A wedding, large or small, is an event involving many people. It can be held outdoors, in a banquet hall or in a hotel, and everywhere you need to feel safe, which we do not always think about in full detail. We will tell you how to ensure safety for yourself and your guests, on whom it depends and what it consists of. Thinking ahead about the safety of a wedding, especially for those with a large number of guests, can be a wise move. A day like this should be filled with joy, and like any event with a lot of people, knowing that everything is under control can bring a lot of peace of mind to everyone involved.
Recognise the potential problems
One of the most common mistakes and the biggest foolishness when organising a wedding is to assume that everything will go like clockwork. Recognising that troubles do happen and have every right to do so, the organisers of the holiday will be able to cope with them much easier and faster, even before they have time to cause significant damage.
Emergency plan
A thoughtful emergency plan must be developed prior to the wedding. It is necessary to take into account all the points left without attention. Developing an emergency plan involves identifying potential problems and finding methods to solve each of them. One aspect of the plan is to identify critical situations that may arise during the holiday and choose ways to handle each one. For example, rain is not a crisis, but rather a small problem that can be dealt with in a conventional plan. A crisis is an earthquake or fire, flood or hurricane.
Stay calm
The skillful organisation in case of an emergency is a critical element in any wedding plan. Much depends on the scale of the wedding celebration, the venue, etc.
It is very important for wedding planners to understand not only the potential problem but also its possible consequences. The best advice to follow when any unforeseen circumstance arises is: stay calm.
People invited to the wedding, when they hear about the danger, usually immediately panic. Among them, there may be those who skilfully initiate this panic, but you should not be one of them.
Safety of structures
A modern wedding requires quite sophisticated technical equipment. Whether it be arches or tents from scratch, such work is always associated with a large number of calculations, such as strength calculations of structures, wind loads (especially if you are doing an event on an open area in the summer). If the wedding is indoors, then the site must have weight permits for each suspension point with tests and a corresponding act. Otherwise, it is better to give up large-scale decorations than not be sure that the ceiling will not collapse on the guests.
Fire safety
Never use any open fire in an enclosed area. With rapidly advancing technology, we are able to replace wax candles with LED candles, instead of fire shows, use rooms with neon decorations. And do not forget to check emergency exits, availability of fire extinguishing devices. And sign a contract with a security engineer!
Electricity
For safety, it is necessary to use all electrical connections with an earthing and safe connection. Fortunately, all technical contractors must work this way. For decorators, address the same requirements, and you should check how the electrical parts are installed in the decoration elements.
Program
Of course, everyone wants to keep up with the times and use complex visual solutions. However, the stage or hall does not always allow to do this safely for the lives of the performers themselves (or, if the room passes under the ceiling above the hall, then for the guests). You need to check the venues in advance and do a few rehearsals.
Catering
If there is no stationary kitchen on-site, catering should be invited. It can also be a source of danger: poisoning, allergic reactions, sanitary certification of personnel … Our advice is to ask all your guests to inform you if they have some food allergies. Another solution is to have cards with all the ingredients, so the guests may check everything before the meal. But, to avoid possible troubles, you need to work with trusted services.
Fireworks and other pyrotechnics
Always entrust this part of the program to professionals with certificates and licenses. Try to do this at a distance from the site so that it is not only effective but also safe. Never do even mini-fireworks or fire shows by yourself, they may seem harmless but can be very dangerous.
Medical assistance
If you have an event in the city, it will be enough to use the city services in case of health problems of guests, artists or service personnel. However, if your event is out of town, where the ambulance may be delayed, be sure to invite the on-call team of doctors. This is the service that will help you to be calm about the health of all your guests.
Be in contact with the police
Among the important security tasks that are solved during a wedding celebration is establishing contact with the police and an agreement on interaction and support if necessary, handing over offenders to the police, preventing and resolving conflicts between guests and strangers who come to your house or banquet hall, assistance in case of extortion from the wedding organisers, prevention of kidnapping for the purpose of extortion, etc. It is very important to be able to ensure personal safety.
Dancing area
A wedding is a place where everybody should be in a good mood and dance all day and night long. Make sure that your dancing area is not slippery. Nobody wants falling guests, or even worst — a bride with a broken leg. The anti-slip tape will help you with this issue, so you don’t have to worry about any falling accidents.
Security at the event
Think about whether the security provided by the site will be enough. Sometimes, especially if the event is large and well-known personalities are present, it is necessary to provide an additional guard, which will quickly respond to all possible incidents.
Crowd Control
Weddings have a habit of getting out of hand. This happens for many reasons, including the intoxication of guests or the fact that relatives with incessant feud are in close proximity to each other. Physical security can ensure that such incidents do not escalate, or, if they happen, deal with them quickly and efficiently so that they do not spoil everyone else’s enjoyment of the day.
Kids
Children, relatives of the newlyweds, are often taken to the wedding. Their behaviour can be unpredictable everywhere, not to mention the holidays. Therefore, the issue of the presence of children at the wedding must be taken very seriously. First of all, of course, parents should have a conversation with children even before the celebration, tell their children why at the wedding one should behave well and obey adults. Event organisers should also consider the presence of little guests at the event. Ideally, you should make a separate list of children invited with their parents to the wedding. For all of them, try to come up with entertainment and menus so that they do not get bored and harm themselves while the adults are having fun.
Personal belongings safety
A wedding is a place where people tend to leave valuable items unattended. These include wallets, purses, jackets, etc. Knowing that guards are patrolling helps keep such items safe while guests are enjoying the event.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that no one wants to face such disasters and no one even thinks about them, they still need to be taken into account — first of all, to develop a plan for the rescue and evacuation of victims, as well as to ensure their safety.
If you, even when faced with additional costs, are able to adequately prepare for the worst-case scenario, you will still gain more than if you expose the holiday to an unnecessary risk of irresponsibility. Stay safe.
