When organising your big day it is important that you make extra checks regarding extra charges.

If you are hosting a reception at a restaurant or catering hall take time to read the contracts that you have drawn up together in close detail. You don’t want to end up paying for services that you did not know you would have to. If something comes up in the contract that you do not understand regarding payments then be sure to question it. It is your wedding and you should know exactly what is going on and what you are paying for.

Some companies will add an extra charge for the cutting of the cake. This is ridiculous! Chances are that you will have already hired waiters and waitresses to help serve the food, so they can also help with dividing the cake.

Be sure to check that the reception does not have tip boxes on the bar. As nice as it seems to reward good service, a wedding is a hosted event and should feel like one. Bathroom attendants with tip baskets are also a big no-no. You don’t want your guests feeling obliged to reward.

It is not just the wedding reception that you should be concerned about regarding hidden charges. In every aspect of your big day there are likely to have been contracts drawn up with suppliers.

These include photographers and florists. Just be sure to make it clear what you are going to be paying for and always check to confirm a final cost with suppliers.

The Card Gallery offers a range of wedding accessories for your special day, including wedding photo albums and wedding invitations.

Being given the label of ‘The Best Man’ entails many duties that you should not take lightly. Delivering the speech at the wedding reception is a great honour, but often you will find that no one actually wants to do it when push comes to shove! As long as you remember to keep it short and sweet, with a few sentimental bits that are spoken from the heart, it is sure to go down a treat.

When it comes to constructing your speech, it can often be a daunting challenge. Many times you will have attended a wedding reception where the best man’s speech crosses the line of either being too embarrassing for the couple or just not funny.

It is a great idea to keep it personal, but try not to make it too embarrassing or reveal anything that the bride or groom would not appreciate you revealing in front of their loved ones.

Many best man’s speeches include a joke or two. Before you deliver the final thing, have a practise run in front of someone who will be able to give you constructive critical advice. If they don’t laugh at your jokes then chances are people will not be at the wedding reception either. You do not want to look too silly!

Try not to rush the delivery of your speech. Chances are you will have a reception room full of people who will all be wanting to hear what you have to say. If you rush it people are going to be disappointed and only hear certain bits. Try practising in front of a mirror. Project your voice well across the room and do not mumble!

At the end of your speech remember to tie it up by thanking the people that helped make the day so special for the bride and groom.

Just remember, be relaxed and composed. This is often achieved best when not too much alcohol has been consumed!

When you are arranging the table settings for your wedding guests with the name tags, flowers and other forms of decoration, one item that may have slipped your mind is disposable wedding cameras.

Most people now own a digital camera and many will take their own photos of your special day. However they often keep these photos to themselves and no matter how many times you ask, they say they will email their photos or burn you a CD, but never do.

Disposable wedding cameras are a great way to see your wedding from the eyes of your guests. With all the things that you are expected to do on the day and the posing for the official photographer’s pictures the last thing you want to do is take pictures of your own wedding.

Disposable wedding cameras often capture the funnier moments from your wedding as people take snaps they would not usually take, because of this the pictures are often great fun to look at after the special day.

They are also available at great discount prices, so a few cameras on each table is a great idea. Most disposable wedding cameras now come with a flash for indoor photos and come in funky designs that can match your wedding theme.