4 Smart wedding hacks from Marble Events

Marble Events’ wedding planning team are experts in keeping weddings on plan and on budget. Here they reveal some of their favourite hacks to keep things on track and make your day feel truly special and unique

Marble Events have planned countless weddings and, while every celebration is different, key ground rules stay the same. Here they outline four sure ways for making sure your day goes to plan. They say:

“With so many brilliant ways to spend your wedding budget, knowing when to pause and maybe rethink the plan and then do things your own way can be tough. We have helped many couples plan and host their perfect party – here are four favourite hacks for staying on track.”

4 great wedding hacks from Marble Events — Often the most creative ideas are not the most expensive

1. Make that budget work harder

One of the main things planners have to do is manage and control each client’s budget – and the brilliant thing is that working the budget harder makes the day more creative and unique. So, decide on areas that aren’t so key and instead make them intimately personal by doing them yourselves or asking a friend/family member to help out. Take on the stationery design and print at your local printers or hand the task on to one of your artsy friends. Challenge a family member or friend to making a simple wedding cake. We’ve had couples use buskers as reception entertainment and get friends to sing during the signing of the register. The talent’s out there, you just need to ask.

2. Work out your priorities

Be realistic in what you want to spend and understand that you may have to forego some items from your wishlist. First things first, you know you’ll need a venue, some food and some booze, but are you happy to go for a rustic finish rather than a lavish one if it means booking that band you’re desperate for? Pinpoint your priorities and accept that this might change up the format of the wedding. We worked with one couple whose priorities were flowers and music. This meant they chose a burger van to cater the wedding at a greatly reduced cost (only one course), producing a very relaxed and playful atmosphere – the personalised bibs were a fantastic napkin alternative too!

“We worked with one couple whose priorities were flowers and music, with a burger van to cater the wedding, producing a relaxed and playful atmosphere”

3. Go for contemporary takes on tradition

Don’t fancy implementing a receiving line but want to see all your guests? We see couples wrestle with old traditions and contemporary informalities in order to find the right balance for them. If you love the traditions, definitely stick with them, but we would suggest keeping them slick and snappy to ensure guests are kept occupied and the day doesn’t drag. Brief your photographer thoroughly in order to make those group photos quick and painless. Keep the MC but lose the formalities. Ensure this person is up to speed with the day’s events, is bossy enough to get guests moving (in particular to their dinner seats) but light enough to keep them laughing when disturbed by speeches and announcements. We’ve seen grooms and fathers of the brides give their speech during the reception and couples take their first dance before dinner, thereby sticking with the wedding traditions but making them work to a new schedule. Don’t be afraid to order the day to suit your style and the occasion – it’s the best way to make things memorable.

4. Think of eco-friendly alternatives

It’s quite likely the environment is your jam (as it is ours). We’re seeing a big trend towards eco-friendly and environmentally thoughtful weddings. One of the big ‘wasters’ can be flowers. Couples are increasingly choosing seasonal and local/native flowers over out-of-season imported or large-scale farmed. Florists are also adhering to this trend by creating their own smaller florist farms where they grow and pick the majority of flowers they work with. Using potted flowers over cut stems also works – increasing longevity and giving you the opportunity to plant or gift some of the flowers from your special day.