Wedding Do's & Don'ts

A few thumbs up and thumbs down you should look at for your wedding !

DO’S

Once you have confirmed the date and venue DO send out save the date cards, emails or text messages to your guests at least 6 months beforehand, informing them to keep that date open for the wedding.. This will give them ample time to prepare financially especially if they live out of town. Make travel and accommodation arrangements and ask for any days off from work if necessary.

DO make use of the internet to research on unique wedding ideas, money saving tips and honeymoon destinations among other things. It also comes in handy when choosing dress designs for the attendants and also the bride’s gown if she chooses to have it custom made.

DO send out thank you cards to your guests within the next 3 months after the wedding. Your guest will appreciate the fact that you took time out to personally thank them with these cards.

DO have an emergency kit handy containing needles, thread, safety pins, hairpins, buttons, sanitary wear, masking tape, scissors, make up, face wipes, antibacterial sanitizers or wipes, scissors, breath mints, handkerchiefs/tissues, painkillers or anything else you can think of on the wedding day just incase it is required.

DO sign a written contract with all your chosen vendors. An invoice is not enough and most good vendors will usually have a standard contract, if they don’t then draw one up. Read it thoroughly and understand it before signing. This comes in handy incase any problems arise later.

DO it yourself! If on a very tight budget, by all means if you can, do it yourself. This can range from making your own invitation cards, printing the programs off your home computer, making the centerpieces or favours, baking cakes for dessert at home, or even gathering a few family and friends to help with the décor (I don’t know why we hardly do this in Kenya anymore because I remember helping to decorate quite a few wedding halls as a child).

DON’T’S

If you choose to have a wedding committee to help raise funds for the wedding, DON’T assume that everybody who pledges will pay up or that everyone who pledges a certain amount pays the full amount. Work within a reasonable budget with the cash at hand.

DON’T settle for the first vendor that you approach visit two or three others before making a decision and make sure you see their work before engaging them.

And last but not least DON’T be like everyone else DO something different. Be creative think out of the box, borrow traditions from other parts of the world or come up with your own traditions that you can pass onto your children. If you saw something you liked at a different wedding don’t copy and paste it, add a different twist to it make it unique to suit both your tastes and personality. Change your entrance or exit, have a different set up at the reception, include games at the reception make it fun and memorable, the list is endless. You want your guests talking about you wedding for years to come.