Wedding planning is an exciting and stressful venture, we can’t ignore that fact. While it is exciting that we will get together and celebrate love with friends and family, it is stressful as resources, like money and time have to be expended to make the day memorable.
I personally hate attending weddings because if you have seen one wedding you have seen it all. I love one-of-a-kind things and weddings of late have been offering the same thing over and over again. I only attend weddings because of the great people I will meet and the conversations I will have.
One of the reasons why I hate attending weddings is, they that plan weddings mainly think of the bride and groom and do very little for their guests except provide entertainment in the form of a DJ playing music and a checky MC cracking jokes. My utmost favourite wedding of all time was the wedding I went to and there we so many engaging exercises for the guests it was one of the weddings I didn’t spend the whole reception locked in a deep conversation with a bunch of people not minding what was going on at the wedding.
While resources might not allow all people getting married to have a website where they do quizzes and get rewards, or hire a comedian to do stand-up comedy or hire a renowned musician to serenade the bride down the aisle, what I think would be ideal for any wedding, these wedding trends will separate one’s wedding from all those weddings we have seen that is making a whole bunch of us dislike attending wedding:
1. Banner Photo Backdrop
While the wedding party is concentrating on their big day and making all moments last, wedding guests could be taking each other photos at the wedding banner photo backdrop strategically put to accommodate a huge group of people resources permitting. This is a kind of activity that will be engraved in people’s minds days, years after the wedding as people will have interesting photos to cherish about them being part of that wedding.
2. Circular Flower Bouquets
The interesting trend of having circular bouquets for bridesmaids and sometimes even the bride, will make the guest remember that unique wedding feature forever. I remember one of my friends describing one of the weddings she had been invited to by that trend only. Sometimes it’s the little things that make an extra huge impact on people.
3. A Cocktail Break
For people like us who like talking to guests too much giving us a window to speak to people who will not be at our table over a bite of finger food and drinks will make the guests really marvel at such an opportunity. The quality of food offered during the cocktail break also matters, the only time I ate figs was at a wedding in Harare and its been 13 years but I always talk about that wedding whenever I talk wedding with anyone. So before we go to the reception, allow us to bond with other guests, if possible over nice finger food, that is the fastest way to engrave these memories in our brains for a very long time.
4. Bridal Squad Pre-Wedding Shoot
I have given 4 tips of how a couple/wedding planner can actually make their wedding memories last longer in their guests’ books. A little prezzy for the couple would be to have a pre-wedding photoshoot with your bridal squad. It will be beautiful when you go through those photos later on in life and since the photographer is already paid for, why cant you just take advantage of their service and make the memories last longer?
5. Bride & Groom Gifts To Guests
If this was a face-to-face conversation, a lot of people would have scoffed at this idea if I had said it to their face. While it’s a culture that guests bring presents for the couple, let’s pause for a moment and think about how guests will react to presents from the couple. It doesn’t have to break the bank. My father still has a pen that was a guest gift at my brother’s wedding in 2009 that was engraved their names and their wedding date. I still have a handbag holder from that figs wedding I spoke about earlier. Small gifts like pens, notebooks, keyholders etc bearing the name of the wedding couple is a guest winner, and it will make guests excited about your wedding and it will be in their memories for a long time. Funny fact people usually speak about their most memorable weddings especially at weddings. Remember its your day but you have called us to witness it, making the day all about you and you is slowly becoming a thing of the past.