5 Wedding Dinner Advices That You May Not Have Thought About.

1. Is there a cocktail reception?

In most weddings there might be a cocktail reception, with standing tables available for guest to mingle and have a few pre-dinner drinks. If this is the case, it might be advisable to close the doors to the dinner hall to encourage the guests to make full use of the cocktail reception.

There should be ushers at the entrance to direct guests to the registration table and thereafter, to the bar or even the photobooth, and to prevent them from entering the dinner hall before all the preparations are completed. Friends who are in charge of registration should also make it a point to suggest to the guest when they sign-in to get a drink and a photograph before dinner commences. 

This would help to avoid a situation where the cocktail reception area may appear to be deserted.

2. Speeches

Always do a sound check for everyone who will be going on stage, whether it is the live band, the groom, the best man, the emcees, etc. This will help the individual familiarise themselves with the proper microphone technique. Some mics require the speaker to speak directly into the mic, some mics need for there to be very little distance between the mouth and the mic itself, or that you may have to calibrate the volume of your own voice so as not to deafen the people sitting closest to the speakers.

Ensure that when speeches are delivered, the food aren't. There is nothing more disheartening for the best man to work up the courage to stand in front of a couple hundreds of people only for 90% of them to ignore his speech because they are being served suckling pig.

Lighting is equally important in such segments. Turn the lights down in the main hall and have a spotlight shining on the stage to focus the guest attention towards the speaker. This also helps the speaker to not be distracted by the ongoings below him as he would not be able to see beyond the notes on his podium.

Also, always remember to give the appropriate thanks to everyone who has helped you on your wedding day.

3. Bridal march-ins

Will the march in consist only of the bride and groom? Will they be preceded by their parents or best man and maid of honor? Will there be a pause in between the different couples, and if so for how long? I would suggest that there will be two different music for the "other" couples and the bride and groom themselves. Also, think about whether you want your guest to be sitting or standing up when you march in. Both have the supporters and detractors so it really depends on the wishes of the bride and groom.

If you intend to use party poppers please inform the restaurant/hotel beforehand. Most are happy to allow for that but some charges additional cost for cleaning up after!

4. The toasts

Prepare a list of people you want to be on-stage for the toast. Do not leave any of the important people out, so plan this list beforehand. You will also have to ensure that there are sufficient champagne glasses on the stage for distribution to everyone up there. If not, have one of your mates stand by with a tray of emergency drinks.

5. Delegate!

Appoint someone who will be the floor manager for the evening. The floor manager will be responsible for coordinating the entire evening from when to inform the restaurant manager the correct time to serve the first dish, to ensuring the bride and groom are ready by the entrance for the march in. This person must be as familiar with the itinerary as their own backhand, and will also be in charge of the videos and slideshow presentation, or rather, making sure the restaurant/hotel's video guys doesn't screw up the sequence of the videos.

Also have someone in charge of the even distribution of alcohol so you do not find yourself staring at 3 empty beer barrels after only the second dish.

Tasmania - A Devil of a Journey

Go ahead. I dare you.

Take a trip to Tasmania and try not to fall in love with this little island south most of Australia. The untouched beauty of Cradle Mountain surrounding the shimmering waters of Dove Lake. The rewarding hike through Freycinet National Park to a birds' eye view of Wineglass Bay. The fresh succulent oysters. Sullivans Cove Whisky.

With so many things to offer I find it strange that, without the backing of actual statistics, a lot of Australians themselves do not consider Tasmania as much of a holiday destination. The overwhelming sentiment amongst many people here is that the cost of a holiday to Tasmania is almost equivalent to a budget trip to Europe. Hence the obvious choice for them at least is to board a plane for a 20 plus journey to the other side of the world.

For me, Tasmania was the perfect destination for a one week holiday with my wife, mum, a cousin and her parents. After just a 3 hour flight from Sydney we find ourselves in the City of Launceston, ready to launch into our road trip around Tasmania.

Our first port of call was the Cradle Mountain, where we had booked a two nights stay at the Discover Holiday Parks in their Superior Cabin for 6 adults. The edges of the national park was approximately 2 hours away from Launceston. Nestled along the way though, there were a few places of interest of the delectable type.

The Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm (http://www.raspberryfarmcafe.com/home_cafe.html) has a pretty good restaurant serving raspberry in any way imaginable plus your usual Aussie fare, like burgers (including wallaby meat for the culinary adventurous) and fish & chips. 

Raspberry themed desserts

Try the free samples of chocolate covered raspberries at the counter, and after lunch go for a walk amongst its lush vegetation surrounding a small lake.

Lake at Christmas Hill Raspberry Farms

Unfortunately, the actual raspberry farm was not accessible to the public and you can only see it from a distance.

Our next stop was a hit with my mum and my aunt, the Melita Honey Farm (http://www.melitahoneyfarm.com.au). There is a wide variety of honey for sampling here, from the uniquely Tasmanian leatherwood honey to chocolate honey to ginseng honey. Also popular are the honey beauty products, Our personal favourite is the Orange Blossom Honey which served as our go-to hot drink in the cold winds of Cradle Mountain. Mum ordained herself as the unofficial honey drink maker for the rest of the trip, making sure all of us had at least 3 warm cups each every day!

A short drive later, we finally reached the fringes of Cradle Mountain and checked into our 6 person Discovery Park cabin (www.discoveryholidayparks.com.au/tas/cradle_mountain), which was kept warm and comfortable by a fireplace in the living area.

Dinner choices weren't plenty, but those that were there were good! Our dinner for both nights were at the Pepper's Cradle Mountain Lodge Tavern and Bar, providing warmth, entertainment and delicious sustenance in the form of steaks, chicken schnitzels and surprise surprise, Thai Green Curry which was pretty good for a place far removed from the chaos of Bangkok.

Should have scattered a few balls around
 so it's not that obvious this was posed solely
for the photo...

Ku Zhang looking stylish in his chequered scarf

Night came slowly in Tasmania in the final months of the year, and it only started getting dark at approximately half past eight. The last disappearing ray of sun light signals the start of the activities of the nocturnal inhabitants of the mountain, such as the wombats and the echidnas. Now most people recommended we signed up for the Night Spotlight Tour organised by one of the hotels there, but we decided that we could probably do the job ourselves and save $30 per person.

The only challenges I faced on the night drive into the Cradle (I've been in her. We are on first name basis after that, in my books) were her narrow winding roads, the rain that was beginning to pour, and a couple of backseat drivers overly concerned about my abilities and eager to return to the safety of our cabin. Their concerns evaporated immediately though when we chanced upon this handsome fella minding its own business in the middle of the road.

A hugly cuddly wobbly wombat

Mum herself forgot her concerns about my driving and braved the rain and blistering wind and ventured out of the car for this photo op...and then came back with a leech up her feet (followed by high pitched screams back in the cabin when she found them!).

Probably the moment she got bitten by the leech

We managed to catch a glimpse of some possums too, even one with her young on her back, and an echidna scrambling up the side of the road.

And finally, lo and behold, we actually caught up with the official tour van organised by one of the resorts and started tailgating them Not only did they provide reassurance that I wasn't not driving off the cliff, but they had a powerful high beam spotlight which they were shining into the forest to catch sight of the animals. So what they saw, we saw, for zero of the cost! Brilliant!

Despite all the adventuring we had throughout that day, I was also glad to finally be back at our warm cabin and bundled under the comforter, ready for some R&R and recharging our batteries for the real exploration of Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake!

Roadtrip Advice

A thermos flask.

Old Town 3 in 1 coffee sachets for the flask.

High powered flashlight.

Winter gear for the volatile weather in Cradle Mountain.

Going for Tough Mudder and hosting dinner for a few visiting friends on the day before our Tasmanian holidays means hectic packing, exhausted minds and sore limbs, and these were the items that we forgot to bring.

A few other tips for would-be travellers to Cradle Mountain:

• Bring a torch light and do your own night spotlight tour. Drive slow and safe and with luck you'll spot more than your share of the furry park residents.
• If you are a group, ask about buying the group National Park passes which is eligible for a vehicle containing not more than 8 passengers and is valid for 8 weeks. This cost only $60 per pass, as opposed to the individual park passes which cost $16 per person and is only valid for 24 hours.
• Be prepared for rain and cold, and wear appropriate layers and waterproof jackets for warmth and staying dry.
• Good food and beer can be found at the tavern and bistro at Pepper's Cradle Mountain Lodge. Also opened for dinner! (http://www.cradlemountainlodge.com.au/food-wine/the-tavern/)
• There are other less demanding walks around Cradle Mountain such as the Pencil Pine Falls and Rainforest walk, which is a 10 minutes circuit.