When it comes to having a wedding, which stays in the memory forever, you could do much worse than a New Year’s Eve wedding. If you’re going to have two big celebrations (your wedding and the New Year), why not combine them and go all out for a massive, spectacular, magical New Year wedding?
Weddings are about beginning your new life together with your loved one, and a new year is also about new and fresh beginnings, so combining the two is actually a very natural thing.
New Year’s Eve weddings are becoming more and more popular, and whilst they are a great idea and can be truly special, there is more involved in organising it than a wedding on another day.
If you are thinking about having a joint wedding and New Year’s party, there are some specific things that you will need to consider, to make sure that it all goes off with a bang!
1. Give yourself (and others) time
It can be hard enough to set a date for your wedding, to ensure that all of the important people are there, even on a ‘normal’ day. New Year’s Eve can be even harder – often people already have plans or are going away, so you need to make sure that you give them as much notice as possible – for many, they make plans for next New Year’s Eve the year before. You should also be prepared for some people who won’t be able to attend.
Christmas and New Year can be stressful for anyone, even before they have a wedding to organise as well. The only way to reduce stress is by planning as far in advance as possible, and maybe organising a stay at a relaxing spa hotel somewhere away from it all in a tranquil location to give you some renewed energy before the big day.
Venues also get booked up very quickly at New Year. This is often their opportunity to make good money, so you will need to book as far in advance as possible and be prepared to pay higher prices.
2. Embrace the New Year
If people are going to choose your New Year’s wedding over their own New Years’ Eve plans, you should be embracing the New Year. You can incorporate it into a theme – maybe a glitzy and glamorous, sparkly wedding party, or by having a theme of time, for example. People love to dress up for New Year and weddings so let them indulge!
Unlike many other weddings which wind up around 10 pm, your New Year’s wedding party will certainly go on until after the midnight countdown. This means that you will have to check with the venue about getting a late license and the staff to ensure that the party will go on.
You should also be planning what you are going to do at midnight. You might need extra champagne, maybe think about what the DJ or band will be doing, think about balloons or confetti in a net, entertainers – or even better, one of your own ideas.
3. Save up!
It is the sad truth that the minute that you mention the w*dding word, prices are hiked up. Unfortunately, New Year’s Eve is similar. Everything is usually more expensive at New Year, as this is when everyone – from venues to musicians to photographers can earn good money. You should also think about the fact that not everyone works during the holidays.
Whether you are booking bands, flower arrangers, magicians or caterers, be prepared to pay extra just to have your wedding on that special day.
4. Guests
Make sure that you think about what your guests will really want from your combined wedding and New Year’s Eve party. They will often have their children with them who might not make it until midnight. You might want to think about having a ‘kid’s sleepover’ or babysitter to allow the parents to let their hair down, have your wedding in a hotel where people can stay or offer transport to get them home – you could hire a double-decker bus, for example.
You should also think about the fact that guests might want to see people earlier in the day so maybe schedule the wedding for a bit later. If you are expecting them to be partying with you for a good few hours, you should also think about what food you are providing, how much of it and when!
A New Year’s Eve wedding is the ultimate in new beginnings, exciting prospects and dreams of a future full of love. Although it might need more planning (and more money) it gives you the chance to splurge, party with your loved ones and look forward to a life full of happiness.
