Singaporebrides | Weddings 101
May 2012
Wedding Forget-Me-Nots
Weddings are exciting times but the planning process can sometimes be more trying and frustrating than fun. If you feel a pressing desire to rip that long, scary wedding to-do list to pieces as you approach the one week mark to your big day, try not to give in to it. So many things could go wrong if you didn’t perform a last minute check-through of that list, and you’ll not want any of that to happen on your wedding day.
In fact, a last minute check-through might prove to be too late, if you did indeed miss out an important detail. Nip the problem in the bud by working carefully and methodically down your wedding to-do list during the planning stage to ensure all ground has been covered. But we know the list is long and you busy brides-to-be have your hands full, so we’ve handpicked five issues you should pay close attention to during the planning and on the eve of the wedding. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay the rest of the items on the list no heed, but you need to start somewhere, and we suggest you begin with these five first.
Don’t Ditch The List
Think you’ve gotten every task on your wedding to-do list and are ready to chuck that piece of paper into the wastepaper basket? Think again. Even if your list is full of crossed-off items, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve been taken care of. You could have crossed it out by accident and forgot about the mistake. The next thing you know, you’re missing table centerpieces.
The truth is, the more times you’ve gone through that list, the more likely you are going to miss something on it. Keep the list by your side until the very end – this allows you to check through your list a week or day before your big day to ensure you’ve covered all grounds. Noting down the progress of each item will make checking-through it a breeze as well.
It’s in the Timing
Picking out an auspicious date is the first thing brides-to-be will be looking at, especially for Chinese couples. The date and day of your big day holds equal importance as where it is being held. Just as certain hotels or locations are more popular than the others, there are particular times of a year that are more popular for weddings.
And those times tend to be the beginning and end of a year. So, if you’re planning on having yours around those months, it’ll be a good idea to plan way ahead to secure the hotel or location of your choice.
You’ve Been Cordially Invited
The next step is, of course, to send the invitations out and spread the good news around. But before that, you have to decide who gets the invite and who doesn’t. With family obligations and feelings to consider, deciding who gets onto the guest list is not an easy task nor will it end in a pretty sight. Regardless of how tactful you’ve gone about it, someone’s bound to get upset – and sometimes, they may not necessarily be the ones who didn’t make the list.
Even if you’ve kept the affair hush-hush, word will still make its rounds via social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter, and gossiping relatives. When that happens, you should brace yourself for passive-aggressive comments and snide remarks from those who weren’t invited, as well as from those who thought these people should be invited.
Refrain from reacting to them by brushing them off or politely emphasising that your decision is final. You owe no one an explanation of why they weren’t invited. It is your wedding; who you want to invite lies in your hands. Surround yourself with your loved ones and don’t let a handful of disgruntled individuals ruin your special day over something as trivial as wedding invitations.
Drink Up Me Hearty
Pop those wine bottles, my dearies, it’s time to toast to the newlyweds’ happy union and get the groom stinking drunk on his wedding night. What? There isn’t any around? Not even champagne? What atrocity is this?!
While alcohol is usually a staple at a wedding banquet, on the rare occasions, the happy couple might decide to omit it for various reasons. It could be due to religious or family reasons, or maybe, they simply didn’t have the budget for it. Or if you don’t want your new husband to be dead drunk on your wedding night, that could be one motivation to keep alcohol off the menu.
If you are providing alcohol at the banquet, there are a few things you should consider to avoid overspending on it:
- Work out a budget for alcohol and check with the hotel’s charges for the amount of booze you need.
- If you’re working on a limited budget, it’ll be a good idea to source for cheaper outlets besides the hotel itself.
- Ask the hotel about per-bottle corkage fees if you’re bringing your own liquor to the banquet, and work that amount into the final budget.
Emergency Kit
Who (or what) is going to save you when your shoe bites, your mascara smudges or the stitching at the side of your wedding gown comes apart? Your wedding emergency kit, of course. If you haven’t prepared one, then it’s about time you do. From heel guards to spare make-up, safety pins and a sewing kit, everything you might possibly need goes into this kit.
Prepare this list we’ve done up for you as you go along in your planning and get your bridal party to help you out just in case you’ve missed something. Make two sets of the kit and keep one in the bridal car with you, and the other in the wedding suite.
Although we’ve only listed out five issues, you’ll find other or more issues on your wedding to-do list that will require you to pay closer attention to than the rest. Recruit a trusted friend or relative and keep them in the loop. It’s good to have an extra pair of eyes (and hands!) to help out in the planning stage and on the wedding itself to ensure that your big day goes smoothly. You, on the other hand, need to let go and enjoy your wedding day to its fullest.
Download Emergency Kit PDF here.
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