Keep the Guest List Short and Sweet
Instead of inviting every person you know, keep the guest list short and sweet. Only invite people that are very close to you; people who you feel will make your day extra special just by being there. Having your work colleagues there can be nice, but it just costs more. It’s almost like having a big day just for the sake of making it big. By inviting only your closest family and closest friends, your day will feel much more special and intimate.
Find Ways to Get Your Family Involved
Rather than just having your family gaze at you, find ways to get them involved in the wedding. There are so many unique ways you can do this. You can have them walk down the aisle before you. You could have them read a poem or sing a song at the reception. You could even do a sort of ritual that will bring both families together. You’re bound to find a ton of ways you can get your family involved in the big day. You could even get your pets involved if you like!
Choose Somewhere Special to Get Married
When looking for somewhere to get married, make sure you choose somewhere special. The room should be able to fit all of your loved ones and vendors, so make sure that it’s big enough. Also make sure you have all of the features you need to make your big day special. Some venues will include catering, others waiting on service, a free bar, etc. You could even take a few important family members with you to choose the venue if you want their opinion. Getting them involved in the day like this will make everybody happy. A venue such as Douglas Manor can offer your family everything you need to have a wonderful day.
Display Family Wedding Photos
At your reception, display your family wedding photos on the guest book table, or somewhere everybody will see them. Go as far back as you possibly can to create an interesting display that shows what this day means to you. You might even like to write something meaningful to the other married couples in your life, explaining how you wish to have a marriage like theirs.
Set Up a Video Montage
If you can, you could even set up a video montage to play in the background at the reception. This video montage could be snippets from your love story as a couple, and even snippets of your family member’s stories. It might just get very emotional at your wedding reception if you do something like this!
Play Family Wedding Songs
When you’re discussing with your DJ what songs to play, why not play some family wedding songs? If you know the first dance of some couples at your wedding, include them in the wedding day playlist. This is bound to get them up dancing and make the day extra special for everybody.
Incorporate Family Traditions and Rituals
Do you have any family traditions or rituals you’d like to include in the big day? Is there something your family has done ever since you were a child? Maybe you should consider including it! If you have a religious family, you might consider including that kind of thing in your ceremony too.
Choose Meaningful Readings
Meaningful readings will make sure everybody is good and emotional by the end of your big day. You can choose emotional vows, and even emotional readings to make at the reception afterwards. Maybe it’s a reading that means a lot to your family. Maybe it’s a reading that’s totally new, but you’ve found the words have special meaning to you all. Take your time choosing readings that will mean a lot to everybody at the wedding.
Recorded Messages and Love Letters
One of the hardest things about getting married is having important family members who don’t live nearby. Maybe they live far away and can’t make the big day, or you’ve decided on a destination wedding abroad. Whatever the case, you can have recorded messages and letters of love at your wedding. You could read them out yourself or have somebody else read them. Either ask them to write you a short speech you can read out or make a video message you can play to everybody. They won’t be there, but it’ll still be lovely and emotional.
Stream the Wedding
If somebody in your family really wishes they could be at your wedding, why not stream the wedding to them? You can do this with a good internet connection and Skype. They’ll be so glad that they haven’t missed your big day. There are even services that specialize in streaming weddings!
Honour Family No Longer With You
Sadly, not all of our loved ones can be with us on our big day. We lose family members as we grow older. Find ways to honor family members that are no longer with you. You could consider leaving a chair out for them at the ceremony, and a place for them at the reception. You could even make an altar with pictures of lost loved ones to remember them.
Hopefully, these tips have given you some great ideas and inspired you to have a wonderful day with your family. There’s nothing better than having an intimate day with the people you love the most. You’ll all remember it for the most amazing reasons and have something to talk about for years to come. Do you have ideas of your own? Leave suggestions below. Thanks for reading!