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Here are some tips on how to ensure a fabulous wedding day. Plan, Plan, Plan and enhance your experience for the best day of your life! One that will stay with you for many years to come.
Celebrant says...
Plan B - The Only Rule for Outdoor Weddings
It CAN rain on the North Coast NSW.
Any month of the year but especially the warmer months.
Don't forget the up side though - rain is supposed to be good luck on your wedding day! Some would argue that one. It was on mine.
Don't be disappointed by having to abandon Plan A - Just make sure Plan B is a good one too.
Winter for Wedding Ceremonies - Yeahhh
There are lots of reasons for timing your North Coast Wedding for the winter months.
~ The weather is mild - warm so people can dress up in comfort.
~ Winter is the drier season for this part of the coast, so rain is less likely to spoil your outdoor plans.
~ Bookings for venues and services are quieter during the winter. Therefore rates are more competitive and choices are more flexible.
~ The beaches are all but empty - magic
To Entry or Not to Entry
Don’t get me wrong, the traditional entry with the groom waiting expectantly for his beloved (clinging tearfully to the old man) to walk the isle, still wins plenty of tears and plenty of wow’s.
There are no rules once you step outside the church and engage a civil celebrant (except for the legals). You can be first there and not even make an entry at all or let your imagination lose and create something you will never forget.Max your Photographer
Picture when you first open your wedding album. You don't want to be scratching your head looking for missing friends, relatives, etc. Make sure your photographer covers everything and everybody you had in mind.
The tip?
Make it easy and give your photographer a list, e.g. Bride with siblings; Groom with Siblings; Bride & Groom with both parents; Bride & Groom with bridal party down by the waterfall, etc..
When did you want that Album?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder so the choice of who takes the best shots is very subjective.
A question you should ask yourself is, how long do you want to wait for those exquisite wedding photos? The most popular photographer is the most likely to have the biggest backlog of photoshopping to do. Unless you are prepared to wait 6 months, ask how long.
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Beach Fees
Local Councils require permits to stage a wedding on the beach and the permit comes with a fee.
Fees differ considerably depending on which beach your ceremony is.
The most expensive beaches are not necessarily the most picturesque or the most amenable. Can be surprisingly costly so well worth checking this out! See the relevant council websites for details.
Beaches & Cracker Heels
Beautiful, beautiful heels. Bigger the better we
say. A girls best friend but sadly not so fab on the beach.
I love my bling toe sandals. They take all the drama out of getting onto the beach, tramping through dirty car parks and muddy bush tracks to get to that private beach nook.
Save the glamour shoes for the reception.
Off my dress - GOOSE!
You know that gorgeous body hugging wedding dress you dreamed of when you were a little girl.
You know, the one with the great long white trailing affair.
The one that attracts every stick, stone and shoe around.
If you are partying after the ceremony, check it out after the first couple of hours.
Does that dream dress look vaguely like it has swept the floor and been dipped in warm beer.
Get my drift.
Always a good idea to be able to hitched it up somehow as they are a costly little number and would be a shame to have it ruined before you even make it to the after party.
Relax & LIVE IT!
The planning and lead up to your day might be a progression over many months or even years in some cases! Then when it finally comes around it all goes so FAST!!!!!
Make sure that the next day you won't be thinking and it was all just a big blurrrrrrrrr. You will want to do it all again.
Please, I cant stress this one enough. Are you listening! TAKE YOUR TIME! Soak it all up and enjoy every minute, especially your ceremony.
Unless you are planning to do it again - trust your experienced Celebrant.
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Ticking all the boxes BEFORE the wedding!
Your wedding day requires intricate planning. Think it through and through again to make sure it is all highs and no lows. If you tick every box you possibly can prior to the wedding day you are well in front.
Take charge of the things you do have control over and clinch those first. Make sure your ceremony is ready to roll well before your wedding day.
Do it when you have time. You won't have time in the last week.
The No 1 tip is to enjoy regardless of any hiccups. You can have plan B for the weather, but how your hair and makeup will look or whether Aunty Marg is going to be late as usual, can't effect your enjoyment of your wedding.
Where did that beach go?
When you plan a beach wedding you are probably thinking warm white sand and the sound of lapping waves. For that you need a beach that is not covered by water.
What time of day is your ceremony? What will be the tide on the day?
Each beach is different and the tides vary somehat at different times of the year. Have you looked at the beach at the tide level corresponding to your wedding time? Is there enough room for everyone during the ceremony?
Look up the local tide charts at Willy Weather.
Delegation, Delegation, Delegation, 3 sausages went to the station..
The bride and the groom are the Stars of this show not the Directors. Delegate all the wedding day chores to others and appoint a Wedding Manager to make sure it all comes together. Yes, insist on it, you're going to need it unless you are a stress magnet!
After all family and friends will be chuffed being given a part to play. Wouldn't you do the same! Anything from fetching the champas to paying the string quartet.
You don't want to be thinking about who you owe what to and whether everything is going according to plan.
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My shoes are killing me!
But they looked so gorgeous and I paid so much I had to wear them.
Nothing worse than your feet starting to ache when the fun has only just begun! If their a must, maybe worth a thought to have a back up pair?
Start wearing them around and get accustomed to them before you hit centre stage.
I don't want to sound like your mother but after mingling with your guests and standing for hours on end celebrant says they will end up thrown under a table.
Not so glam after all!
Look THE BEST in your Photos
The photos! Yes - you know the ones that you can't do again. Though it will seem like a smile marathon, you only get one chance at the wedding photos .
Be sure to give your photographer a photo rich shooting environment - stand close together, think romance, (think of the party to come) and bask in the attention.
Sure there will be lots of cameras and clicking going on.
The photographer may be a Photoshop wizard but it's unlikely that the guests will be..
Stiletto Heel Stoppers
Well nothing like a great pair of heels to dash about the gardens but they do tend to sink in if the ground is a bit soft.
I found some Stiletto Heel Stoppers that are really too cool for school.
You can buy them in shoe shops, bridal boutiques or google them. Some come in different sizes, so good idea to take your glamours along so the stoppers are the perfect fit.
Some stoppers, like the ones on the left, fill most stilettoo heels.
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Outdoors ... Bad Hair ... Sunburn
Dressed to the nines or dressed down, your skin is
going to get a pounding especially on a sunny day at the beach.
Unless you are wearing a brimmed hat keep the sunscreen handy.
I have seen many a nose turn a beautiful shade of red just waiting for the bride to rock up. So good idea to tell your guests to pack a brolly.
Outdoor weddings, especially beach weddings can be so windy, especially when the afternoon sea breeze takes hold. Sounds like the too hard basket but with a little homework (e.g. weatherzone.com.au) you can at least find out the forecast. Sadly the wind can turn a fab hairdo into road kill.