Security Arrangements You Should Consider

It is a sad indictment of today’s society that security needs to be considered at such a joyous event. However, there are some basic precautions that you should take to ensure everybody’s health, safety and welfare.

At the Wedding Ceremony:
- Appoint a person to oversee small attendants e.g. flower girl, pageboy, ring bearer.
- Liaise with VIP’s for their special arrangements. Allow room for bodyguards.
- Brief Ushers regarding special arrangements.

At the Wedding Reception:
- Again appoint a person to oversee small attendants.
- Hire nannies/baby-sitters, who have been police checked, to look after small children during any evening wedding activities.
- Liaise with VIP’s for their special requirements. You may have to involve their head’s of security.
- Appoint a person to make a note of and receive wedding gifts. The same, or another, person will need to oversee their removal at the end of the day and their safe storage.
- Hire/ask for a doorman to be present to prevent any gatecrashers. Ensure the doorman is given an up-to-date list of the wedding guests.
- Ensure the car park is well lit. Arrange for it to be regularly patrolled if it is of easy access to other members of the public.
- Ensure water features are well lit (spot lights, candles and flares are popular choices). Ensure small children do not have access to them.
- Ensure unsafe pathways are cordoned off.
- Have your MC or best man announce any special security arrangements prior to the commencement of the festivities.

At Home:
- Arrange for the delivery of wedding presents after your return from honeymoon.
- If you have a house alarm consider having it monitored if it is not already.
- Ask a friend to check upon your property whilst on honeymoon and collect your post, etc. Alternatively organise a reputable house sitter.
- Remember to cancel any weekly deliveries.
- Turn off your answerphone as a full one is a dead giveaway that no one is home.
- Invest in a timer/time switch so that various lights can be programmed to come on and off at different times.
- Leave a radio on as noise is a deterrent. For long periods, again invest in a timer so that it may be programmed accordingly.
- Secure and lock your garage door.
- Avoid plumbing or fire disasters by ensuring your have disconnected major appliances and turn the water off at the stopcock.

Other Arrangements: If you are likely to be of interest to the paparazzi, unless eloping, I have made the assumption that your Manager, Head or Security, etc., will have been fully briefed about your wedding and involved at a very early stage in your wedding arrangements. Security