Top 8 (random) Wedding Hacks

Planning a wedding can feel like you're paying for the privilege of a nervous breakdown.

The engagement might have been all smiles, champagne flutes and cake stands, but the wedding will be an entirely different beast.

Think Godzilla meets Cthulhu.

Over the last few months, we've written posts about planning, paying for and preparing for the big day. We've focused on the big stuff: the flowers, the morning of, the venues, celebrants, religious ceremonies and the honeymoon but what about the smaller stuff? What about the little things that could make your life easier?

Well, we've searched the internet to find some useful tips that might be overlooked in other lists. Here is our pick of the - somewhat random - smaller planning hacks.

Create a Wedding Email Account

This will make communicating with venues and vendors a lot easier than using a personal account. It'll also be easier to keep track of replies, messages and invoices amid the Groupon offers, appeals from Nigerian princes and Ebay reminders.

It will also separate wedding life from real life: worries about dietary requirements, table coverings and RSVPs shouldn't bleed into your personal or work space unless you want it to.

A separate email address will also save you from having to unsubscribe to the endless wedding newsletters, blog posts and Pintrest notifications that you've signed up to over the months. Once you're married, you'll never want to see the inside of another wedding fayre again.

Break Shoes In Before The Big Day

You're going to be in shoes ALL DAY, and you'll be on your feet ALL DAY. Whether it's heels or flats, boots or Cuban's, you don't want to be limping your way around the reception. An unbeatable tip (other than having a barefoot beach wedding) is to put the shoes on with a pair of thick socks and then blow dry them for 10 mins. The heat will expand the shoe and then (hopefully) your feet won't feel the pinch halfway through the first dance. Of course, if you get chance, it's probably a good idea to parade around your house with the shoes on, too, you know, to get the practice in. 

Use Sandpaper to De-Slip New Shoes

Some shoes just aren't made for dance floors, posh carpets or polished tiles. Unless you're planning a Torville and Dean tribute use a wedge or square of sandpaper to sand the bottoms to give the sole some traction. You don't want your first dance to become your first slip, slide and tumble.

Personalised Stamps

If you're sending out postal invitations, then invest in an ink stamp with your address on it. This should make writing them a little less carpal-tunnel syndrome inducing.

Add Song Requests to the RSVPs

We've all been to weddings where the music just didn't add up. An empty dance floor is a sad sight, and with so many different musical tastes to cater to, the playlist can be a tough one. If you have a good DJ, then that's half the battle, but getting people to request their favorite song when they RSVP should ensure some disco action in the evening.

Fake The Cake

Wedding cakes do not come cheap. Certainly, the big statement cakes don't and who doesn't want their cake to be a magnificent centre piece? One trick is to fake the cake (completely or partially) by using polystyrene bases and covering them with icing. For example, a six tier cake might only be real for three of the tiers and the guests would never know (well, maybe when you cut it). Equally, you could fake the entire cake and give guests a slice of a tasty (but less glamorous) smaller cake that's been hidden away.

Use Dress Weights

If you're having grooms maids, bridesmaids or if you're the bride, then chances are they'll be dresses. If your venue is outside, too, then prepare for someone to perform Marilyn Monroe. Some dresses are floaty, some are short and some will blow up in a sudden gust (not figuratively, hopefully). It might seem an odd thing to include, but by sewing small dress weights into the hems you should save everyone's blushes. This is a particularly good idea if you're having a ceremony, photographs or reception on a hillside, a beach, a boat, a balcony or when an ex-hurricane drops on UK shores. 

Use the Wedding Mix App to Create Your Wedding Video

Most people have smart phones now and they're a great way to film and edit events without the cost of a videographer. If you head over to the Wedding Mix App, then you can put together your own wedding video for free. At the start of the reception ask your friends and family to use their phones to catch the important moments of the reception: the speeches, the wedding breakfast, the first dance etc and then ask them to email them over so that you can edit them together. Also, don't underestimate the importance of candid moments on film,too. 

Have any tips or tricks to share? Drop us a message and we'll feature them on Twitter and Facebook :)