Fathers often give the most emotional speeches, so I’m sad when a their too nervous to give one. Talk to your father well in advance, and set a clear expectation that you’d like him to speak at your wedding. Dad’s usually have good senses of humor, so get him a toy microphone to practice on if he’s nervous.

Too often, the bride is unsure if her father wants to speak at all. She’ll tiptoe around the issue all the way up to her big day. When I walk over to ask the father if he’ll be speaking, he’ll say, “I didn’t know I was giving a speech”.

As a bride, tell your dad you’d like him to speak during your precious day.

Just ask your DJ, “Will you be sitting during the reception? Dinner is one thing, but if they’ll be sitting at any other point, find a new DJ.

Even if they’re using a Spotify playlist during cocktail hour, standing behind their booth will give off better party vibes. People will feel they’re being served better.

The worst is when I see a few DJ’s sitting together behind the booth, chatting and looking at their phones. Guests are right to think they don’t take your event seriously.

Your wedding is the world series, the super bowl, the big day. If I’m smart, my feet won’t hurt too bad after DJ’ing your wedding; but they often do. But remember you’re worth it!

Also buy your house in cash. Haha, it sounds like I’m joking, but this is what my wife and I did.

I’m going to put this out there, because no one else will tell you this. You can get out of debt faster than you thought possible. You can get rid of your credit cards. You can never have a car payment again. And you can live without regret that you just put your honeymoon on a credit card.

In my humble opinion, you don’t want to start out a marriage worried about money. But, many couples do. They let their wedding spending get out of control simply because it’s their big day, so they justify foolishness in their heads.

We as humans do this all the time, we convince ourselves it’s okay to do something that is actually harmful to ourselves; I do this everyday with cookies and beer.

Money is such a personal topic to people, maybe because of shame. It’s easy to look at Instagram and think everyone else must be doing great with money, “Why am I not?”

From personal experience, don’t try to impress others with a big wedding, a super nice car, and the biggest ring. Focus on serving others, smiling, and being so grateful for the life and family members you do have.

Does your DJ consider many guests may get upset if they’re not told the bar will close during dinner? Even last call, they would like to be informed. Some of them want to run over and grab two more drinks before they can’t any longer.

My wife was upset during my brother’s wedding because she was nursing and couldn’t get to the bar in time. She wasn’t getting drunk, she just wanted a little red wine.

Make sure your DJ always is considering your guests, what they want, and how they’re feeling.

As I write this, it’s seven degrees outside. But only a few months ago I was sweating during a ceremony.

This ceremony was undercover and protected from the sun, but the air was stagnant and hot. The bride and groom anticipated the heat, but the solution was handing out paper fans which don’t get rid of the hot air guests are sitting in.

If you stand under a tree on a hot day, it will actually feel okay if there is a slight breeze. If heat will be a problem, I recommend renting a large fan for your ceremony. Try to position the fan so that in helps cycle new air into the room. Some guests, especially the older ones, may arrive 30 minutes before the ceremony even starts. Seat them in front of the fans so they’re a little more comfortable. If you’re worried about noise, turn off the fans right when the ceremony starts.

When you did a taste testing, they probably didn’t overcook the chicken and it tasted great. But when they cook for 200 people, the meat tends to be overdone.

This is why BBQ sauce is so helpful, it covers the dryness of any overcooked meat. Did you ever get a plated meal at a wedding and wish they added more sauce to the plate?

With plated meals, they need to be kept warm while the staff runs back and forth. Plus, maybe the meat sat on a plate while the potatoes were finishing up. All this leads to dry meat. BBQ on the other hand gets cooked in big batches and just marinates in juice.

Yes, some plated meals can be great, but also consider BBQ is usually cheaper and all the sauce options are fun. And with BBQ, guests can enjoy seconds!

You’re like a bright light that attracts moths. Okay, that sounds bad, but people gravitate to you during your wedding. By being on the dance floor, you communicate that’s where the fun is at. So why wouldn’t you be out on the dance floor all night?

Maybe you want to ensure to talk with all your guests. The first strategy is to talk with only certain guests during dinner time, those who might not be on the dance floor later. Second, you need to see the dance floor as a place where conversations can happen. I see brides all the time going back and forth between talking and dancing.

Lastly, if you’re worried your drink will get low, every guest relishes the chance to serve a bride on her big day.

If a table full of vendors are given a sandwich tray, you may have problems.

Vendors work very long days and are going non-stop. They may bring snacks, but after a long day of work, a quick hot meal can give them a needed boost.

I’ve seen vendors forced to hide in the back and eat bologna sandwiches. They will talk and joke about the food. Their focus changes from YOU to themselves. This is no good. Your wedding day is the Super Bowl and you deserve the best.

I personally think it’s okay for you to skip vendor meals all together; you pay so much for food as it is. It’s simply a wonderful gesture when you do. Whether or not you serve me food doesn’t affect my goal of serving you the best I can. Just be aware some vendors may not see it that way.

I rarely see aisle runners work well at a weddings.

You don’t want it out while seating guests incase they kick it out of place or get it dirty. You could have some uncles roll it out right before you walk down the aisle, but are you giving them a time to practice? Some aisle runners are hard to unroll; you don’t want all the attention on them as they struggle to lay it out.

Aisle runners use to protect the bride’s dress from floors muddied by guests. Since this is no longer a real issue, one solution is to not use an aisle runner at all.

An alternative is to rely only on flower pedals, but will the flower girl just throw clumps and not spread the flowers out evenly? Can you give her good instruction and time to practice? Nice lanterns or flowers at the end of the pews often look nice.

If really wanting to use an aisle runner, I’ve seen brides block off the main aisle so guests must walk up the side aisles instead. To block of the aisle, they used a nice sign welcoming guests, surrounded by flowers.

Living in the suburbs of Cleveland and Akron, it seems everyone likes wearing bumming-around outfits to the grocery store. People don’t get dressed up like they used to. Some DJ’s mention in the on-line forums that it’s all about the music, and no one at the wedding cares how they dress; well I do.

A DJ should match the effort put in by the guests, or more. A DJ’s outfit, what their speakers look like, how clean the wires are, and even the smile on their face all lend to the overall environment that you, the bride, spent so much time curating.

Ask a DJ what they typically wear. I’ve seen a DJ recently wear jeans and white New Balance sneakers. You don’t need that at your wedding, you deserve better!