1. Not getting a backup button hole bloom for the groom. This is true whether you’ve chosen to take pictures before or after the ceremony—a single bloom will wilt or at least start to look less, um, perky after a few hours. Your bouquet can be periodically ‘spritzed’ with water but his button hole stays pinned to his jacket where it gets heated, hugged & fussed with.
2. Choosing a loud ceremony site. Outdoor weddings are stunning—no doubt about it. But be careful when selecting the ceremony site. It has to be more than just picturesque.
3. Not providing enough shade. Shade is required at summer weddings. Even if most of your wedding takes place indoors, your guests will be drawn to the outdoors.
4. Offering alcohol before the ceremony starts. The party doesn’t have to start after you’re pronounced husband and wife. Set the time on your invitations for an hour before the ceremony really starts and have the guests arrive early, they can mingle to filtered sounds of reggae through your own iPod or hire violinists to stroll through the gardens – anything that sets the right mood. Have waiters pass around a signature NON-ALCOHOLIC drink such as lemonade and iced tea in fun tumblers with straws.
SKU: WBBF0747, SKU: WBBF0762, SKU: WPEA1798
5. Flies or no flies. It doesn’t matter how good your photographer is – you simply can’t get back the moment during your ceremony when you are swatting away that pesky fly and the camera clicks! It is summer in Australia after all; so why not grab a spray bottle of ‘non-scented’ bug repellent and then you can be fly free. Believe me ladies – they just LOVE the sweet smell of your perfume!
6. Indoor option – for rain, hail or shine. Don’t put all your eggs in your weatherman’s basket. The last thing you want to be unprepared for is rain. Better safe than sorry. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
7. Choosing the wrong icing on the cake. Don’t worry, your cake’s not going to melt like the Wicked Witch in Wizard of Oz. Most cakes will hold up well in the summer so long as you don’t keep them in direct sunlight (which could melt icings like buttercreams and ganaches).
8. Forgetting to stock a bathroom basket. Will your guests feel sweaty? Hot? Flushed? Make sure everyone has a way to freshen up. Find containers that match your wedding-day decor—galvanized tin buckets, vintage wooden crates, ornate ceramic boxes—and use them to house freshen-up essentials: mini deodorants, sunscreen, blotters, bug spray, mints, mini water bottles, and so on. A little refreshment will go a long way in the hot summer sun!
9. Let the professionals make suggestions. Sometimes summer soirees can be stunning and sometimes they are hotter than anticipated. Don’t be afraid to let go of your tightly held hourly schedule. Let the wedding planners, photographers and venue supervisors guide you through your day.
10. Let Summer be Summer. You’ve selected Summer as your wedding season, so embrace it. Let the groom have his shirt sleeves rolled up, grab some thongs for your bridesmaids (after the ceremony of course!), have a lemonade stand for your guests as they arrive and even consider a nighttime dance out under the stars! Your wedding is going to be beautiful no matter what happens and as the clock strikes midnight, you will be married to the one you love, in which case everything went perfectly.
Thank you for using the Fashion Industry Network. Have you helped another member today? Answer questions in the forum. It brings good luck.