8 Quick & Easy Tips for Wedding-Day Success

To save yourself from repeating those same mistakes, discover the following tips from Tessa Brand of Tessa Lyn Events to make your wedding day a success. 

Share your invitation-suite draft. 

When we look at the same thing over and over again, we can often miss the most obvious details. So when your wedding-invitation proofs are finalized, send them to three random loved ones to review and check for any inaccuracies or typos. You will be surprised how often they can find a mistake. 

This can be especially helpful if you have a map printed or a list of tourist attractions, multiple pre- or post-wedding celebrations, etcetera because a friend or family member can let you know if something is confusing to read or doesn’t share enough information to be seamless for guests. 

Get out the measuring tape. 

Nearly all of our clients rent gorgeous chairs and impressive charger plates for their dinner service, and these rentals vary in size and width. Make sure you know how many chairs fit at your table comfortably and how many chargers work with the glassware and other tablescape elements before working on your wedding seating chart.

Now is the time to pre-pay. 

You should pay all wedding vendors in full ahead of the wedding day. Even for vendors who will take final payment on the day of the nuptials, the last thing you should be doing on the wedding day is writing checks and confirming invoices. Finalize all of your payments three to four weeks before the wedding (this includes preparing tip envelopes) and enjoy your final weeks leading up to the nuptials. If a problem does arise with products or services, you will still have recourse after the big day. 

Feed your wedding party. 

Pre-order room service or a meal delivery and designate people to bring drinks, snacks, champagne, and other treats throughout the getting-ready period. Locating food and beverages and having them arrive within a particular time frame is not something you want to be worried about or scrambling to do in the middle of an already-busy time. It is a long day for everyone, so you’ll want to be sure you and your favorite people are well fed and hydrated for the special occasion. 

Beware of shipping and handling. 

Always consider what the postal service may do to your invitation. That pretty ribbon... Those vintage stamps... We would love to tell you that the post office will be gentle with your beautiful invitations, but sadly, they are not. Many post offices will no longer hand-cancel envelopes with a stamp, therefore your invitations are likely going to be processed by a machine. Choose stationery embellishments that will stand strong in order to arrive in mailboxes beautifully. 

Make a packing list, and check it twice. 

You will be shocked at what you will accumulate for the wedding over the months of wedding planning. Create a packing list ahead of time, and put all wedding items in labeled boxes. (Hint: don’t forget your invitation and paper products for the photographer.) Organizing ahead of time will help ensure nothing is left behind on the wedding day and avoid any extra stress or panicking when you realize you forgot an important element at home. Bonus points for leaving a house key with a neighbor just in case!

Have a backup plan. 

A generator is the best insurance you can buy. If you are getting married at a private estate or outdoor venue where you are relying on power sources that may be outdated or outnumbered, it is always a good idea to rent a generator. There is nothing worse than having a power problem in the middle of the event, as it will affect lighting, the catering kitchen, the music amplification, and the overall vibe of the celebration. Spend what you need in order to guarantee enough power for the night.

Do not skimp on transportation. 

If your spending limit is well over the limit and you are down to the nitty gritty details of the big day, do not under-book shuttles in order to save money. You are giving your guests a night to remember and when they are ready to retreat back to their hotel rooms, a a long wait for a shuttle is the ultimate buzz kill. You don’t want for this to be the last memory of the day. Make sure you time your shuttles to leave every 30 minutes for the final two hours of your event – even if this means you need more vehicles. 

No matter what goes wrong on the day of your nuptials – and something likely will pop up and pose a challenge – rest assured that your wedding planner can smooth it over. That’s why you hired professionals! It probably isn’t the first time your planner has encountered the problem, so he/she will have a Plan B ready to present to you – or some creative approach to continue on with a spectacular and seamless day. Sometimes you might not even notice they saved the day! 

If you follow these bits of advice and listen to your wedding planner’s guidance, you can spend your wedding day sitting back, sipping champagne, and basking in the treasures of the magical day.

This article was originally published in the Spring 2024 issue of Inside Weddings magazine. To order a copy of the Spring 2024 issue, visit our library of Inside Weddings back issues available for purchase.