Wedding Ceremonies: Your “How down” or “Show down”

By The Celebration Team 12 Jul, 2013

The normal South African tradition is to have a rushed, in-expensive or dreary wedding ceremony. Perhaps it’s our fantastic whether, perhaps it’s our lively social spirits to get the party started or perhaps it’s just because the ceremony is as boring as a knife in a gun fight…

Below are some exciting tips to make sure you are keeping up with the Joneses at your wedding ceremony:

Don’t skimp on floral arrangements – a small amount of floral creations in the aisle can brighten up the mood of even the worst hotel conference centre!
Make sure you or your DJ are using proper sound equipment when having live music or music played in your ceremony. Nothing worse than an brides far off cousin operating a boom box at the back of the chapel. When you have more than 60 guests (depending on the venue), rule of thumb is to have some form of microphone for your pastor/priest. Be careful of lapel microphones, they can be very noisy.
Run through, Run through, Run, through… Briefly do a mock wedding with your pastor, bridesmaids and groomsmen a day or two in advance, if possible. This will prevent your wedding party from standing in front of the pulpit and looking like they are there for a how down.
Be careful of friends and/or relatives offering to do a special number at your wedding ceremony, you might end up with some guests suffering serious hearing damage. Leave all live entertainment to professionals or even semi-professionals.
Depending on your religion you will have to pick a suitable Pastor/Priest etc. Remember that not all your friends necessarily have the same religious believes and it might be a good idea to warn them if there is a two hour silent prayer planned in your ceremony or rather let it fly.
When planning to sing Hymns in your service, have the words available and it’s always a good idea to have a lead singer sing the melody, else you end up with 80 people singing a gibberish hum over a backtrack… Unless your whole guest list is part of a church choir, then you can leave out the music.
Brides…. Rain in South Africa is a reality. If you are having a outside wedding be prepared to have a second choice on the day and be prepared to use it.
A good night’s rest: Have a quiet dinner or a stay in a guest house the night before. Nobody likes a droopy bride and a still trashed from the night before groom.
Better late then never: Brides we know it is your special day, but being any more the 25 – 30 minutes late is inconsiderate to all your guests, venue and suppliers.
Leave it to the wedding planner: It’s absolutely critical that you have someone in charge on the day in the form of a wedding coordinator, venue coordinator or both. These people do it for a living and it’s not a weekend hobby for them. They know what to look out for, how to prevent it and to sort out problems without you ever being aware that there was something wrong. This is the one day in your live that you absolutely want to go according to plan!

Contact [email protected] if you need any more ceremony information or simply visit www.upatone.co.za

Kind regards and happy weddings from JP and the UP A TONE Team!

Photo Credit: hwbweddings.com