5 Must-Haves for a Perfect Wedding Day
Every couple has expectations for their wedding day and dreams of what their wedding will look like. You want to have a beautiful, stress-free, and fun wedding – you want it to be perfect.
While what makes the "perfect" wedding day is subjective and unique to each couple, there are some key elements that will contribute to having the most enjoyable and memorable celebration.
Here are 5 must-haves for an incredible wedding day.
Steph and Levi at the Lafayette Club in Minnetonka, Minnesota // Marit Williams Photo
1). Choose a venue that *comfortably* accommodates your guest count.
A perfect wedding day means being mindful of guest comfort, which is why it’s so important to consider what a venue’s maximum capacity is. Technically, the max capacity is the most people a venue can fit, however, if you actually host that many guests, it’s usually going to be pretty tight.
More often than not, the number venues share as “max capacity” is only doable if the room is set wall-to-wall with tables and each table would need to be full (or even squishing 10 guests at a table meant for 8). With that many people and tables, there’s limited space for mingling and tables will likely have to be setup on the dance floor area. It can delay your timeline if tables need to be moved/broken down before dances, and not to mention, some guests find it quite rude if they have to evacuate their table!
So, before booking your venue, be sure to discuss their maximum capacity and what the floor plan would look like if you actually have that many guests. For the best guest experience, you won’t have to overcrowd tables, guests will have enough room to pull out their chairs and freely walk/mingle, and there’s enough room that tables don’t need to be set on the dance floor area.
Of course, the aesthetics of the venue are important, too! If your dream venue is elegant and upscale, check out these luxury venue recommendations from Alexandra Robyn Photography!
2). Make your wedding perfectly-you by incorporating thoughtful details and personal touches.
A perfect wedding isn’t a cookie-cutter copy of something you saw on Instagram or Pinterest. You don’t want your wedding to feel generic or impersonal – you want guests to think, “wow, this is SO them!”
Here are a few fun ways to perfectly personalize your day:
Choose a dinner menu that reflects your favorite foods or desserts (some yummy ideas: a spicy Thai buffet or family-style pasta meal, an oyster bar, mini donuts and ice cream, waffles on a stick, or a late-night mac & cheese bar!).
Personalize table numbers with pictures and travel adventure stories, or maps of your favorite golf courses.
Include cultural elements or a meaningful unity element in your ceremony (you can even “cheers” with a champagne toast!).
Have a unique guestbook like a baseball bat, vinyl record, or a mini bourbon barrel.
Choreograph an impressive first dance to a song from your favorite movie.
Sammi and Nate used golf course maps for guest table numbers // Samantha Sickels Photo
Brian & Kelsey used engraved baseball bats as their guest signing item // Preston Palmer, Brovado Weddings
Patsy and Zach pour a toast during their ceremony // Alex Johnson Photo
All of these fun ideas are things our couples have done, and guests loved it as much as we did! Our professional advice: ditch traditions that don’t resonate with you. Your wedding will be perfect when you make choices that express your personalities and interests, rather than following every wedding trend you see.
3). A perfect wedding day means living in the moment, not fretting over the details — give yourself peace of mind by hiring a wedding planner to keep things running smoothly.
A professional wedding planner has the know-how to create a seamless timeline and organize every logistical detail. We have established relationships with vendors, the experience to anticipate potential issues and proactively resolve them, and we are known to be calm under pressure. While a friend or family member could “help out,” your day simply won’t go as smoothly as it would with a professional and experienced wedding coordinator or planner. We’ll make sure everything is as perfect as possible!
Pro tip: Consider hiring a planner as soon as you begin wedding planning. Beyond our support on the day of, booking a planner in the early stages of your planning process means we can help you stay organized, make the most of your budget, and connect you with the best vendors!
“Your wedding day is going to be a little stressful no matter what, but don’t make it harder on yourself. Lily was essential to making my wedding day perfect, I really do mean it when I say it couldn’t be done without her.”
— Stephanie & Christian | Partial Planning | Ivory North
4). For a perfect wedding day, you need the perfect vendor team. Choose vendors you connect with!
You’ll be working closely with your vendors in the months leading up to your wedding and they’re with you most of the big day, so you’d better be sure you genuinely like these people! If you don’t like a vendor you’ve hired, it’s going to be uncomfortable working with them.
Beyond personality, you of course need to make sure the vendors you hire are reputable and recognized wedding pros. A word to the wise: do not hire a vendor simply because their rates are the lowest. Pricing much lower than competitors is often a sign they are very new or inexperienced in the wedding industry. It is great to support new businesses but take the time to evaluate their services to ensure your needs will be met. You get what you pay for and unfortunately, hiring the cheapest vendor may have some frustrating consequences – like getting ghosted after paying your deposit, dealing with a DJ who played the wrong first dance songs and mispronounced your last name, or receiving poorly edited images.
Ultimately, you will have a more fun, relaxed, and perfect wedding day if you work with trusted vendors who relate to you as a couple. This is especially true for your wedding planner! Here’s a bit about our favorite couples to work with.
5). Find the perfect dress! That is, one you feel comfortable in!
This can be so easily overlooked because most people tend to focus only on what their dress looks like. But are you comfortable?
You’re in your dress ALL day. You don’t want to look back on your wedding and remember how perfect everything was… except for how you had to keep pulling your dress up, how scratchy the lace or sequins were under your arms, or that you couldn’t breathe during dinner (you need to make sure you can SIT in your dress!). And don’t forget about comfy shoes! Don’t feel pressured to buy a certain style of dress or designer heels. Choose what you feel comfortable and confident in. When you look and feel good, you’ll have the perfect day.
This goes for your partner, too! Whether in a dress, a suit, a tuxedo, a jumpsuit… they should be comfortable! That includes letting them wear a color they feel is flattering. You might love a forest green tux or a light blue tie, but if your partner doesn’t, don’t make them wear it.
Here are a few of our favorite places to shop for wedding attire:
Dresses: a&bé bridal shop, Flutter, Vow’d, or try your luck at a Freya Wilde dress re-sale event.
Tuxes & Suits: Atmosfere, GenTux (use code BSHAPPILILY for a discount), and Milbern’s.
Kenzie’s gorgeous dress from a&bé // Rachel Graff Photography
Remember, your wedding isn’t about perfection, or being the most Insta-worthy.
It's about celebrating your love and creating memories with the people you cherish most. But, if you keep these five things in mind, your wedding day will be that much closer to perfect!
If you’re ready to plan a so-you wedding, let’s chat! You can trust us to guide you through a fun & stress-free planning process ending with the most carefree, memorable wedding day.
“HappiLily Events helped to bring our wedding visions + ideas into a beautiful reality!! We cannot express how much Lily helped us in having the perfect day!”
“HappiLily Events helped to bring our wedding visions + ideas into a beautiful reality!! We cannot express how much Lily helped us in having the perfect day!
Her expertise, kindness, and organization really makes her the kind of wedding planner you want on your side as you prepare for one of the biggest days of your life. We cannot say enough good things about Lily + all of the services she offered. If you are feeling hesitant about a wedding planner -- take this as your sign that it is, more specifically HappiLily Events is, beyond worth it!!”
— Lisa & Cody | Round Barn Farm | Photographed by Vanessa Lee
“My husband and I wholeheartedly recommend Lily to help your wedding be as perfect as ours was!”
“Lily’s title should be changed to “miracle worker”. When starting our wedding planning, we reached out to Lily and from the instant we met her, we knew that we had made a great decision.
I was completely at ease and actually able to fully enjoy the day because everything was in Lily’s hands. She was absolutely amazing and we could not have had the day we did without Lily’s help. My husband and I wholeheartedly recommend Lily to help your wedding be as perfect as ours was!”
— Molly & Rob | Harriet Island Pavilion | Photographed by Afton Joy
HappiLily Events plans crazy-fun weddings for couples in Minnesota and Wisconsin. We specialize in making each wedding day as unique as it is memorable with thoughtful details and personal touches.
