Not everyone has the luxury of hiring a wedding planner for their big day, and with so many moving parts, organising the logistics of your wedding day itinerary can be overwhelming to say the least. In order for you to fully embrace your day and make the most of this special occasion, we’ve collected a selection of tips to ensure your day goes off without a hitch.
Makeup
First things first, it’s time to make yourself beautiful. To fully enjoy this moment, ensure you’ve allocated enough time for the make-up artist to do their job, without rushing and creating anxiety. We suggest 2-3 hours for bridal make-up and an additional hour for your sister, mother, bridesmaids - this may change, depending on how many make-up artists you’ve hired.
Don’t forget to eat! We know you’re excited, but this is going to be a long day. You’ll be starting early to ensure your make-up is ready in time, so, why not organise a breakfast spread for you and your make-up artist to graze on while you get pretty.
If you’re planning any hair treatments before your big day, give yourself at least three days between treatment and wedding in order for your hair to settle. The same rule applies for facial treatments, you should really be thinking of prepping your skin months in advance rather than doing anything too invasive so close to the wedding.
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Gatecrash
Let the games begin! Depending on how many games your bridesmaids have prepared, you’ll want to allocate 45-60 minutes for your gatecrashing. Without them giving too much away, ask your bridal squad if there are any logistical elements that might slow things up; think preparation of food, travel, or any games that involve the groomsmen getting messy - you’ll need to allocate this into your time frame so that they have time to freshen up and look presentable again.
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Tea Ceremony
Depending on the number of people attending, we recommend setting aside 30-40 minutes for the ceremony. If you have more than 100 people, you should push this to an hour. To ensure events move as smoothly as possible, prepare your red date tea beforehand, whether it be part of a Guo Da Li set or pre-bought from the supermarket. Have a list of relatives in order of call - starting with Grandparents and ending with younger siblings or nieces and nephews. Allocate your bridal party or siblings to help with serving the tea, rinsing cups, keeping track of list order and collecting gifts and/ red packets for optimal efficiency.
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Photoshoot
After your tea ceremony, you’ll want to allocate at least an hour for your portraits depending on the location of the shoot. Have one of your bridesmaids keep track of time for you to ensure you don’t run over schedule.
Have a list of portraits you’d like taken, whether they be group shots with the bridal party or intimate portraits of bride and groom; in the excitement of it all, it’s easy to forget what shots you really want, so having your photographer or a designated bridesmaid keep track of what’s been taken will ensure you don’t miss out.
In Singapore’s humidity, you’ll want to make sure you have a fan with you, water and at least your lipstick/gloss to top up as your shoot progresses. Again, having a designated bridesmaid take responsibility for these items for you will help keep your mind solely on you.
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Solemnisation
Depending on whether you decide to hold your solemnisation in a church or somewhere less formal, there are several things to take into consideration. If you opt for a religious ceremony and marry in a church significant to you, chances are you’ll know the pastor who will officiate your wedding.
On the other hand, if you opt for something less formal and pick an alternative location, you’ll have to ensure your Justice of Peace is booked at least 6 months before your wedding. As a sign of respect and to ensure they make it to your ceremony on time, you may want to ask a relative or close friend to pick them up, or at least provide a parking coupon if your chosen venue is somewhere central.
Despite the venue, it’s a good idea to prepare and rehearse your vows beforehand, don’t worry about being word perfect but it’s a good idea to get familiar with what you want to say. It may make you feel more at ease to rehearse your walk-in with your bridesmaids too, especially if you have young flower girls and page boys involved. It will help you decide in what order everyone will be walking and also helps everyone get familiar with your chosen song to ensure synchronicity.
Most importantly, choose someone reliable to hold onto your wedding bands and to collect the NRIC of witnesses before the ceremony. The last thing you want to do on your big day is worry about missing items.
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Banquet
Now the ceremony is done, it’s time to have some fun. Your floor plan should already be in and set with the banquet manager, but it’s a smart idea to factor in time prior to your big day to have a final meeting to run through final checks of floor plan and any dietary requirements you and your guests may have.
Prior to your big day, ensure you have someone that is AV savvy that can take responsibility for any videos and/or music you want to play. They should have an order of ceremonies so they know when and what songs to play. Make sure they’re comfortable with the operating system available to ensure smooth sailing when it comes to your big day.
If you plan to have stage games, entertainment or table photos, schedule these around your banquet, speeches and first dance - generally allocate 15 minutes per speech, you can stagger speeches throughout your meal or save them till after.
Don’t forget to give your photographer an order of ceremonies and a list of any images that are ‘must haves’ to ensure they don’t miss anything and avoid disappointment.
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Others
We suggest the bridal party or close friend bring a small bag for portable chargers to prevent missing any special moments due to low battery. Also ensure any bridal vehicles are equipped with cash cards, umbrellas, water, parking coupons and, of course, petrol. Most importantly, don’t forget to have fun!
For more wedding inspirations, read our story about 10 Stunning Wedding Venues That You Won’t Believe Are In Singapore!