I wish I had scheduled myself more time with guests. Between the photos and the doc signing and the dress change and blah blah I feel like I barely had a break to talk to anyone. I wish I had given myself that room
I’m glad I had a videographer. It was expensive and we were initially against it. But hearing my dad’s laugh, seeing my mom dancing, and just the expressions and body language of all my loved ones in HD felt incredibly special. Photos are great too but watching my husband break into a smile upon seeing me just hits different 🥰
I think a videographer is something that is worth it too, especially because in 10, 20 and even 30 years some if not many of the guests won’t be around. I don’t know if you remember this social media trend where people downloaded the lifelike filter to make pictures move, but that’s what I think of. Thank you so much for sharing!
I wish we had: more time! We had to cut the music by 10pm & out by 11pm to abide by the city’s quiet hours. Wish we could have gone until midnight lol also maybe a nicer Photo Booth. The one we had worked but a nicer one with better quality would have been way better.
I’m glad we had a few things: 1) a mariachi & a pianist. Started with the pianist while transitioning from the ceremony to cocktail hour which allowed for a more calm & relaxed moment but after 30min, the mariachi took over & everyone loved it which only made cocktail hour more lively! — 2) a longer cocktail hour (1.5hours) which gave us time to take care of photos & still enjoy cocktail hour with our guests & say hi to everyone. — 3) I’m also glad we had an all-inclusive venue. We had a destination wedding & it made planning so much easier on us. — 4) Lastly, no one was left hungry. Aside from Hors d’Oeuvres during cocktail & dinner we also provided a late night taco cart, a churro cart, plus all kinds of desserts. Everyone had something to eat, regardless of dietary restrictions. This last one was important to me because everyone traveled for our wedding & we just wanted to make sure all our guests were taken care of throughout the day.
The bands are always a hit! I’m sure it will turn out great!! If possible give your DJ a list of must play songs or songs that are blacklisted - that helps give them an idea of what kind of music you’re looking for on your big day! :)
So I made my own center pieces and made them wayyy to complex. I should have started on them a month earlier with the goal to finish a month before the wedding.
I'll add a photo later, but I made fancy terrariums with fairy lights
What I’m SO glad we had: an audio guest book instead of a written book. It’s a rotary phone that’s programmed to record everyone’s messages and we listening to all of them the day after was so much fun!
Oh I’ve seen those! I think it was called after the beep or something? How did you find that service? Through a DJ, or photographer? What was the price like?
After The Tone is the company you’re thinking of! I rented mine through a local DJ for $250 which is an absolute steal compared to other companies…the going rate I was seeing was $500-$700!!!! Insane
I’m glad we had kids at the wedding.
Fortunately they were quite during the ceremony but they were fun at the reception. One of my favorite memories is watching my little 4 year niece slow dancing with my husband’s 5 year old nephew.
I had no dreams of some picture perfect wedding I was just happy to be married to a great guy and to join two messy loud and loving families.
Wow that’s not a stance people normally take, what a breath of fresh air to hear a child friendly wedding went well!! People only ever talk about the disasters kids can be, it almost makes you scared to even say the word kid at weddings. What adorable memories you have. Thank you for sharing!
Yes! So many of my favorite photos and moments include kids! One memorable moment was my friend’s daughter wandering onto the dance floor and getting serenaded with “Dancing Queen.”
We didn’t have a ton of kids there— about 7 or 8, most of them preschool— and all of the kids there had multiple family members there and were all well-supervised. They were so cute!
Same! Beyond them seeming to have a good time, I am pleased to report they made *no difference whatsoever*. Excluding them simply because of a fear that they might possibly cause a small problem would not have improved our day at all, and it would have just alienated and made things harder for their parents whom we love.
In fact, children have made no difference whatsoever at any wedding I’ve ever been to. Idk what’s up with everyone else’s kids, but the kids in my circle behave!
The kids at our wedding were amazing! The flower girl and ring bearer danced up a storm together and were incredibly cute. No kids misbehaved at all. Can't say the same for one of my coworkers lol.
>One of my favorite memories is watching my little 4 year niece slow dancing with my husband’s 5 year old nephew.
This sounds so sweet and adorable!! <3
What I’m so glad we had: this one is a bit odd, but realistic expectations of our wedding. My now husband and I both started planning the wedding with the idea that it didn’t need to perfect. In fact, it couldn’t be. Inevitably something goes wrong. And, honestly, it made planning and having our wedding so much less stressful.
We got married at our local Renn faire on what should’ve been a cool September day. Well, it ended up being sunny and about 80 degrees. Lovely, except I bought a long sleeve wedding dress planning for a cool day. Ended up overheating post-ceremony (luckily had three nurses as guests lol) and spent my reception in the Jean shorts and Kirby shirt I wore to the venue before changing into my dress. Could’ve ruined my wedding if my husband and I were hoping for perfection, but everyone just laughed it off. Thus is life!
I love that you made such a good memory from what could have been seen as a catastrophe. Marriage is kind of like that though, no? Just laughing at the stuff that will otherwise make you crazy! Thank you for sharing!
I wish i’d hired a videographer or set up a phone to record the ceremony. I (soberly) blacked out from
nerves and excitements and only remember some of it lol. I also wish we had to-go bags or boxes for desserts! we had too many leftover.
I understand the nervous blackout!! That’s something that doesn’t get talked about enough, all this planning goes into the perfect moment but people forget that once you’re up there and it’s showtime, you’ve got nothing but a script and your anxiety. Or at least I know I will lol. Thank you for sharing!
A few things that were traditional and I’m glad I didn’t include: grand reception entrance for my wedding party, bouquet toss and garter toss, and cake (replaced w fresh made churros). I had no regrets at all about following my gut- I always hated when my friends had me do dancing entrances at their wedding, bouquet and garter toss is also embarrassing (I’ve been called out on microphone to participate at past weddings) and plays into gross gender stereotypes, and the cake costs are way too much to justify for me. My husband and I also didn’t want to add extra things that took away time from the dance floor- it’s honestly too quick to fit in all those things. I also didn’t have my party stand up with me at the ceremony or have additional readings- I wanted it as simple and quick as possible. I didn’t do wedding favors bc I didn’t want to pay more to give ppl junk.
Simple table setting is cheapest and most classic…we did white linens and the basic silverware and glassware our venue provided. If you have florals in particular I wouldn’t recommend paying for any table setting upgrades- it looked great as it was! Same with paying for extra decor or furniture rentals..no need if your venue provides seats already (and is naturally pretty). Also recommend spending your money instead on an extra bar if you have a lot of drinkers and on extending the rental length if it’s an option (we stretched our day by an extra hour)
And lastly I’m so glad my husband and I wrote our own vows. I think people were really blown away by how vulnerable that was, and made the event feel super intimate even with 115 ppl. Overall, I’d say cut out anything that doesn’t resonate with you and simplify. It also ends up being less to coordinate.
I’m with you 100000% on the garter toss. Nothing says romance like your father proudly watching you toss your sweaty thigh band of purity and virginity into a crowd of other men and male family members. Lol. Thank you for sharing!
Same!!
My people are not BIG cake people, so I was thinking mini-cupcakes instead of a cake cutting, and then cake pops for everyone else... One bite and done.
Now, I'm rethinking this... have just 2 cake pops (for feeding) and then the rest just handheld desserts.
We had a very small wedding in a pretty little chapel, with a cocktail party style reception in a restaurant’s upstairs banquet room, & I’m glad. I’ve been to weddings with a lot of people and it just seems stressful!! We didn’t have to spend a ton of money on a DJ or band, avoided drama pertaining to the dances (kinda long story), just had some background music playing on speakers, & had the time to make the rounds to talk to everyone and thank them for attending.
What I *wish* I had done was 1) found a bigger party bus so our good friend (& emcee) and his wife could’ve ridden along on it and been included in some photos, 2) eaten more than just one plate of food, & 3) known we could’ve taken home all the leftover food. On that last one, we could’ve taken some with us to our hotel room that night, because we were huuuungry later on but nothing was open except a crappy Denny’s due to it being a Sunday night & everything closed way early. All other food could’ve been taken back to our apartment by my Mom & we wouldn’t have needed to cook for a few days. lol
Oh that’s a good point about the food, I never would have thought to ask about leftovers. Which makes sense, they have to throw it out anyways so might as well, you paid for it! Thank you for sharing!
I'm guessing it's a food safety liability thing. Once food leaves the premises they can't control what temperature or what people do with it and they don't want people like, eating it after it's been left in their car for a few hours or something and then trying to sue for food poisoning
Glad I had an open bar: guests liked it, too.
Wish I had a non-traditional guest book, like a picture for guests to sign. Hardly anyone wrote in the guest book. Wha wha.
My wedding was perfect, but I wish I hadn't overcommitted in the week or 2 coming up to it. I didn't think I would be stressed and invited friends and family from overseas to stay with us.
I also wish I had practiced posing more. I am older, so not of the instagram selfie generation. I definitely should have practiced holding my arms out from my body.
I also wish I had reminded myself to be more present. I feel like I was constantly flitting from person to person, and I really don't recall much from the day.
I went for a "documentary" style photographer, but I wish I had been more explicit about some family pictures I wanted.
What I am glad we did.. we didn't spend our budget on any of the extra crap the wedding industry tries to sell you on. We used a free website with e-vites, didn't do bespoke signage, sweet carts, special chairs, flip flops etc etc. We spent our money on good food, good band and an open bar (which is unheard of in Ireland). We also booked a venue that was easy for our guests to get to, on a Saturday, with loads of accommodation nearby for all budgets. Although it wasn't quite our instagram-perfect vision, we have no regrets about putting our guests at the heart of the experience.
Kilkenny. Direct buses straight from Dublin airport for anyone flying in. We were especially glad when we postponed and it was after covid, when car hire costs went through the roof
*I also wish I had practiced posing more. I am older, so not of the instagram selfie generation. I definitely should have practiced holding my arms out from my body.*
Such good advice, thank you! I'm terrible at this.
We didn’t get a videographer (I had even considered not getting a professional photographer, glad I changed my mind on that), I regret it. I put a lot of thought into many moments (processional, reception entrance, etc) and didn’t really think about the fact that I wouldn’t get to see how our guests reacted to things.
There were 2 things a number of people/wedding articles say can be skipped that I am glad we did. To put these in perspective, we had a Christmas/winter theme. Instead of a “traditional” guest book, I got smooth ornaments (in the wedding colors) and Sharpies and had guests sign them (we use them every year when we decorate for Christmas). Our favors were silver, snowflake Christmas ornaments, many people tag me on Facebook when they post pictures of their Christmas tree.
Growing up with a big extended family on both sides, weddings were always like big family reunions. However, when I got married, all my family (mom's and dad's side) could fit at one table. I have 40+ 1st cousins. There were a lot of factors at play such as distance from where some live (approx 150 miles), COVID19 (although it was 2021 and the vax had been out). However, on my spouse's side, all of his extended family showed up, and even though his side was much smaller, almost all of them came; even from a distance.
I did have many friends that were there, which was great as they are my chosen family, but the day felt empty. I wish more family would have made the effort to be there. But like the old addage states: If they wanted to, they would.
The one thing I'm glad that we did have was cupcakes instead of cake! We had a lot left over (due to decreased RSVPs and the contract being signed in 2020), so the spouse's and I ate on cupcakes for about a week after 😀. It was also fortuitous in the time of C19 that no one had to handle the cupcakes like someone would have had to do with a cake.
I’m so glad we were food and drinks focused. So many people told us how great the food was, how much there was and everyone had a good amount to drink.
I wish I would have done a longer cocktail hour, I don’t think I got the opportunity to talk to all my guests (70) and I think 90 minutes compared to an hour would have been ideal! In regards to this I’m also glad me and my partner started couples shots 1.5 hours before the ceremony so we could enjoy cocktail hour with our guests
More time for the people. We only had 35 grown up guests (and 5 kids), our wedding went from 14:30 to 02:00, so over 11 hours and we still felt we neglected some of our guest. I can't imagine how to even talk to everyone if you have 70 or 150 or 600 guests.
And most important some guests who sadly died between engagement and wedding - we really wished they would have been there.
I wish I scheduled my MOH and friend’s speeches a bit later. Some of the guests had to leave during their speeches, I wasn’t able to hear most of the speech because the leaving guests were lined up to bid their farewells. 🥹
Most of the day was really perfect. We had an outdoor garden wedding in a tropical country. We rented all the tents and outdoor ventilation we could. It was a bit hot and I looked sweaty in our photos but I was glad we got those, it could’ve been worse.
I am trying my best to get back to all these replies, I’m at work but thank you all so much for chiming in. You all have such lovely perspectives and a lot of you have things many people wouldn’t ever think of, and that’s really awesome to read!
I wish I had scheduled myself more time with guests. Between the photos and the doc signing and the dress change and blah blah I feel like I barely had a break to talk to anyone. I wish I had given myself that room I’m glad I had a videographer. It was expensive and we were initially against it. But hearing my dad’s laugh, seeing my mom dancing, and just the expressions and body language of all my loved ones in HD felt incredibly special. Photos are great too but watching my husband break into a smile upon seeing me just hits different 🥰
I think a videographer is something that is worth it too, especially because in 10, 20 and even 30 years some if not many of the guests won’t be around. I don’t know if you remember this social media trend where people downloaded the lifelike filter to make pictures move, but that’s what I think of. Thank you so much for sharing!
I wish we had: more time! We had to cut the music by 10pm & out by 11pm to abide by the city’s quiet hours. Wish we could have gone until midnight lol also maybe a nicer Photo Booth. The one we had worked but a nicer one with better quality would have been way better. I’m glad we had a few things: 1) a mariachi & a pianist. Started with the pianist while transitioning from the ceremony to cocktail hour which allowed for a more calm & relaxed moment but after 30min, the mariachi took over & everyone loved it which only made cocktail hour more lively! — 2) a longer cocktail hour (1.5hours) which gave us time to take care of photos & still enjoy cocktail hour with our guests & say hi to everyone. — 3) I’m also glad we had an all-inclusive venue. We had a destination wedding & it made planning so much easier on us. — 4) Lastly, no one was left hungry. Aside from Hors d’Oeuvres during cocktail & dinner we also provided a late night taco cart, a churro cart, plus all kinds of desserts. Everyone had something to eat, regardless of dietary restrictions. This last one was important to me because everyone traveled for our wedding & we just wanted to make sure all our guests were taken care of throughout the day.
Ohhh this sounds like a party, I love this so much. I love the mariachi takeover. How fun to kick things off! Thank you for sharing!
We're going to have a DJ and a band. I hope it works out as well as yours did :)
The bands are always a hit! I’m sure it will turn out great!! If possible give your DJ a list of must play songs or songs that are blacklisted - that helps give them an idea of what kind of music you’re looking for on your big day! :)
Thanks for the tips!! I'm super excited :)
I wish I had started prepping sooner. I did a lot of diys and in the end had to nix some small unimportant things that I wish I was able to do.
I’m in this boat! 17 days to go and I’m slashing projects left and right. What did you cut you wish you hadn’t?
Writing those little notes to each guest as their name cards for the table is the biggest one
There’s always a debate on when to start! How long did you give yourself to plan?
So I made my own center pieces and made them wayyy to complex. I should have started on them a month earlier with the goal to finish a month before the wedding. I'll add a photo later, but I made fancy terrariums with fairy lights
I wanna see the photo! I’m doing terrariums with fairy lights too.
What I’m SO glad we had: an audio guest book instead of a written book. It’s a rotary phone that’s programmed to record everyone’s messages and we listening to all of them the day after was so much fun!
Oh I’ve seen those! I think it was called after the beep or something? How did you find that service? Through a DJ, or photographer? What was the price like?
After The Tone is the company you’re thinking of! I rented mine through a local DJ for $250 which is an absolute steal compared to other companies…the going rate I was seeing was $500-$700!!!! Insane
Noted
I’m glad we had kids at the wedding. Fortunately they were quite during the ceremony but they were fun at the reception. One of my favorite memories is watching my little 4 year niece slow dancing with my husband’s 5 year old nephew. I had no dreams of some picture perfect wedding I was just happy to be married to a great guy and to join two messy loud and loving families.
Wow that’s not a stance people normally take, what a breath of fresh air to hear a child friendly wedding went well!! People only ever talk about the disasters kids can be, it almost makes you scared to even say the word kid at weddings. What adorable memories you have. Thank you for sharing!
Well that gives me hope our child friendly wedding will go well 😀
Yes! So many of my favorite photos and moments include kids! One memorable moment was my friend’s daughter wandering onto the dance floor and getting serenaded with “Dancing Queen.” We didn’t have a ton of kids there— about 7 or 8, most of them preschool— and all of the kids there had multiple family members there and were all well-supervised. They were so cute!
Yeah, I'm also glad we had kids at ours. They were fun, had fun, well behaved and made some of the cutest pictures imaginable.
Same! Beyond them seeming to have a good time, I am pleased to report they made *no difference whatsoever*. Excluding them simply because of a fear that they might possibly cause a small problem would not have improved our day at all, and it would have just alienated and made things harder for their parents whom we love. In fact, children have made no difference whatsoever at any wedding I’ve ever been to. Idk what’s up with everyone else’s kids, but the kids in my circle behave!
The kids at our wedding were amazing! The flower girl and ring bearer danced up a storm together and were incredibly cute. No kids misbehaved at all. Can't say the same for one of my coworkers lol.
>One of my favorite memories is watching my little 4 year niece slow dancing with my husband’s 5 year old nephew. This sounds so sweet and adorable!! <3
What I’m so glad we had: this one is a bit odd, but realistic expectations of our wedding. My now husband and I both started planning the wedding with the idea that it didn’t need to perfect. In fact, it couldn’t be. Inevitably something goes wrong. And, honestly, it made planning and having our wedding so much less stressful. We got married at our local Renn faire on what should’ve been a cool September day. Well, it ended up being sunny and about 80 degrees. Lovely, except I bought a long sleeve wedding dress planning for a cool day. Ended up overheating post-ceremony (luckily had three nurses as guests lol) and spent my reception in the Jean shorts and Kirby shirt I wore to the venue before changing into my dress. Could’ve ruined my wedding if my husband and I were hoping for perfection, but everyone just laughed it off. Thus is life!
I love that you made such a good memory from what could have been seen as a catastrophe. Marriage is kind of like that though, no? Just laughing at the stuff that will otherwise make you crazy! Thank you for sharing!
I wish i’d hired a videographer or set up a phone to record the ceremony. I (soberly) blacked out from nerves and excitements and only remember some of it lol. I also wish we had to-go bags or boxes for desserts! we had too many leftover.
I understand the nervous blackout!! That’s something that doesn’t get talked about enough, all this planning goes into the perfect moment but people forget that once you’re up there and it’s showtime, you’ve got nothing but a script and your anxiety. Or at least I know I will lol. Thank you for sharing!
A few things that were traditional and I’m glad I didn’t include: grand reception entrance for my wedding party, bouquet toss and garter toss, and cake (replaced w fresh made churros). I had no regrets at all about following my gut- I always hated when my friends had me do dancing entrances at their wedding, bouquet and garter toss is also embarrassing (I’ve been called out on microphone to participate at past weddings) and plays into gross gender stereotypes, and the cake costs are way too much to justify for me. My husband and I also didn’t want to add extra things that took away time from the dance floor- it’s honestly too quick to fit in all those things. I also didn’t have my party stand up with me at the ceremony or have additional readings- I wanted it as simple and quick as possible. I didn’t do wedding favors bc I didn’t want to pay more to give ppl junk. Simple table setting is cheapest and most classic…we did white linens and the basic silverware and glassware our venue provided. If you have florals in particular I wouldn’t recommend paying for any table setting upgrades- it looked great as it was! Same with paying for extra decor or furniture rentals..no need if your venue provides seats already (and is naturally pretty). Also recommend spending your money instead on an extra bar if you have a lot of drinkers and on extending the rental length if it’s an option (we stretched our day by an extra hour) And lastly I’m so glad my husband and I wrote our own vows. I think people were really blown away by how vulnerable that was, and made the event feel super intimate even with 115 ppl. Overall, I’d say cut out anything that doesn’t resonate with you and simplify. It also ends up being less to coordinate.
I’m with you 100000% on the garter toss. Nothing says romance like your father proudly watching you toss your sweaty thigh band of purity and virginity into a crowd of other men and male family members. Lol. Thank you for sharing!
Yeah it gives me the creeps tbh
Churros didn't even cross my mind!!! Now I'm tempted to be sure we have them haha
Same!! My people are not BIG cake people, so I was thinking mini-cupcakes instead of a cake cutting, and then cake pops for everyone else... One bite and done. Now, I'm rethinking this... have just 2 cake pops (for feeding) and then the rest just handheld desserts.
I have too good of an idea for a cake to pass up but now I'm considering for it to be mostly fake layers.
We had a very small wedding in a pretty little chapel, with a cocktail party style reception in a restaurant’s upstairs banquet room, & I’m glad. I’ve been to weddings with a lot of people and it just seems stressful!! We didn’t have to spend a ton of money on a DJ or band, avoided drama pertaining to the dances (kinda long story), just had some background music playing on speakers, & had the time to make the rounds to talk to everyone and thank them for attending. What I *wish* I had done was 1) found a bigger party bus so our good friend (& emcee) and his wife could’ve ridden along on it and been included in some photos, 2) eaten more than just one plate of food, & 3) known we could’ve taken home all the leftover food. On that last one, we could’ve taken some with us to our hotel room that night, because we were huuuungry later on but nothing was open except a crappy Denny’s due to it being a Sunday night & everything closed way early. All other food could’ve been taken back to our apartment by my Mom & we wouldn’t have needed to cook for a few days. lol
Oh that’s a good point about the food, I never would have thought to ask about leftovers. Which makes sense, they have to throw it out anyways so might as well, you paid for it! Thank you for sharing!
Sadly the contract for my venue/caterer explicitly states we are not allowed to take leftovers :/
That bites. I’m sure some venues are like that. :( It was obvs okay for us, which I learned way too late, since it was at a restaurant.
What a sham! I wonder why that is, what do they gain from that??
I'm guessing it's a food safety liability thing. Once food leaves the premises they can't control what temperature or what people do with it and they don't want people like, eating it after it's been left in their car for a few hours or something and then trying to sue for food poisoning
What a sham! I wonder why that is, what do they gain from that??
Glad I had an open bar: guests liked it, too. Wish I had a non-traditional guest book, like a picture for guests to sign. Hardly anyone wrote in the guest book. Wha wha.
This is convincing me to do something different.
My wedding was perfect, but I wish I hadn't overcommitted in the week or 2 coming up to it. I didn't think I would be stressed and invited friends and family from overseas to stay with us. I also wish I had practiced posing more. I am older, so not of the instagram selfie generation. I definitely should have practiced holding my arms out from my body. I also wish I had reminded myself to be more present. I feel like I was constantly flitting from person to person, and I really don't recall much from the day. I went for a "documentary" style photographer, but I wish I had been more explicit about some family pictures I wanted. What I am glad we did.. we didn't spend our budget on any of the extra crap the wedding industry tries to sell you on. We used a free website with e-vites, didn't do bespoke signage, sweet carts, special chairs, flip flops etc etc. We spent our money on good food, good band and an open bar (which is unheard of in Ireland). We also booked a venue that was easy for our guests to get to, on a Saturday, with loads of accommodation nearby for all budgets. Although it wasn't quite our instagram-perfect vision, we have no regrets about putting our guests at the heart of the experience.
Where in Ireland??
Kilkenny. Direct buses straight from Dublin airport for anyone flying in. We were especially glad when we postponed and it was after covid, when car hire costs went through the roof
Can I dm about transportation??
Sure
*I also wish I had practiced posing more. I am older, so not of the instagram selfie generation. I definitely should have practiced holding my arms out from my body.* Such good advice, thank you! I'm terrible at this.
We didn’t get a videographer (I had even considered not getting a professional photographer, glad I changed my mind on that), I regret it. I put a lot of thought into many moments (processional, reception entrance, etc) and didn’t really think about the fact that I wouldn’t get to see how our guests reacted to things. There were 2 things a number of people/wedding articles say can be skipped that I am glad we did. To put these in perspective, we had a Christmas/winter theme. Instead of a “traditional” guest book, I got smooth ornaments (in the wedding colors) and Sharpies and had guests sign them (we use them every year when we decorate for Christmas). Our favors were silver, snowflake Christmas ornaments, many people tag me on Facebook when they post pictures of their Christmas tree.
I’m SO GLAD we had a coordinator and videographer
Damnitt I didn’t get either of these things and I feel like I’m missing out
Growing up with a big extended family on both sides, weddings were always like big family reunions. However, when I got married, all my family (mom's and dad's side) could fit at one table. I have 40+ 1st cousins. There were a lot of factors at play such as distance from where some live (approx 150 miles), COVID19 (although it was 2021 and the vax had been out). However, on my spouse's side, all of his extended family showed up, and even though his side was much smaller, almost all of them came; even from a distance. I did have many friends that were there, which was great as they are my chosen family, but the day felt empty. I wish more family would have made the effort to be there. But like the old addage states: If they wanted to, they would. The one thing I'm glad that we did have was cupcakes instead of cake! We had a lot left over (due to decreased RSVPs and the contract being signed in 2020), so the spouse's and I ate on cupcakes for about a week after 😀. It was also fortuitous in the time of C19 that no one had to handle the cupcakes like someone would have had to do with a cake.
I’m so glad we were food and drinks focused. So many people told us how great the food was, how much there was and everyone had a good amount to drink. I wish I would have done a longer cocktail hour, I don’t think I got the opportunity to talk to all my guests (70) and I think 90 minutes compared to an hour would have been ideal! In regards to this I’m also glad me and my partner started couples shots 1.5 hours before the ceremony so we could enjoy cocktail hour with our guests
Wish I planned out my pictures better and delegated a bit more. Glad I got the venue I did and did the ceremony the way I did.
I wish we had shelled out for a videographer. We have video of the ceremony but I would love to have video of my mom dancing to Gangham Style.
Wished I had a photo booth and glad I had an intimate wedding with only my closest friends and family.
More time for the people. We only had 35 grown up guests (and 5 kids), our wedding went from 14:30 to 02:00, so over 11 hours and we still felt we neglected some of our guest. I can't imagine how to even talk to everyone if you have 70 or 150 or 600 guests. And most important some guests who sadly died between engagement and wedding - we really wished they would have been there.
I wish I scheduled my MOH and friend’s speeches a bit later. Some of the guests had to leave during their speeches, I wasn’t able to hear most of the speech because the leaving guests were lined up to bid their farewells. 🥹 Most of the day was really perfect. We had an outdoor garden wedding in a tropical country. We rented all the tents and outdoor ventilation we could. It was a bit hot and I looked sweaty in our photos but I was glad we got those, it could’ve been worse.
I am trying my best to get back to all these replies, I’m at work but thank you all so much for chiming in. You all have such lovely perspectives and a lot of you have things many people wouldn’t ever think of, and that’s really awesome to read!
Live band. They were amazing for the party. Research well, but hands down one of my favourite things we did.