Six Things That Can Spoil Your Wedding Day

2.  Flowers that hide your gown:  If you are going to carry a large bouquet, practice holding your flowers low.  If you hold them too high, they will hide your gown when you are walking down the aisle, and you will see more flowers than gown when you look at your video and photographs.

3.  Veils and hairstyles that hide your face:  Make sure your veil frames your face and doesn’t hide it after you lift your blusher.  And remember not to obscure the right side of your face with your hair.  That’s the side next to the groom—the side everyone wants to see when you are at the altar.

4.  Relatives taking photographs:  Uncle Charlie may be a great guy, but he is not trained to stay out of the way so that others can see you when you exchange your vows.  And it is also not fair to relatives who want to be part of the celebration to make them spend the day behind a camera with one eye closed.  Let a professional capture all those special moments and share them afterward with your family.

5. Scheduling your time:  Avoid leaving hours and hours between the ceremony and the reception if you possibly can or some guests may party so hard they do not make it to the reception.  If there must be a long delay, offer guests some options such as a lounge in the reception venue or, for out-of-town guests, a list of nearby things to do.  On the other hand, do not forget to allow enough time for photographs.  No one really minds if you miss hors d’ouevres with your guests, but a dinner that gets overcooked because you are still taking pictures is a disaster.  If you are having your ceremony and reception at the same location, you might even consider posing for your formal photographs before the ceremony, and then you will have extra time to spend with your guests.

6.  Kids at weddings:  If you plan to have a very young ring bearer or flower girl, be sure each gets to bed early the night before the wedding.  Designate someone other than mom or dad (if they are in the wedding party), to watch them during the ceremony.  For children at the ceremony, whether they are in the wedding party or not, things such as snacks in a zip-lock bag that opens quietly, clear (in case of spills) juice in boxes, and a coloring book with washable markers will hold their interest.  At the reception, serving children’s meals promptly and having books and crayons on hand will help keep them at the table.