While planning your beautiful big day there’s going to be some bits and bobs that you’ll want to allocate to someone else to take care of. You can’t do it all yourself and you’re going to be busy kissing, posing and hugging to do everything!
If you’re having a DIY wedding (marquee, festival style, barn etc) you’ll have a lot of jobs for people to help with like the table place settings, stocking the bar (and serving the drinks), keeping the place tidy and hazard free.
All weddings have specific roles for members of the wedding party, like the best man holding the rings, the maid of honour or bridesmaids helping the bride get dressed. But there are some things that will need to be taken care of whether you’re in a hotel, a venue or outside that are not necessarily on the traditional jobs list.
We’ve put together a list of things that you might not think about and can hand over to someone in your wedding party to take care of to help make yours a truly magical and memorable day for all of the right reasons!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
♥ Emptying the card box
Most venues will take care of clearing out the card box for you and pop your cards and pressies up in your room, but if you’re not staying or your venue is not a hotel give someone the task of taking all of the cards and pressies somewhere safe. And do it twice! Once for the day gifts and again once the evening guests have arrived and delivered their cards or presents. Then you just need to decide where they’re going. My dad took care of ours, took them home while we had our mini-moon and they were there ready for us when we got back. Opened a bottle of fizzy and settled in for a fab opening session!
♥ Clearing up the room
The morning after the wedding before usually means tidy up time. Whatever your venue you will need to collect your own bits and bobs together, make sure your floral vessels are ready for collection and all there….that sort of thing. If you’re not going to be around to do this you’ll need to beg the help of friends and family. Bear in mind that sometimes this might be early – if the venue has another wedding coming in or the marquee needs to be taken down or your suppliers need to collect their tables at 9am…!
♥ Confetti
It’s important to know what your venue’s take on confetti is – is it allowed? Does it have to be a certain type (biodegradable etc)? Do you have to clean it up? If you have restrictions on your confetti make sure you tell people in the wedding invitation but also give someone the job of pouncing on people they spot carrying a little white box! If there are restrictions, make your own and put someone in charge of distribution. And that same someone should make themselves known to the photographer so they can co-ordinate that all important confetti shot.
♥ The Marriage Certificates
You’ll be asked how many certificates you want on the day and they MUST be kept somewhere safe. Again your venue will pop them in the room but it’s probably best to allocate your most sensible guest (the one that won’t get hammered!) to keep a hold of them and deliver them safely to you after the wedding. You can get additional copies but there’s a cost involved, and of course if someone has your marriage certificate they can use it to clone your identity so be aware!
♥ Photography
You’ve met with your photographer, he has your list of required photos and who’s in them. Now how are you going to make sure people are where they’re meant to be at the time of the photos so you get those all important amazing keepsake shots? That’s right…allocate to a bridesmaid and a groomsman and make sure your photographer knows who they are. These people are likely to know a majority of your wedding guests so should be able to round them up easily and get them into position. Also, your groomsman can keep an eye on the groom, make sure his hair’s not sticking up, his coat tails are tidy and you can’t see his socks (unless you’re meant to!), and the bridesmaid can fluff your frock, sort out your veil and position your flowers. Say Cheese!
♥ Guest Book
It’s important that you get the guest book signed – whatever form it might take – so ensure you’ve got someone to pop around the tables and remind guests to go sign it. You’ll be gutted if someone doesn’t get the chance to leave a special message for you on your wedding day, simply because they hadn’t seen the guest book or (more likely) got too tipsy to do it! Have your guest book attendant take the book around while you’re having your couples photo shoot, or between the day and night break as evening guests are arriving to capture everyone.
♥ Photo booth/ outside activities
While a traditional photo booth or bouncy castle are likely to be manned by the supplier, if you’re doing it your way you might need someone to a) encourage people to use said activities and b) keep stuff tidy and available to everyone. Younger cousins, older aunts – anyone who might not be getting squiffy will be a good choice to man these for you so your guests have the most fun and create the best memories.
We’re sure there’ll be things specific to your wedding that will require a little assistance from your loved ones and hope that these little tips will help you spot those and allocate accordingly. And don’t forget a little pressie for whomever you ask – it’s always nice to show your appreciation.
Of course, you can always hire a Fairy Wedmother – we take care of pretty much all of the above for you ♥
The Fairy Wedmother 