A wedding day can easily be one of the most stressful, yet exciting days of one’s life. With all the details ranging from food, music, drinks and décor, what is some advice you would share with someone currently planning their big day?
Here are some of the tips a few newlyweds had to share.
If possible, wear flats
“This was the best decision I made with regards to my wedding day. Chances are, you will be exhausted long before you say “I do”, so I’d advise my brides to toss the heels and get themselves a cute pair of comfortable pumps for their wedding day. My friends and family found it odd that I’d be doing this, but nobody even noticed on the day because of the length of my dress. The biggest plus? I was the last one standing on the dancefloor!” – Nompumelelo
Pick your bridesmaids and groomsmen wisely
“Your bridesmaids are more than just people who will look pretty next to you. The perfect bridesmaid helps you in the lead-up, and throughout, your wedding day. From accompanying you when picking décor, cake tasting, or just simply checking in on you regularly and keeping the wedding vibe up! Make sure you have a solid, RELIABLE group of ladies beside you on your big day.” – Ayanda
Be strict with your guest list
“I cannot stress the importance of this enough. Be VERY strict with your guest list and the RSVPing process. A wedding is an expensive occasion, there is so much to consider cost-wise, and almost every detail is determined by how many guests you will have. Therefore, their attendance after forking out that money is NB! Do not be shy to state that no RSVP means no entry. And NO PLUS ONES unless stated so. All of this may seem petty, but it will make your day so much easier when you put your foot down, it is your day after all.” – Michaela
Pick your emcee wisely
“Your emcee could make or break your wedding reception. I had asked my cousin to emcee my wedding because he has always been the clown in every social gathering; the guy with all the jokes – always leaving people in stitches!. Unfortunately, I was unaware of his inability to filter himself. My emcee told the wrong jokes to the wrong crowd. It seems he was completely oblivious of all the elders who were in the room. Overall he made a great emcee, but in future, I would have to advise him in advance about his crowd.” – Nkululeko
Invite your make-up artist
My wedding day was long due to my cultural traditions, so it was important for me to have a makeup artist who would do touch-ups throughout the day. I wanted to look picture perfect for every second of our big day. Fortunately, my sister-in-law is a professional make-up artist, so she offered to do my make-up. This meant I looked great throughout the whole day – she never let me have an eyelash out of place! I would recommend hiring a make-up artist with an assistant at your wedding. Knowing that there is someone looking out for you in that department throughout the day will give you great peace of mind!” – Sanelisiwe
Marriage counselling is KEY
“I would advise every engaged couple to attend marriage counselling before tying the knot. By doing this, you will kill any assumptions and expectations that you may have of each other. The process pushes you as a couple to have conversations that are not easy to navigate while you’re still in your ‘honeymoon phase’. Being able to sit down and have someone mediate a conversation about your future together makes a huge difference for your marriage, long term.” – Ndumiso
Get a videographer to capture your ceremony
A lot of couples tend to have a photographer booked only for the pictures of the couple and their wedding party; and the reception. Make sure you have footage of your ceremony! My favourite part of my wedding video is everything that happened at the church. Being able to look back and see how my husband looked at me as I walked down the aisle, and capturing our “I do’s”.
There is something so genuine and pure about that moment. It HAS to be captured!” – Nkululeko
The most important tip for an engaged, soon-to-be-married couple, is to HAVE FUN! This is your day, so remember to enjoy every moment of it. Don’t focus on the little details too much. Look at the bigger picture – your beautiful life together that lies ahead of you.
In the end, relationships are your greatest net worth:
When you are younger, your urgency is to grow your bank balance and climb whichever career ladder you are on, and this is good. But as you grow older, you realize that when you leave a place of work, you are quickly replaced. You realize that money will never remember your name when you are gone, but people will. How did you make them feel? How did you change their lives? What did you walk through together? At 63, no one cares what job I did at 25 but the people I was with at that at
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Until next time.
The Wise About Life Team
