The Sims 4 My Wedding Stories allows you to create and use brand-new wedding venues for your Sims to get married in. It also introduces a range of new decor items as well as extra activities you can engage in during wedding celebrations, from toasts to slow dancing. With all these options it can seem overwhelming when you open up some of the wedding venues, even the default in-game options.
How many tables do you need? Where can you put a cake? Do you need specific items to make the day go well? We answer all these questions and more as we explore everything you need to look for in a venue, and design features that will help your day go smoothly.
Wedding Venue Essentials
There are a few basics you'll need for any wedding venue, and we go through them in this quick checklist, ensuring you know exactly what you'll require and the functionality of each new item.
This guide is just about what to check for in wedding venues. You'll need to pick up a wedding cake and flowers from the stalls in Tartosa.
A Wedding Arch And Chairs
The most important of these basics is the wedding arch. There are several options available to suit your needs, and you won't be able to get your Sims married without one - unless you are eloping at the Tartosa town hall of course.
Wedding arches are the backbone of your ceremony, and you need to make sure you leave space around them. Your Sims will stand by the arch to get married so be sure to leave space to enough room to capture those photos without other Sims getting in the way. To keep guests in line you can also add chairs which should allow you to ask all your guests to sit, minimising the chaos caused during the vows.
An Aisle
The aisle will mark out where your Sims will walk if you want them to walk down to the wedding arch. Having an aisle will also allow you to send down your flower pal, who will spread petals as they walk.
Sims can walk down alone or in pairs, and you can have a marked, invisible or carpeted aisle, allowing you to change the design to suit the venue you are using.
A Toasting Celebration Bucket
The toasting celebration bucket can be added to any surface, including the barrel seen here, and allows Sims to grab a drink and make a speech or propose a toast. If you've added either of these activities to your day then you'll need this item to complete them.
Make sure you select the bucket that comes with the pack, rather than the champagne bucket that comes as a reward for a successful date! Only the new version contains the interaction.
Seating And A Banquet Table
Afterward your Sims will no doubt want a meal, and you'll need to provide one if you are to tick off the celebration meal and desserts activities from your list. The easiest way to do this is with a banquet table.
These tables can be randomly filled but the best way to ensure you can feed your guests is to click the table and select individual dishes. This allows you to manage how much food goes out as well as ensuring you have both main courses and desserts available.
Drinks And Dancing
The final ingredients in a great night are drinks and dancing. If the venue has a bar you'll be able to hire a mixologist for the occasion, and you'll need a dancefloor in order to dance.
There are new dancefloors in the pack, but all options now include the ability to have Sims do a first dance, slow dance, or group dance. This gives you some variety and entertainment.
Somewhere To Put Your Cake
If you want to cut your cake then you'll need to either purchase a cake or bake one and click on it in your inventory to set it as your wedding cake. Likewise, you'll also need to buy a bouquet before the wedding if you want one.
In the venue you just need to make sure there is a clear surface you can use to place your cake on for cutting. A counter or table are the best options, although the barrels also work.
A Tea Set
In a nod to different celebrations there are now two new pristine tea sets. Sims can steep and serve a variety of teas using these sets. This allows you to not only drink tea as a group more easily but also to serve drinks to others.
This activity can be added to almost any celebration and is only completable with the new tea sets. The existing tea brewer does not have the serve options.
Tips To Make The Day Go Smoothly
Having all the items above will ensure that you can tick off the activities on your list, glitches permitting, but there are other things in a venue that can affect gameplay. These are the things to look for:
- Make sure that there is only one wedding arch or your guests may end up splitting between two areas, something that we've encountered in the default wedding venue.
- Place your toasting bucket, tea set and cake in an accessible place, so your Sims can all reach them easily. In the middle of a table works well for this.
- Add a source of music to your venue. Dancing without music is no fun.
- Hire a mixologist. This is well worth the money as the day will flow more smoothly.
- Manually place banquet table dishes. This allows you to control the volume of food, budget and options.It is also helpful if you have vegetarian Sims.
- Leave space between items. Sims will mingle and the tighter the space and larger the guest count the more they will struggle to route to specific activities.
- Check the venue in build and buy mode, especially if downloaded from the gallery. It's a pain trying to add items during the event, so you'll want to do it beforehand.
Once you are sure your venue has everything you need then plan an early start. This gives you plenty of time to allow for latecomers and to get everything done.