Best wedding you were ever at & why?

MelanieC

Hi All,
New to this forum,just got engaged over Xmas! Obviously it's a long way off yet as we have app €20 between us at the mo (!) but I am already thinking about what our wedding should be like.

It will defo be small & intimate (max 40 people I would imagine) but I would still like to have some cool features & a bit of luxury if poss. We've all seen the magicians & the fireworks & the chinese lanterns but I like things that are a bit different or unusual but still special with a bit of wow factor.

What I'd like to know is - were you ever at a wedding where you were blown away by something in particular & if so,what was it? I'd love to hear some really unique ideas. And if they are possible on a budget,so much the better!

Thanks everyone!

lazygal

Best wedding (bar my own obviously) had everything in one venue, no boring religious ceremony, free flowing bubbly and wine, top notch food and a great band. It also had gimmicks like a sweet table and sky lanterns but TBH I don't rate those kind of things. Spend money on food and drink, and don't make your guests wait around for things or travel long distances.

pwurple

Best weddings I've been at kept everyone well fed. People don't need piles of entertainment once the belly is full they will be happy and have a laugh themselves.


Sandwiches, cakes & tea or plenty of canapes appear after the ceremony.

Good quality meal, no shortage of drinks.

More food later... 11/12 ish. Sandwiches, bacon butties, fish and chips, pizza slices or something.


To ramp it up to something even more awesome.

fits

My sister's wedding in my parents backyard on a balmy august evening. It was a hell of a lot of trouble to go to, expensive, and they would never do it again, but every guest said it was the best wedding they were ever at. It is also bittersweet to think of as all of my dad's family, including himself, have died since.

fits

pwurple wrote: »

Best weddings I've been at kept everyone well fed. People don't need piles of entertainment once the belly is full they will be happy and have a laugh themselves.


Sandwiches, cakes & tea or plenty of canapes appear after the ceremony.

Good quality meal, no shortage of drinks.

More food later... 11/12 ish. Sandwiches, bacon butties, fish and chips, pizza slices or something..

I am always surprised to hear this, I have never gone hungry at a wedding. The opposite in fact, always too much food!

eviltwin

My brothers. Civil ceremony so it took less than half an hour, sitting in a church is so boring. It was central so there wasn't much travelling involved. They had a dj instead of a band. And best of all it was a small wedding with just family and friends so I knew everyone which led to a great night.

Milly33

There is another big thread on this somewhere cant find it now. But it seems to always be the more relaxed weddings are the best plenty of food and always let the guests know what is happening..

Just have a board up so everyone can see what the plan is for the day.

And have a good selection of non alco drinks. Not just water or coke

I think my cousins one was the best there was a nice run to the day, then the speeches were just gas and not too long. Great music and then a chip cart with mini fish and chips for later...

Worst ones were when no one knew what the plan for the day was, when food was being served and having huge bands in small rooms, or just have bands that play too loudly. Went to one and the amount of sounds equipment they had with them was crazy and they blasted out the room no-one except those who were pissed could enjoy it..

pwurple

Wow, didn't take long for people to start moaning about what they hate in weddings again...

Nice try OP with being positive!

fits

The band was complete crap at my sisters wedding and it was still awesome. Cos shenanigans. Lots and lots of shenanigans.

Toots

TBH I've never been to a wedding where there was entertainment or decorations that had a huge wow factor. The best wedding I was at was my own (obviously) and all the best ones I've been at have had the following:

• Food and drink on arrival: it doesn't necessarily have to be alcohol, although some venues include that as part of the package. I think we had champagne, orange juice, or tea & coffee. Some places do punch in summer or mulled wine in winter. The drinks aren't as important as food though. Not loads of it, because you won't want people stuffed, but a few sandwiches or canapes, because it can be a while between ceremony and the meal.
• Good food for the meal: this is a big one. Ok, we all know that wedding food wouldn't be michelin star quality, but you can still get really nice meals. Don't skimp on the food budget, bad food will be remembered. One of my hubby's cousin's weddings stands out to me for that very reason; the food was horrendous. If your budget will stretch to it, have a choice for your starter, main, and dessert. Also provide a decent option for vegetarians. If you have any veggie friends, get some ideas from them.
• Plenty of decent wine during the dinner: again, this is something that will be talked about if you get scabby with the wine. The usual recommended amount is half a bottle per person. I don't drink but I remember one particular wedding (same as the one above) where it was literally one glass of wine per guest. The glass was poured with the starters, so everyone drank it, expecting it to be refilled with the main course, but there was no more, and people were not impressed that they had to go to the bar and fend for themselves for the rest of the meal.
• Drinks provided at dinner for non-drinkers: this isn't a must, but as a non-drinker it's always a nice touch to see an alternative to water. Jugs of cordial are a nice option, and not too expensive.
• Speeches after the dinner: a lot of people want to do the speeches before dinner to get them out of the way (usually because they're nervous) but unless your speeches are lightening fast, your hungry guests probably won't appreciate being made hang around. Have them after the dinner when everyone's happily fed and watered.
• Drinks for the toast: again, not an essential, but a nice touch. Either stand a round for your guests, or have glasses of prosecco, or have another top up of wine for the toast.
• A great DJ and/or band: you don't have to have a band and a DJ, you can have a DJ alone, but whichever you choose don't skimp on it. More often than not with bands & DJs you get what you pay for. Your band or DJ can make or break the night, so you want to make sure you've got someone who'll gauge the crowd and make sure you don't have an empty dance floor.
• Decent evening food: it doesn't have to be hugely fancy, sausages, goujons and sandwiches will do, provided they are good quality and there's a nice variety of tasty fillings in the sandwiches. If possible, ask the venue to put food on each table, as opposed to a buffet style serving where people go up and help themselves, because you'll usually find one or two greedy feckers who pile their plates full of food, and then by the time the last person gets there, there's nothing left.

Really what you want to provide is plenty of good food, good drink, and good music.

ElleEm

The best wedding I attended was a small intimate affair, registry office, no frills, very relaxed.

Another memorable one had loads of food and drink throughout the day and great music.

I think the other thread on this had a common list- not too far to travel in between ceremoney and meal (bonus points if it is all in one place), loads of food and an extra bottle of wine or two!

amor3

Your never gonna please everyone, someone will always have something to say. Just go with what you can afford/want on the day.

kandr10

I'd generally agree with lots of food (nice preferably!), doesn't have to be free drink other than the toast though anything extra is nice. If there's a particular thing you think is cool like sweet cart, lanterns, weird place settings then if they're within reason go for it. If you try to please everyone it won't be true to your personality. For me they're always the best weddings- when you can see the couples personality in some way coming through.

candytog

Small wedding in rural Italy where we rented a villa for a week.

If I do ever get married that's what I want to do!

Plus you can invite everybody and natural selection will wittle it down to true friends and close family, hopefully

Tarzana2

fits wrote: »

I am always surprised to hear this, I have never gone hungry at a wedding. The opposite in fact, always too much food!

Me too, I have never felt hungry at a wedding reception. Even the much maligned tea and biscuits is grand, I think, just feels you up nicely without ruining your appetite. I wouldn't want anything big in the waiting around for the B&G part, I always just enjoy chatting and drinking tea or whatever other complimentary drink there is at that stage. And them from dinner onwards, it errs on the side of more than enough food.

willow tree

So the best one was a friends in Spain. They married in a church over looking the sea. Told everyone to wear what they liked (which I loved! Everything from shorts to full length gowns). They rented a house (like something out of cribs) we had dinner overlooking amazing views of mountains with the infinity pool. Byob was money saving too. A pool room, cinema room, dj room made it really easy to meet everyone over the weekend. It was a small wedding too. & they got lots of friends to help decorate etc.

cactusgal

Wedding at an old old gothic looking library (Johns Hopkins University library in Baltimore), evening wedding, loads of fairy lights and candles, very atmospheric. Lovely food, ceremony and reception in the same place, great DJ, so much fun dancing in the library! Fab day, very unique.

MelanieC

Thanks everyone for your replies. Like a couple of posters,I'm surprised to see lots of food being a priority. At every wedding I've ever been to I've always found myself uncomfortably full from the sheer amount of food served!

I agree having the ceremony & reception all in one place creates a better flow,we are not religious anyway so will defo be going for that.

I suppose the real question I was asking was has anyone ever had or experienced something at a wedding that was a bit special or out of the ordinary? Considering we will be on such a tight budget as it is,I'd love to have some kind of unique aspect to the day that would mark it out as more than just your average wedding coz let's face it,weddings can be quite boring for people outside of the bridal party.

I know I want to incorporate something a little bit different,a talking point that will make the occasion memorable & individual - I just don't know what that is!! ;-)

brandnewaward

we are having a pig on a spit instead of the cocktail sausages and goujons for the evening nibbles

rainbow kirby

A good friend of mine got married at Dublin Zoo and had the reception in a craft beer pub that did really good food too. That was fantastic

cactusgal

Oh, another wedding I was at was in the top floor bar of Guinness Storehouse, also great!

ABajaninCork

Toots wrote: »

TBH I've never been to a wedding where there was entertainment or decorations that had a huge wow factor. The best wedding I was at was my own (obviously) and all the best ones I've been at have had the following:

• Food and drink on arrival: it doesn't necessarily have to be alcohol, although some venues include that as part of the package. I think we had champagne, orange juice, or tea & coffee. Some places do punch in summer or mulled wine in winter. The drinks aren't as important as food though. Not loads of it, because you won't want people stuffed, but a few sandwiches or canapes, because it can be a while between ceremony and the meal.
• Good food for the meal: this is a big one. Ok, we all know that wedding food wouldn't be michelin star quality, but you can still get really nice meals. Don't skimp on the food budget, bad food will be remembered. One of my hubby's cousin's weddings stands out to me for that very reason; the food was horrendous. If your budget will stretch to it, have a choice for your starter, main, and dessert. Also provide a decent option for vegetarians. If you have any veggie friends, get some ideas from them.
• Plenty of decent wine during the dinner: again, this is something that will be talked about if you get scabby with the wine. The usual recommended amount is half a bottle per person. I don't drink but I remember one particular wedding (same as the one above) where it was literally one glass of wine per guest. The glass was poured with the starters, so everyone drank it, expecting it to be refilled with the main course, but there was no more, and people were not impressed that they had to go to the bar and fend for themselves for the rest of the meal.
• Drinks provided at dinner for non-drinkers: this isn't a must, but as a non-drinker it's always a nice touch to see an alternative to water. Jugs of cordial are a nice option, and not too expensive.
• Speeches after the dinner: a lot of people want to do the speeches before dinner to get them out of the way (usually because they're nervous) but unless your speeches are lightening fast, your hungry guests probably won't appreciate being made hang around. Have them after the dinner when everyone's happily fed and watered.
• Drinks for the toast: again, not an essential, but a nice touch. Either stand a round for your guests, or have glasses of prosecco, or have another top up of wine for the toast.
• A great DJ and/or band: you don't have to have a band and a DJ, you can have a DJ alone, but whichever you choose don't skimp on it. More often than not with bands & DJs you get what you pay for. Your band or DJ can make or break the night, so you want to make sure you've got someone who'll gauge the crowd and make sure you don't have an empty dance floor.
• Decent evening food: it doesn't have to be hugely fancy, sausages, goujons and sandwiches will do, provided they are good quality and there's a nice variety of tasty fillings in the sandwiches. If possible, ask the venue to put food on each table, as opposed to a buffet style serving where people go up and help themselves, because you'll usually find one or two greedy feckers who pile their plates full of food, and then by the time the last person gets there, there's nothing left.

Really what you want to provide is plenty of good food, good drink, and good music.

I'd add a decent vegetarian/vegan option to that food heading too. Not enough venues take account of the non meat eaters.

ABajaninCork

Weddings by definition are generic. I don't know what touches you can add to make it unique, as you're sure to see something that has been done before in one format or another. All you can do is have what you'd like on the day. People are going to moan anyway!

One thing I wouldn't have is Chinese lanterns. They're dangerous, and a lot of venues will not allow them.

wuffly

To be honest I don't think its 'stuff' that makes a wedding. A good location(only traveling to the one location not all over the shop after the wedding) and food are important but the main thing for me is atmosphere. We had a great band and a photobooth, our photographer also did a slideshow, all things we enjoyed and most people said they enjoyed them.
I was home for my first decent stretch over Christmas since our wedding (2 & 1/2 years ago) and all the relatives & friends were still saying how much the enjoyed it and to be honest they all said it was the atmosphere and how relaxed we were were and up for the craic that made it. If you guys are chilled out and having fun your guests will as well. I feel the same about weddings I've been too, unless the food is bad people won't take too much notice of it. For me its about catching up with friends or family and celebrating with the couple and making it a day to remember for them. All the other stuff while nice isn't what people remember. I don't regret the stuff we spent money on but they weren't real deal breakers.

hmmm

Small group of people and foreign couple had barely a euro between them, registry office in Dublin, followed by sandwiches & cocktail sausages in a small local hotel. Had a great time, chatted to everyone, very relaxed, slighly chaotic, ended up in a nightclub with bride & groom - great fun altogether.

Day Lewin

My mother was at a wedding where there was a hand-fasting on the beach, followed by the whole (small) wedding group joining hands in a ring around the couple. There was music played by a couple of musicians...finally the couple were blessed by a Christian minister. Followed by food. drink, music, dancing and singing in nearby venue.

PS the Outdoor thing was lovely but it was a windswept western beach: they were all supposed to be holding candles but they wouldn't stay lit in the gusts!

PPS I wasn't at this wedding myself, but my mother was: (it was a cousin.) She still talks about it though, as very beautiful and moving.

jester77

Best wedding was an Italian friend in Sardinia. They had a nice location rented, just close friends and family, fantastic food. Every hour there would come a course to each table and you just helped yourself. There were 3 main courses, starters, deserts and lots of wine.

Any of the weddings I have been to in Germany have been fantastic as well. They were all individual and reflected upon the couple. None of the traditional nonsense you get at Irish weddings. And they always just have close family and friends, none of this inviting neighbours or cousins you barely know .

Gatica

Best weddings had best weather... unfortunately in Ireland that's little to do with the organisers.

2 weddings in the US were among my favourites, in addition to glorious sunshine, the weddings were at half 4 in the afternoon, had lots of time to relax in the morning, get lunch and get ready.
The ceremony was on site, no travel necessary once you were there. One had his friend performing the ceremony, about 20 mins, the other had a reverend of some kind, also under 30 mins. Short ceremony is definitely a bonus.
Break out the food and drink right away and enjoy chatting to friends until dinner. The food wasn't anything amazing, I can't remember it really, but basically the day didn't revolve around it and it felt great not to feel stuffed up and sluggish after the wedding meal. I think one was buffet style at the table (a few plates shared) and the other was 2 courses. Neither had dessert. The cake was cut and you could have some if you wanted, the other was doughnuts and you could help yourself to them throughout the night. Lots of dancing and as others said, shenanigans, and basically the craic with our mates... That was the main thing. Lots of dancing, but it's the people that made the party.
I think the one "gimmick" that was more fun than I'd expected was the photobooth with accessories... and adults on booze really enjoy the inflatable toys, the hats, etc... Lots of fun photos from that.
One of the weddings also had some lawn games, which were good fun, and an open fire with marshmallows.

Tarzana2

jester77 wrote: »

Best wedding was an Italian friend in Sardinia. They had a nice location rented, just close friends and family, fantastic food. Every hour there would come a course to each table and you just helped yourself. There were 3 main courses, starters, deserts and lots of wine.

Any of the weddings I have been to in Germany have been fantastic as well. They were all individual and reflected upon the couple. None of the traditional nonsense you get at Irish weddings. And they always just have close family and friends, none of this inviting neighbours or cousins you barely know .

Will the boards.ie "Germany/The continent is sooooo much better in every conceivable way" love-in never end? :pac:

Clearlier

Struggling to describe this well but one wedding we were at where the bride and groom were from different countries. They had written short pieces about something from one of their countries and how it was important to them and placed one on each of the tables. It was a starting point for discussions and meant that all the tables started interacting with each other too as tables swapped around the pieces.

The Bishop Basher

MelanieC wrote: »

I suppose the real question I was asking was has anyone ever had or experienced something at a wedding that was a bit special or out of the ordinary? Considering we will be on such a tight budget as it is,I'd love to have some kind of unique aspect to the day that would mark it out as more than just your average wedding coz let's face it,weddings can be quite boring for people outside of the bridal party.

In my experience, the couples that follow the generic plan but try and make it unique just end up with the bog standard cliched Irish wedding.

Most of the "unique" ideas just aren't unique any more and have been done to death.

Throw the template out the window and do exactly what you want to but I would agree with what many have said above. The best weddings tend to be the least formal. If you guys are relaxed and at ease, the atmosphere will flow and your guests will relax and enjoy the party.

If budget is tight I would spend money on a decent DJ as opposed to a band. I can only count 2 weddings where I actually remember the band. A good DJ will have everyone up dancing.

Relax, enjoy and best of luck.