Making your wedding stand out is getting harder and harder as couples up their game with delicious food menus, spectacular venues and stunning dresses, so what can you do to make your big day really stick in the memories of your guests?

Here are three ways to really wow your guests, and give you and your other half a day that you’ll never forget.

Luxury Toilets

It might not be the first thing that comes to mind, but if you’re hosting an outdoor wedding the toilets can really let your event down.

You can spend loads of time and money making sure that the rest of the ceremony is as good as it can be, but if you’re asking your guests to use a cramped, dirty portable toilet cubicle, that’s what they’ll go away telling their friends about.

Thankfully, there are much more luxurious options on offer, which will take your guests away from a muddy marquee and straight into a five-star hotel.

For example, Event Washrooms offer flexible luxury cubicles, which are fitted out with real oak and marble finishes, LED lighting, automatic taps and glass water basins all of which give your big day that classy touch.

You’ll hopefully only get married the once, so why skimp on such an important amenity and provide a bit of luxury in an area where most couples wouldn’t even bother.

Social Media Integration

A great way to really get your guests involved with the ceremony is to offer social media integration, and it might be easier than you think.

Start off by setting up a web page, Twitter or Instagram feed to keep everyone posted on the preparations for the big day.

On the big day itself, make sure to make use of hashtags so that everybody can share their pictures and experiences of the big day, and once it’s all done, you’ll have a ready-made photo album.

You may also wish to set up a social media wall, such as those from AwesomeWall so that all of your guests can see each others posts up on a big screen in real time.

You might even wish to set up a live stream so that friends and family who can’t make the ceremony itself can still watch along, wherever they are in the world.

Light Up Letters

The decoration and lighting are crucial aspects of your big day, with many opting for impressive centrepieces and sparkling chandeliers.

But why not combine the two with some attractive light up letters from Light It Up UK?

Their handcrafted light up letters are a great touch to your ceremony, with a popular option being to opt for the initials of the bride and groom.

They also offer bespoke shapes such as hearts, or you might wish to use them as signage (for example, the letters B-A-R or T-O-I-L-E-T-S).

Whether indoors or out, these letters are a great centerpiece and add a real touch of class to the proceedings.

Choosing a wedding venue is a massive undertaking. According to the Hitched Wife website, the UK wedding industry is worth £10 billion every single year, with the average couple spending £1517 of their overall budget on the venue. Then, how can you be sure to bag or even find the perfect venue? Here are three top tips.

1. Be Organized About Your Research

A wedding is not something to take an undisciplined approach to planning. Not least because you and potentially a hundred or more of those you hold dearest will remember the day for the rest of their lives. Recognizing that fact though in many cases is as paralyzing as it is motivating; hence, it is easy to see how so many couples get a little scatter brained about proceedings. Organizing one’s direct debits, credit cards and the likes is hard enough. When emotions get brought into the mix it can be impossible to see the big day for the tears (of joy or just stress).

Fortunately, the wedding saving team at the Practical Wedding website realize and appreciate this all too well. For that reason they have gone ahead and done the hard work for the world’s would-be-weds. From compiling a fuss and fluff free guide to bagging your dream venue to knowing how to find it and recognizing when you have, as well as the questions you will need to ask to compare and decide between potential venues.

So then, rather than lose your head simply head over to the A Practical Wedding website, How to Choose a Wedding Venue Guide.

2. Keep an Open Mind…and Have Fun!

Where a venue is located, whether it features disabled access, whether it has the scope to accommodate all of your intended guests (perhaps even overnight)…these are all issues that need determining before you begin your venue search. The danger of doing things the other way around, aside from meaning having to search for venues with no actual strategy in place, is that you fall in love with a venue that is not suitable. At worst, rather than accept this and move on, it could leave you having to make tough choices between axing a portion of your reception guests, leaving your beloved pooch behind or even breaking your budget.

As for the style of a venue though, this is something that can be explored once you’ve a budget, guest list and the likes pinned down. Further, whilst some might have a very firm idea of what they want in mind, taking a moment to look at what is actually out there can open couples’ eyes to a whole new world of ideas and possibilities.

For example, whilst Searcys at The Gherkin in Central London provides an ultra modern venue, the scope the building provides means that there is no reason why it cannot be decked out with a traditional theme whilst also offering some of the most stunning views of London possible. Meanwhile, couples who would rather look out over marvels of a more natural kind shouldn’t be put off the likes of any one of three Lake District Country Hotel’s wedding venues; providing historic and architecturally unique buildings and set on the edge of Lake Windermere, this needn’t mean those who opt to wed at a Lake District Country House Hotel have to throw a traditional country house wedding.

Then, whilst a theme is often chosen, remember that it needn’t and should never curtail or narrow your search in ways which could actually prevent you from finding your ideal venue; further, the wedding police are not going to arrest you for blending styles and making the day your own. Rather, the regret police are far more likely to come knocking if you let the likes of style magazines and guests decide where you say ‘I do’. This is your day. Make sure your venue and everything else about it celebrates that.

3. Make a Joint Decision

A perfect venue cannot be found, even if you visit every single potential wedding venue in the country, or even the world, unless the decision is a joint one. While one half of a couple might seem or even actually be happy to defer the responsibility of making this all important choice and the other half might seem or even be happy to get to pick, both individuals need to remember what the venue is being picked for.

A wedding is a celebration of two people uniting and coming together to form a lifelong team. It involves celebrating the individuality of the two halves that make a whole, and an equal one hopefully; hence, both parties need to show and take an equal interest every aspect. The alternative is that one partner’s personality dominates the ‘show’. Then, and whilst some partners might be happy (relieved even) to defer the responsibility of picking out a venue to their other half right now, give this set up ten years (or even ten months) and things could very easily be very different.

Couples who go at wedding planning and finding that ideal venue as a team are able to ground and support each other while learning how to better compromise and communicate with each other as well as sharing a once in a lifetime experience, and one that will ultimately change the course of both their lives forever. Your partner is the only person who is with you on this rollercoaster, that is, after all, the whole point. Then, this is perhaps why those who plan together as well as being doubly likely to stick to their budget are also far more likely to stick to each other in the long term, as is discussed further in The Marriage Prep website article Wedding Planning: Interesting Relationship Challenge.

Suffice to say, and in conclusion, if you’re planning to be together for the rest of your lives, there is no better time to start practicing what you are about to preach than now!

Here are just five reasons why the Turks and Caicos Islands make the perfect place for a destination wedding.

If you happen to agree and book your big day in TCI, just remember though, you will need to meet the license requirements to do so.

Then, to find out more about marriage licence requirements in Turks and Caicos visit the Turks and Caicos Tourism website.

Meanwhile, to get on with finding out why TCI is one of the world’s most perfect dream wedding destinations, read on!

1. Have the Experts Plan Your Wedding For You

One of the biggest draws of a destination wedding is not, as you might first think, the romantic notions of white sandy shores or beginning your honeymoon ahead of your big day. Rather, what draws a lot of couples is that a destination wedding in contrast to a home wedding is far more stress-free. It might seem like the opposite would be true, given that planning a wedding to take place in the chapel down the road is stressful enough, never mind attempting to execute the perfect one thousands of miles away, but take a moment to think about it.

Resorts offering wedding packages in TCI, such as the Alexandra Resort, recognize that their guests are unable to plan their own wedding when travelling from other locations. Hence, being professionals and well-versed experts, their onsite and dedicated wedding planning teams ensure that your perfect big day is sorted on your behalf and as part of your holiday package.

Most resorts, in including the Alexandra, also offer a number of extras and special touches, from sourcing the perfect wedding favours for guests to having champagne cocktails ready for the toasts. Hence, be sure to discuss the details as well as cover the major concerns when speaking with a resort wedding team.

2. Cut the Cost of Your Dream Wedding

Another reason destination weddings are so tempting is that rather than costing double that of getting wed in the UK and then having to fork out for the addition of a honeymoon holiday somewhere, they combine both these costs…and then slash it in half in many cases.

Rather than paying separately for a venue, decorations, food, drink, a wedding planner, a photographer and the rest, a decent resort (such as those featured in this article) will provide options to cover all of these things as part of their wedding package – and the total cost of the package is still in many if not most cases going to come in at less than what the average couple spend n 2017 on a UK wedding and luxury honeymoon abroad.

3. The Luxury of Getting to Select Only those Guests You Actually Want There

This is one of those aspects of throwing a destination wedding that for many either makes or breaks it; when getting hitched away from home it is likely that you are going to have to make some cutthroat choices in terms of your guest list. A sizable number those on your ‘provisional’ guest list will be unable or simple unwilling to leave the country to see you say ‘I do’.

On the flip side, for a lot of people this means being able to narrow a guest list down to an to those nearest and dearest to you without causing offence; it isn’t after all that you don’t want so-and-so there, but rather that it is a small ceremony thousands of miles away and they just happen to be busy at work during that week…

4. Escape the British Weather

The Turks and Caicos Islands are hotter and more temperate in December than Britain is in June. This statement is not the least bit hyperbolic; as explored in more detail via the official Turks and Caicos Tourism website, TCI enjoys year round hot weather meaning that its beaches can also be enjoyed every day of the year – even at Christmas. Meanwhile, if British beaches are ever enjoyed, few people go as far as to dare planning to wed on them.

5. Get Hitched in Paradise

Whenever you dream of getting hitched, if doing so on the world’s best beach (as voted for via the Trip Advisor Travellers’ Choice Awards) whilst being smiled down upon by both a Caribbean sunset and as well one of TCI’s only boutique and most architecturally stunning resorts (it takes the form of a colonially inspired beach front mansion house) sounds like your perfect dream wedding day, look no further than the Beach House Resort in Grace Bay, Providenciales. And, after all, who wouldn’t like to say I do on the best beach on the face of the planet?

The phrase “food truck” use to call to mind fun, tasty, casual street eats – now food truck catering has become a common choice for a wedding. Whether the wedding you’re planning is a casual or formal affair, there’s a food truck option available that will beautifully meet your requirements. Treat your guests to delicious, unique meals, appetizers and desserts, courtesy of today’s chic, trendy food trucks.

Following are a few things to consider as you look for food truck catering for your wedding.

Choosing a Style

Food trucks can be found in a range of styles, from an industrial, contemporary look, to colorful retro-inspired trucks. The kinds of foods served are just as varied and include desserts that range from cupcakes to Gelato. You’ll want to do some research to make sure that the food trucks you’re considering will compliment your reception’s atmosphere and decor. For instance, a sweet looking striped food truck with an awning, serving gourmet appetizers, cupcakes or ice cream would be perfect for a spring or summer garden wedding.

Planning the Menu Made Easy

If you’re planning on having the food truck provide the main reception meal, you’ll find that there many distinctive selections available, including stir fry, organics, fresh seafood, falafel and even empanadas and tacos. Also, today a growing list of well-known brick and mortar eateries are launching their own food truck catering services, so consider asking some of your favorite places if they’re planning on doing the same. You can also find food trucks that serve fun appetizers like sliders, dumplings, sushi and other lite bites. For great dessert alternatives, there are food trucks that serve Italian ice, smoothies, frozen yogurt, cupcakes and more.

The More the Merrier

One of the coolest benefits of food truck catering is that they can actually feed a lot of people quickly, which is why they’re so popular at festivals. That said, it will take your guests time to get through the food line which is why it’s a good idea to have multiple food trucks at the wedding reception (1 for every 70 guests or so).

Late Night Snack

How much would your guests appreciate having tasty late night snacks available after an evening spent dancing and drinking champagne? A food truck serving light, tasty appetizers would be just the thing, whether it’s soft pretzels, donuts or stuffed mushrooms.

Having an Indoor Wedding?

No problem. Just because you’re having an indoor wedding doesn’t mean you can’t hire a food truck catering service. A lot of food truck companies also have food carts that you can have rolled into an indoor venue as a special surprise either during the reception or toward the end of the evening.

You may be under the impression that, because they’re so popular today, food truck catering for a wedding may be too expensive.  Well, chances are that you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how affordable most actually are. On top of that, your guests are going to love the experience.