HOT TOPIC Local experts offer stellar advice on wedding dilemmas SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING GROOVED We want to give our guests an unforgettable wedding experience. What advice can you share to ensure a seamless and electrifying reception? The DJ sets the tone for the reception! Allocate a dedicated budget for entertainment, including dancefloors, lighting and AV sound to create your desired atmosphere. A well-planned set-up enhances guest engagement and ensures seamless transitions throughout the night. Discuss different package options with your DJ to find the best fit for your budget. Ensure your supplier has your preferred songs, specific versions and links well ahead of time to deliver a perfectly tailored set. If there are must-play or do-not-play songs, communicate those clearly. A well-prepared playlist will allow the DJ to blend your music preferences seamlessly into the evening’s flow, keeping energy levels high and the dancefloor busy. A top-tier company is more than just a music provider; it acts as a project manager. Reviewing the itinerary with them ensures smooth coordination with other vendors. From timing the first dance to seamlessly transitioning between speeches and party segments, a DJ who understands the event plan can enhance the overall experience and avoid any last-minute surprises. An inside bar keeps guests engaged and maintains the party’s energy throughout the night. When the bar is placed in a separate area, it can pull guests away from the dancefloor, interrupting the momentum of the celebration. Ensuring the DJ booth and dancefloor are centrally located also helps create a cohesive party atmosphere. A skilled DJ knows how to read the room. Trust their expertise to keep the crowd entertained and the dancefloor packed. While personal song selections are important, giving the supplier some creative freedom allows them to adjust to the energy of the guests in real time, ensuring an unforgettable experience for everyone. DDS | Enigma London | www.enigmaroadshow.co.uk MIND OVER CHATTER My wedding is quickly approaching, and the nerves are starting to kick in. What can I do to help manage my worries? In a world that often values speedy accomplishment and attainment, it’s essential to prioritise calming the stress response. Life can be unpredictable, especially when it comes to planning a wedding, so focusing on how to down-regulate stress can make a big difference in your emotional well-being. Journaling can be an effective way to manage anxious thoughts. By getting your worries out of your mind and onto paper, you’re essentially sweeping out mental clutter. The thinking mind is constantly trying to predict and control, seeking certainty in an uncertain world. Wedding planning, with its many moving parts, only amplifies this. But journaling offers an outlet for that energy, helping you process and reflect rather than overthinking. It’s a cathartic way to cope with the inherent uncertainty of life. Start your day with gratitude. When we wake up, the body naturally experiences a cortisol spike to get us moving. While this is necessary, grabbing your phone and scrolling immediately disrupts your natural rhythm, exposing you to unpredictable stimuli that can prolong the stress response. Instead, take a moment to ground yourself in gratitude. Focusing on the small things you appreciate in the moment can help regulate cortisol production and set a positive tone for the day. Breathing exercises can also be transformative. Many people unconsciously breathe shallowly into their chest when stressed, signalling a fight-or-flight response. Instead, try breathing deeply into your lower belly, using your diaphragm. This U-shaped breathing pattern massages the heart through the phrenic nerve, which helps down-regulate the stress response almost instantly. Simple techniques like this can bring peace to the body without needing to retreat to a distant mountaintop. Small adjustments can lead to big changes. Rosie Underwood | Inhabit Hotels | www.inhabithotels.com www.instagram.com/amarpanesar_ 64
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