Maximize Your Time With Loved Ones On Your Wedding Day

Your wedding day is a once-in-a-lifetime moment with your partner and loved ones. You want to make the most of it. But wedding traditions and timelines can rob you of some great opportunities to lengthen your time with friends, family, and even your partner. Want to avoid those limitations? Here are a few ways to switch up things to maximize your big day. 

1. Use One Space. Want an easy way to avoid wasting the time and energy you could be spending on loved ones? Host your wedding and reception in one venue. This saves transportation time, requires setting up and tearing down just one space, and keeps everyone together.  

2. Skip the Big Exit. Dramatic exits may look great in pictures, but they generally require you to leave the party somewhat early. After all, having guests still around is the only way to make that big exit. Consider bucking the trend and winding down your party with your guests. Spend your time enjoying longer conversations or even having an after-party. 

3. Change Ceremony Times. Who says that the ceremony must be done first with a party afterward? This one constraint can rob you of the ability to spend the early part of the day with your friends and may make the happy couple too nervous to enjoy things. Instead, try moving the ceremony to a time when you're more relaxed — or even on an entirely different day. 

4. Use Cocktail Hour. Cocktail hours and similar events are a great way to meet and greet guests in a relaxed and personal way. But you aren't limited just to the traditional cocktail hour between the ceremony and reception. Host a pre-ceremony cocktail hour, plan an informal reception line after the ceremony, or add a short cake-and-punch reception in place. 

5. Skip What You Want. Don't be bound by convention when it comes to wedding day elements. Skip components that you don't like or that mean little to you. This might include the bouquet toss, first dance, wedding toasts, cutting the cake, a grand entrance, or a large wedding party. Use the time and effort you save on these items to focus more on what you really want to do with your day. 

Where to Learn More

Want help maximizing your big day? Tour and talk with the experienced staff at wedding venues in your area today. Drawing on their expertise and these tips, you'll soon have a roadmap to making the most of this special moment.