single picture put together from the guests’ photos.

After the wedding, gather the photos and say ‘thank you’

Photos from the photographer, from the photo booth area and from the guests’ phones usually end up scattered. Gather them in one place within the first week, and ask the guests to upload theirs to a shared folder.

Send your guests a thank-you together with a link to the photos. If a supplier impressed you, write them a review. For small businesses, that is the most valuable thanks there is.

How we do it. We print every photo on the spot, with no limit on the number. Guests also get them on their phones, and the online gallery stays up for 30 days, so download the photos in time.