Weddings are a big task to organise and it can be hard to remember all the items you need. While some things are obvious, a venue, a dress, a ring etc, some of the smaller essentials may be forgotten. With a wedding, the small details can make all the difference and add the finishing touch to your special day. We have compiled a list of some of the things that will make your wedding sparkle.

Confetti

The tradition of confetti thrown over the bride and groom comes from Italy. These can be thrown from cones, boxes or bags and can come in different variations. You could have petal confetti to match your colour scheme or even some dried lavender for a different take on the classic confetti.

Car

Vintage cars are a popular choice to arrive in style to your wedding. A Rolls Royce or a vintage Austin would certainly allow you to arrive in style! You could also even arrive by horse and carriage or a vintage bus! Or why not try something a bit more modern and have an Audi or Aston Martin.

Menu

Depending on the style of your wedding you can display the menu in different ways. This could be on a chalkboard on each table or have one larger chalkboard near the seating plan. You could also have wired menus in the middle of each table, or why not have individual paper menus on each place setting. These could be illustrative, on decorative paper or on wooden planks or clipboards.

Centrepieces

Centrepieces are a great talking point for guests and can help to create the perfect atmosphere. Flowers are a popular choice and your guests can even take them home at the end of the evening if they are individually tied up. Tall floral centrepieces add height and elegance to a table and make it look like the flowers are floating. You could also have an arrangement of candles which would add a romantic atmosphere and create an ambient lighting.

Favours

Wedding favours are a way to say thank you to your guests. You can be as creative as you like, why not have something that your guests can take home afterwards. This can either be edible like sweets or something engraved and personalised.

Flowers

Flowers really set the tone for your event and will transform any area, whether that be on the windowsills or the centre of your table. They can also be used along the seats at the reception, also in the ceremony and along the top table. They can be as bold and colourful as you like or keep it simple and have minimalist flowers or leaves.

Lights

The right lighting will make a magical experience. Fairy lights are easy to drape and can be hung from the ceiling or along a feature wall. This would also make a great backdrop for photos. Outside, lanterns add a romantic feel and fairy lights can be hung in the trees.

Guestbook

For a unique idea you could have your guests pin their messages to a noticeboard or you could have a polaroid noticeboard, where guests can pin photos from the night onto it. You will be able to cherish the memories of your wedding and look back at the photos.

Place cards

Instead of a regular card with your guests’ name on, why not tie your place cards into the theme. For example, your guests’ names could be painted on rocks could be from a place you love visiting. You could also have acrylic name cards for a simplistic approach or could paint names onto leaves or name tags.

Photography

To capture your special day, a photographer will ensure that every part of your wedding day is covered. You could also have some fun evening photography with props and your guests can take their photos home afterwards.

Invitations

Invitations are crucial to ensure your guests turn up and know when and where the event is! They don’t have to be paper invitations, you could use wood or even fabric. Or you could use some calligraphy or embossing to make a card invitation stand out.

Seating

Your seating plan will help your guests find their seat. If you have a theme, you could have different tables with names corresponding to that theme. Your tables could be scattered around – either rectangular or oval or you could have one long banquet style table. For the seating chart, you could have a pinboard style with names pinned up on tags or keep it simple and have names on a list with a floral decoration around.

Signs

Signs will help direct your guests to various points such as the bar or the toilets. If you are having a rustic themed wedding, wooden signs hand painted would be fitting with the theme. This is also useful if you have a reception outside as you might have different areas of entertainment.

Candles

Candles add a romantic feel to a wedding and work well with flowers to create beautiful table decorations. They can be in pillars or tea lights or you could even have floating candles.

Bouquets

Your bouquet can be as traditional or non-traditional as you like. You could have a small hand-picked bunch of flowers that means something to you or go completely opposite and have a huge colourful array of flowers. You could also add berries to the bouquet for a non-traditional approach and would be festive for an autumn or winter wedding.

Order of service

The order of service will tell your guests exactly what’s happening during the wedding. This can be displayed on a sheet or a booklet. For an extra special touch, illustrations of the venue or of each event in the wedding will be visually appealing.

Wedding Cake

Non-traditional wedding cakes are becoming more and more popular, as not everybody wants a tiered cake at their wedding. Naked cakes create an informal cake or chocolate brownies will be a popular choice with everyone. Alternatively, a pavlova or cheesecake would be good for a summer wedding. If you are after a tiered cake, why not have different cake flavours depending on the tier. You could adorn the cake with edible flowers or even a chocolate collar.

Evening Food

Providing some food after the main meal will ensure your guests don’t get hungry later on! A buffet spread ideal for this, as they can help themselves to some light snacks and cold meats to keep them going. You could also have a sweets table where guests can help themselves to an array of sweets and have fun choosing!

Ring pillow

A ring pillow is a cute keepsake for the ring bearer and they will cherish it forever. They can be easily made and adorned with flowers. Alternatively, a ring box is a safe option to ensure the ring doesn’t go missing!

Table numbers

Table numbers are essential, so your guests know where to sit! There are so many ideas you can do with these – you could have numbers painted on acrylic and stood up in wooden blocks. Or you could use slates or wood or even tie a tag around a vase of flowers with the number on. If it is a winter wedding, you could stick tags in pine cones to double up as a festive decoration.