Think about your guests:
When you start planning, think about what will make your guests as comfortable as possible. Plenty of parking, baby changing facilities, lots of seating, maybe even a box in the toilets with plasters, deodorant and sanitary products. If you're having an outside wedding, you might want to think about shade, or sun cream or fans. Think about an assortment of drinks for straight after the ceremony; be sure to have alcohol free options too.
Plan and decorate with personality:
It's important that your wedding reflects you both. If you are festival-loving, relaxed people, then a smart, formal wedding won't suit you. This is your big day, so your plans and decorations should be to please yourselves, not anyone else. So, if you want your family cat as your cake topper, and a glitter tattoo artist, go for it!
Food focus!
There is nothing worse as a guest at a wedding than only having a few morsels of canapés after the ceremony (because you're busy catching up with everyone) and then sitting down at the reception only to find out that the speeches are happening before the food! Full bellies = happy guests, so keep the food flowing.
Set the pace of the day:
Try to avoid cramming too much into the day. You want your guests (and yourself!) to have fun. Maybe have a schedule displayed with the main parts of the day so that your guests know what to expect and when. You can set the mood and atmosphere with music. Relaxed, slow music in the background will help your guests to relax. Turn up the beats and turn down the lights when you want the party to get started!
Give your guests options:
Not everyone is going to be able to handle non-stop partying from dusk 'til dawn, so make sure there is a seating area a little bit away from the loud music and flashing lights, where your guests can go to chat or have a bit of down time, while they recharge their party dancing batteries.
Easy entertainment:
If you are providing entertainment, make sure it is optional! Lots of your guest will be happy just having a drink and catching up with each other. Lawn games, or a photo booth are great options for chilled out entertainment.
Suppliers:
Make sure that you choose your suppliers carefully, and make sure that you are very specific when discussing what you want for your wedding. Suppliers are not mind-readers, so if you want something 'just-so', make sure you convey that.
Finish on a hit!
Don't just let the party fizzle out. Think about ending with a particular song, or doing a sparkler send off, or even leaving your wedding favours until the end of the night, so that everyone leaves with a smile on their face.
