Once again it’s spring time. That season of the year associated with many beautiful things, blooming flowers, sunny days, singing birds and, especially, the merry sound of wedding bells.

Nearly everyone would agree that the time between the months of April and June is the best time to have an outdoor wedding. The perfect temperature and beautiful weather is enough to make that special day unique. And, for those of you who are newly engaged and planning to have your nuptials this spring, here are a few tips to set you in the right direction.

Pray for the sun, but plan for the rain –

Getting married in spring is such a lovely idea, the weather is amicable on almost every occasion. However, there are a few times when the clouds want to be a part of the festivities and they send a few raindrops down. Since you can never know if the sunny skies may give way to rain, it is better to plan ahead. There is nothing wrong with having a covered platform in an outdoor wedding. And a nearby basket of umbrellas will not only keep the rain off guests’ clothing, they will also make for great photo shoot props. Of course it may not rain, but if it eventually does, it will neither spoil your day nor your dress.

Get inspiration from the elements –

Spring is probably the most beautiful season of the whole year. Beautiful flowers are in bloom, the grass and leaves are green and lush, and everywhere you turn you see vibrant colours. If you are planning to have an outdoor wedding this spring, let the vivid colors around you be your inspiration. For example, use soft pastel colours for your bridal train and use in season flowers to beautify the venue. RachelPally.com suggests combining contrasting colours with pastel, to give a more exciting look. Pairing one or two vivid colours with pastel will create a memorable picture.

Use the season to its fullest –

Spring brings with it an abundance of beautiful flowers, breathtaking views, and great tasting food. It would be a crime if you didn’t take full advantage of these spring gifts when planning for your spring wedding. At this time of the year, the flowers are so romantic, it’s like they were made for your wedding. And what’s more? All these things are less expensive during this period, there is no point importing.

Use flowers like peonies, lilac, garden roses, and any other seasonal flowers that catch your fancy to tell the story of spring at your wedding. Combine it with a vibrant menu made up of lamb and vegetables like asparagus, spinach, and scalloped potatoes. Strawberries will make for the icing on the cake, in a manner of speaking.

A spring themed wedding cake –

But, of course, what else could it be but a spring themed wedding cake? Here are some tips on how to pick the best wedding cake for your special day:

For your wedding in the spring, consider hiring a baker who can give you an outstanding cake decorated with beautiful flowers made from rice paper. Of course, these flowers are just decorative but a really good baker will make them look like the real thing. However, if you want something different, you can opt for a chocolate-covered cupcake instead of the traditional wedding cake.

Go creative on the favours –

To a lot of people, wedding favours are a chore, but it doesn’t have to be so. With a bit of creativity, you can add a personalised touch to your wedding favours. People already have too many trinkets and silver frames. You can give personalised champagne glasses, personalised matchboxes with matches, or even handmade candles. Or you can consider giving something that evokes spring, such as a packet of flower seeds they can plant in their garden and remember your special day, as they watch them grow.

Book early

Just like the summer, the weekends in spring are booked up pretty fast for weddings. So, if you plan on having a wedding in spring, it is a good idea to do your venue shopping fast, so you can book on time.

Apart from the venue, you may also need to plan ahead for the caterer, the venue decorators, and the whole gamut of logistics that must accompany a wedding. The moment you find a venue you love, quickly secure it with a deposit, so that it is kept free for your day. The same thing applies to the caterers, florist, decorators, and so on. Make a firm commitment by putting some money down, so that they will make their time available for your day.

Plan your budget –

Brides to be are not often comfortable sharing details of their wedding budget, because they feel that contractors such as the caterer, florist and decorators will be influenced by the budget. This is true up to a point. However, it is important that you plan your budget from the very beginning so that you know if there is the need to cut out a few things, or include others. It is better to plan with a lower budget and have extra cash available than to have to start looking for cash later to handle financial commitments. 

If you need a little help in saving up then this guide from Lending Expert gives some useful pointers. 

Finally

There is actually no better time to have a wedding than in the spring. Everywhere is just so beautiful, it makes the day more special. If you are planning for a wedding this spring, the ideas covered above will help you immensely.

Have a blissful union.

Most of us dream of a flawless, fairy tale wedding with all our friends and family celebrating together to our favourite tunes of all time. The fact that this dream isn’t always realised doesn’t mean that we don’t deserve all of this – there’s just so much to keep on top of, it’s easy to let something slip through your fingers. Rigid organisation approached with military precision is the key to a mishap-free celebration. Here are a few potential potholes that could disrupt your smooth ride in the run up to, on the day of and in the period following your glorious wedding:

PRE-WEDDING

Expensive early Booking

The early birds among you might think you’ll be getting the juiciest of worms by booking your wedding band months in advance, but this economy is false. Function bands adjust their rates all the time in accordance with current trends plus their own experience, and will most likely be loath to give you a quote for an event too far in the future. Moreover, they may not even wish to commit to the gig at all, as the fast-moving life of a musician features many unexpected twists and turns. Members come and go, as do bands themselves, and popular wedding bands are often inundated with offers and could be holding out for a more lucrative opportunity. To circumvent such flakiness, don’t book your wedding band more than a couple of months in advance tops. Then, you’ll get a realistic quote and still give your band plenty of time to prepare for your big day.

Last Minute Leftovers

If you take a “last minute dot com” approach to booking a wedding band, you could well end up with one heck of a good deal. But you could also end up with a band whose style is at odds with your personal tastes – and by this stage, there’s not much you can do about it. You’ll just have to pretend that you wanted you traditional white wedding to be scored by a heavy metal covers band. Worse still – you could end up with no band at all, and have no choice but to let your overexcited cousin – who’s been dying for a chance to show off his spinning skills – behind the decks. It’s better to be safe than sorry, even if it means paying a little extra.

WEDDING

Nowhere to Go

You’ve just arrived, fresh from your ceremony, with plenty of love in the air, at the venue of your reception. The place is teeming with aunties and caterers, the tables have been perfectly set, and there’s a beat-up transit van waiting for you in the carpark with four disgruntled musicians leaning against it. Not only is there no easy access to the reception room – the stage area is also barely big enough for the drums. And not for the first time – all too often are bands treated as an afterthought. Please make sure they know where they can unload and where they can set up their gear – and give them plenty of room to perform. Yes, your friends and family’s comfort will be at the forefront of your mind, but extra stress and cramped conditions will have a negative impact on your band’s performance. Have a chat with your band, describe your venue to them, and have someone on hand on the day to show them where to go.

Messed-Up Timings

You’re going to want things to run as close to clockwork as is humanly possible on your wedding day – stress levels are going to be running high enough without people showing up at the wrong place at the wrong time. While you’re going to have to be flexible on the day – you can’t predict things like illnesses or vehicular breakdowns – at least have the framework ready. You don’t want a situation where the father of the bride tries to address the room while the band are still in full swing and your guests are still dancing; likewise, you wouldn’t want the announcement that you’re about to cut the cake to be drowned out by your specially chosen 80s cheese playlist. Make sure everyone has a copy of the same schedule – and make sure everyone has their phones switched on in the event of changes.

You also don’t want your wedding band to show up too late or too early – your guests will either be welcomed by an empty room, or a group of bored and annoyed band members. Give your wedding band the rundown of your wedding in advance, and warn them of any possible delays, and ask them to do the same for you – this way, you won’t be wasting each other’s time.

First Dance Disasters

An event second only to the bridal procession in iconic importance, the first dance is something you really don’t want to go wrong. Can you imagine looking into your partner’s loving eyes, waiting with baited breath for those first magical chords of your special song to chime in, only for an awkward, tentative count in followed by the sound of uncertain fingers struggling to find their place on the fretboard to shatter the spell instead? It is imperative that you let your band know in good time exactly what you’re expecting from them, or you’ll set yourself up for a horror show. As an additional safety measure, have your first song ready at hand on an iPod or similar handheld device, just in case your wedding band isn’t confident they can do it justice.

Unwelcome Requests

Wedding bands have differing views on this. Yes, it’s your wedding, and you have an entitlement to have whatever music you like – but, then again, they’ve played loads of weddings, and they know from experience what works and what doesn’t. It’s much safer to agree on what’s to be played in advance, so the band can prepare accordingly. There’s nothing worse for a wedding band than a drunken uncle stumbling up to the stage,  grabbing the bassist by the shirtsleeve and demanding that they play his favourite 80s power ballad, then insisting that of course they do know it despite the band’s best efforts to shake him off and continue playing the song he’s interrupting. Hopefully this won’t happen at your wedding, but the point remains that while seasoned wedding bands will have seen it all before, it’s not safe to assume that your guests can just waltz up to them whenever they feel like it – so please make this known to them.

POST-WEDDING

Money Disputes

With wedding bands, you really do get what you pay for – so once you’ve got it, it’s time to pay for it. A professional wedding band will have put a great deal of time and effort into honing their performance and putting together their set list, and usually will have given you a quote beforehand based on this along with the level of experience they’ve achieved and the amount of time they’re required to be present for on the day.

However, things rarely go exactly according to our best laid plans. Things can easily overrun or change, and if you need your band for longer than expected, or require an additional service from them that wasn’t previously agreed, they’re going to want paying for it. Remember: you’re on their time. If you want them to throw in a DJ set and they’ve not expressly told you that it’s free, you can’t expect it to be. Also, if you want them to play a set earlier on, then the planned second set gets pushed back, that’s eating into the time they could be spending on other pursuits. Throw into the mix the stress and tiredness, and you’ll be faced with quite an irritable bunch of people unless you cough up!

Now you know what can go wrong, you can hopefully take measures to prevent such things from happening. Just remember – forewarned is forearmed. And while it may seem like having four arms would be a godsend when you’re juggling so many different responsibilities, all you really need when it comes to booking your wedding band is a solid plan and some strong, regularly exercised communication skills.

No one will hate you for being selfish on your own wedding day because, after all, it’s your wedding day and the focus is you. However, your guests deserve recognition, they shouldn’t feel neglected or feel like they could be spending their time doing something better if not for your invitation.

The concept of time won’t even cross their mind if they are having more than enough fun. What they will remember, and keep talking about when your name comes up at the end of the day, is the way they felt at your wedding ceremony, and not how your wedding specifically looked.

The thought of sitting amidst a sea of strange faces is already exhausting, not to mention going through another monotonous routine in the name of a wedding ceremony. Spice things up, deviate a little from what’s obtainable, create sparks that will leave your guests spellbound, and make your wedding a grand event.

If all of that seems too complicated, or too difficult for you to handle, you can always hire the services of a trusted entertainment agency. An agency that perfectly understands that moments gone by are the antecedents of memories, and incredible moments beget unforgettable memories.

Here are ten awesome entertainment ideas that your guests will love, and that will make your wedding an unforgettable event

1. Photo Booths

Photo booths are popular for a good reason. At weddings, they are a great way to have fun and to also create lasting memories. It’s fun to put up props in a photo booth, and the hilarious photos your guests take will make them laugh long after the event has passed. The pictures will also serve as good reminders of the fun they had at your wedding.

2.     Casino Royale

This is one of the best ways to break the ice and stop your guests from being aloof and staying apart from each other. At the casino table, they get to chat with each other as they find some common ground. Not to worry, all you need do is provide some fake money that they can play with. Despite the fact that it’s not real, seeing the amount of money they can make in one night will have them really excited.

3. Ice Cream Stall

Everyone loves ice cream, fresh and delicious ice cream to tamper down the heat on a hot summer day. If you’re having a summer wedding, don’t forget to include this treat. Both your adult and child guests will thank you for it.

4.   Bouncy Castles

Bouncy castles never fail to make both the children and the adults at your wedding laugh. Who doesn’t enjoy the idea of playing in a bouncy castle? Hardly anyone. There will be so much laughter!

Companies like Jump 4 Adan offer various types of bouncy castles ideal for occasions like these, from combined bouncers and dry slides to completely customized designs.

5.   Magicians

Skilled magicians know how best to engage the minds of your guests, how to keep them occupied as they try to figure out the magician’s tricks. If you want guests that won’t be yawning. and eager to go home, hire skilled magicians to do the trick.

6. Wedding DJ

Don’t just hire anyone who claims to be a DJ, if you do, you might be in for a huge disappointment. A good DJ should know the perfect music to play, that will keep guests on their feet all night. Of course, there can’t be a wedding without good music.

7.   Live Bands

If DJs don’t cut it for you, you can always go for a live wedding band. The most important thing is for you and your guests to have a special and incredible evening. A live band consisting of individuals who understand the definition and importance of good music will ensure that you have an exceptional wedding.

8.    Wedding Nannies

Children often become easily bored of wedding formalities and when they do, they either start disturbing their parents or causing unwanted distractions. As a result, your adult guests will have their attention divided, and won’t be able to fully enjoy all the goodies you’ve put together for them. Hiring the service of a wedding nanny is the best way to avoid this situation. They will keep your little guests entertained and give their parents breathing space.

9. Solo Musicians

Hiring a solo musician is the best alternative for couples that can’t afford to hire a live band at their wedding, but want live music. A talented solo musician will keep your guests entertained and also provide a beautiful ambiance for your wedding ceremony.

10. Firework Displays

Mind-blowing firework displays are such a romantic way of bringing a beautiful and perfect day to an end. Everyone loves an incredible display of fireworks, and you can never go wrong by ending your special day with this type of show.

It’s your wedding day, don’t forget to make it memorable for both you and your guests.