Keeping Your Wedding Guests Happy

One of the most important things that you can do for your wedding is to try to figure out how to keep your wedding guests happy. When you start planning your wedding, you will be consumed with details that might take months to complete. Think about it. You’ve got to make decisions about the ceremony, receptions, rehearsals, attendants, flowers, food, music, your dress, decorations, a honeymoon to plan and wedding guests to accommodate, to name just a few.

The comfort and happiness of the wedding guests is often overlooked by busy and stressed brides. While you may be carried away with the romantic happiness of your big day, your guests need to feel special and appreciated. They were invited to share your happiness and, if their needs are ignored, they might just leave early or harbor bad feelings about you for years.

One way to avoid this is to think about the logistics of your wedding, your reception and the hotel/motel accommodations you’ve arranged for out of town guests.

Since normal site bookings for weddings tend to fill up early, it would be a good idea to book your wedding site, reception hall and the overnight accommodations for your guests as early as possible in order to get them reasonably close to each other. Draw a very clear map of the route between all the scheduled events so your guests will not get lost in an unfamiliar town. Don’t forget to provide turn-by-turn directions and the addresses of the church and reception. The phone numbers of local taxi cab companies might come in handy for those who do not want to drive to your ceremony.

The close proximity of each event in your big day is important for the comfort and happiness of everyone. While you and your groom might be too excited to be hungry or tired, your guests are not that excited. They will want to get to the reception so they can sit, snack and socialize with the other guests while they wait for you to arrive at the reception after the photos have been taken after the ceremony.

Once you get there, make your receiving line short, if you follow that tradition. A receiving line with you, your spouse and both of your parents will keep everyone happy.

Food is another possible mistake at your reception. In the first place, your guests will be hungry and hors devours and a supply of cold soft drinks will be welcomed by those who arrive at the ceremony before the bride and groom. Be sure to have some kid-friendly snacks readily available. Hungry guests and children are not happy guests. These refreshments do not have to be elaborate, but substantial enough to stave off growling stomachs until the main course is served, if you are having a sit-down meal.

If you are serving the traditional reception meal, stick to customary food. You will be serving a meal to many guests with many different tastes and tolerances for food. Your taste for exotic dishes or ethnic selections will not be a hit at your reception with children and those with tender stomachs. Any caterer can help you with your food selection. It might be a good idea to send a request for information about any food allergies to your reception guests along with your invitation.

Your wedding day is a very important day in your life. You are starting your future with your new husband and all your guests have gathered to send you off with good wishes and much love. Keeping their comfort in mind when you are planning your big day will ensure that your guests are as happy as you are.

Enjoy the new article Keeping Your Wedding Guests Happy from the More Wedding Info Blog and here is another site for brides from Teri Champigny.

Bridal Accessories Info

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What To Consider When Picking The Wedding Date

There are some things to consider when picking the wedding date. Choosing the wedding date is one of the first important decisions that a to-be-married couple will have to make together. It is important, of course, since this will be the day when you celebrate your union as man and wife and continue to for the years to come. For most brides, the wedding date is especially important, as they want this day to be as close to perfect as possible. Here are some steps you can take on how to choose your wedding date.

There are so many things to consider when you go through the process of picking that date. One of the first things you should consider when it comes down to it is your schedules and that of your family and friends. You might want to take a look at your calendar to see if you’re attending any other friend’s wedding. It is advisable that you not schedule the date of your wedding too close to another’s because you might be tasked to help out with their wedding and run out of time for yours. You also want a date when most of your guest are available and will be able to commit to attending your ceremony.

The next consideration when it comes to choosing your wedding date is the season when you want to get married. Do you want it in the spring or summer or fall? Consider the weather conditions of that particular period you are looking at. It might be rainy or snowy or unbearably hot.

Remember also that scheduling at a time when most brides are scheduled may make prices a bit more expensive than it would cost off-season. Places like the church, the caterer, and the reception venue may also charge depending on the on and off peak seasons and book reservations far in advance. If you want to pick a date during high season, you will need to book in advance.

The next step in picking your wedding date is to consider which day of the week you want your wedding to occur. Most people prefer Saturdays, because it gives the guests time to get to the wedding if they will be travelling and also gives them a chance to rest up on Sunday after all the festivities the day before. However, this might cause prices to be more expensive.

Another thing you should consider when choosing the date is to consider if you are planning to make your date a memorable one – such as 10/10/10 or 01/23/50. In this case, make sure that you are able to book your church and venue way before because slots for these areas are fast emerging.

Picking the date for your wedding is quite important; especially if you are looking to achieve that “perfect wedding” you’ve always dreamed of. Just remember to consider these already mentioned areas and design your wedding according to your needs.

These are just some things to consider when picking a wedding date.

Enjoy the new article What To Consider When Picking The Wedding Date from the More Wedding Info Blog and here is another site for brides from Teri Champigny.

Bridal Accessories Info

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Secrets For A Perfect Wedding Day

Your planning your wedding and you want the day to be perfect. After months of wedding plans the big day will be staring you right in the face and you could be a nervous wreck. It is normal for you to be worried that something could go wrong at the last minute with your reception or that you will not look perfect when you walk down the aisle. Here are a few tips for you.

Your reception fears are relatively easy to handle. While you might consider your reception to be an important part of your entire wedding, it is, in reality, a fancy party. What makes a party successful?

Plenty of food and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for the duration of your reception will sooth your anxiety some. People get testy and start leaving parties early if the food and drink are slow to arrive or not abundant.

If children are part of your guest list, make sure that you have a good assortment of finger foods and soft drinks. Ice cream in cups might be a good idea, too.

There will be times when your guests are just marking time, waiting for you and your new husband to finish with the wedding photo shoot after the ceremony and, perhaps, when you both are changing clothes before leaving for your honeymoon. You will need entertainment to keep them from being bored and getting restless. There’s several easy ways to do this.

Besides the band or disk jockey providing music, have members of your wedding party or families get the guests involved in quiet activities while they are snacking and waiting. Simple games are the best option. Have small tablets and pencils at each place setting and have your helper ask everyone to write down their favorite crazy thing either one of you did when you were kids. Go around the room and have each guest read what they wrote.

Another option is to ask them to write down all the details they know about each one of you, like where you met, when you first kissed, favorite music, sports, etc. As before, go around the room for a reading. If someone is video taping this, give it to the couple at the end of the reception.

There are a few simple remedies you can use if you get up on your wedding day and your eyes are sore, irritated or puffy. Irritated eyes can be relieved if you soak a cotton ball in cold milk and place it over your eyes for a few minutes. Wipe the milk off your eyes with a warm, wet cloth.

Another way if your eyes are puffy is to run cold water over a metal spoon until it is cold. Place the spoon on your puffy areas for a minute. If you don’t get relief, dip the spoon in ice water and do it again. Cold, wet teabags will also reduce the puffiness.

Make sure you use waterproof makeup on your wedding day. Tears of joy are very common and waterproof makeup, particularly mascara, will keep your face looking beautiful. If you should shed a few tears, don’t wipe your eyes, but dab them at the corners of your eyes with a tissue. Before you enter the chapel, tuck a tissue in your bouquet or inside your long sleeves so you have it handy when you need it.

Concealers will adequately cover up an unexpected pimple or blemish and do double duty with dark rings under your eyes. Consult a makeup artist for the best choices for shades. They might suggest using two concealers of complimentary shades to give your eyes the sparkle you want.

These are just a few tips for perfect wedding day. Your wedding should be as beautiful as you want it to be and with some advance planning for the unexpected you should be able to handle anything.

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30 Days To Go Checklist

After you’ve spent months or a year planning and scheduling every minute detail of your wedding, you will wake up one morning and realize that it’s the last few weeks before the ceremony and there are things you haven’t done. Don’t be surprised if your mind goes blank and you just cannot remember what needs to be done. Stress!

Here is a quick checklist to get you back on track and relieve some of your stress:

• This would be a good time to apply for your marriage license, if you haven’t already done it. Different localities have different requirements so you and your fiancé need to take a little advance care with this process. Normally, this is a task handled by the groom.

The license is usually issued by the County Clerk or the Clerk of the Court. There will be a fee. Check in advance for the fee and method of payment required. Some states require blood tests and others require tests for German Measles, venereal diseases, sickle-cell anemia, tuberculosis, etc.

• Your dress needs a final fitting now to be sure there’s time to make any changes needed. While you are at it, make sure your bridesmaids and groomsmen have their attire ready to go.

• All your vendors need to be contacted to confirm arrival/delivery dates and times. This includes your caterer, florist, musicians, photographer, hotels, reception hall, minister or other officiate, transportation and hotel reservations and the bakery creating your wedding cake.

• Take a little time to check your wedding program for accuracy before you print it. Send a future change of address form to the post office. Make a list of those invited guests who have not responded to your request for an RSVP and ask your mother or sister to contact them. As soon as you know how many out-of-town guests you will have, create your welcome baskets for them.

• As soon as you receive gifts, write thank you notes. People consider it bad manners to have to wait weeks to get thanked for sending a gift.

Two Weeks To Go:

A couple of weeks before your ceremony, flesh out your seating plan and
write your place cards. Confirm any last minute details and tell your caterer how many to expect. Complete your seating chart.

Pick up your dress and hang it where it won’t wrinkle or get caught on something. Occasionally walk around your house wearing your wedding shoes to break them in and make them comfortable for your walk down the aisle.

Arrange for a house sitter while you are on your honeymoon, if necessary. You might need someone to water your plants or take care of your pets while you are gone.

Make sure someone has a list of your honeymoon itinerary and contact information in case of an emergency.

With your fiancé, write toasts for the rehearsal dinner and reception. Attend your bachelor or bachelorette parties.

The Day Before:

Your out-of-town guests will be arriving. Relax with them and make them
comfortable. Personally give them their welcome baskets or have them already in their rooms.

Take a break and have a manicure, pedicure and maybe a massage.

Confirm your transportation schedule.

Attend the rehearsal that afternoon or evening and hold the rehearsal dinner. Give your wedding party their gifts and make sure they know their individual responsibilities, like handing out corsages and boutonnieres, escorting guests down the aisle.

The Big Day:

Give your parents their wedding gifts, if you didn’t do it at the rehearsal dinner.

Follow the schedule you have set up for the morning; hair dresser, make up, etc., and you’ll make it just fine to the wedding with everything running fairly smoothly.

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Wedding planning isn’t just for the bride; the groom should take some responsibility and have some input in the process too. However, traditionally the arrangements are covered by the bride and her mother. That means that many people don’t know how to get the groom involved. Let’s take a look at a few ways to help him avoid feeling left out of things or run over by your plans.

If you’ve just gotten engaged, you’re going to want to make the announcement. Both of you can create an announcement card to send out by mail or email, or share the responsibility of calling friends and family. Together, make the list of people you’d like to invite to the wedding.

Food is another important portion of your wedding. Your fiancé can help you with the budget, help figure out the catering situation, and maybe come up with a few creative ideas that you haven’t thought of. If one or the other of you is a skilled negotiator, consider delegating that person to work with the vendors to get the best price. Remember, every task is an important one!

You may wish to write your vows together, too. Collaboration can help you come up with the perfect words to say to one another to express your love. Other things you can do together include building decorations for the reception, researching the music and deciding on the DJs, and choosing the videographer or photographer. You’ll want to talk about just what each of you wants out of the wedding.

For many grooms, the wine and other drinks that will be provided at the reception are extremely important. If this is something your guy cares about, or if he loves food, let him handle the food and drink. Resist the urge to micro manage! Each of you has the ability to put together something great without supervision, as long as you’re clear on what needs to be done in advance.

Other things the groom can do to take a little bit of the load off the bride’s shoulders include choosing suits for the wedding, contributing his opinion on colors, theme, and size of the wedding, and choosing the transportation for the big day. He can also handle wedding present registrations and handle mediation with your families if there are problems. He can even talk about the toast with the best man if you’re feeling nervous about it.

It’s a great idea to involve your groom in the wedding planning. Just make sure to include him in the decision making as well as the labor, and relax about his ability to handle things. He can get the job done just as well as you can, and it’ll keep you from feeling quite as stressed and unhappy. If you’ll be married soon, you’re going to be entering a life where you do a lot of things together. Planning your ceremony and reception is a great start.

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The traditional church weddings and formal receptions are not that attractive to many of today’s brides. Weddings are taking place in hot air balloons, on beaches, in airplanes and in fast food parking lots, to name a few currently popular non-traditional sites.

An emerging trend, highly creative wedding receptions, is a total flight from tradition and will make memories for your wedding guests that they won’t easily forget. You and your new spouse can add touches to your wedding reception that highlight your whimsical side, major interests or elements of your personalities.

Some couples have hosted two receptions, brunch for the family following their ceremony, with some of the traditional aspects their mothers wanted and the relatives were comfortable with.

Later that evening, they host a less formal reception for their friends. This reception could be an old-fashioned ice cream social or a barbecue on the beach, with youthful music and a party atmosphere. The bride’s wedding dress and the groom’s tux are abandoned for casual attire. Friends truly happy for the new couple, a relaxed, unfussy atmosphere, a tub of iced cool ones, chicken on the barbecue and dancing barefoot on the beach in the moonlight, would definitely make memories of your special wedding.

Even if you want a reception with familiar trappings, you can still jazz it up with some creative presentations.

If your reception hall is not huge, inflate balloons, with a small, light favor inside them. This favor could be a small token, like a map to the real favors hidden in the hall or a small snapshot of you and your new spouse. It does not have to be elaborate. The appreciation would be in the presentation.

Tie them off with a ribbon long enough to reach without ladders and have a guest’s name hanging from each ribbon, including the children at the reception. Let them hang from the ceiling around the walls, so as not to interfere with the meal or buffet you will be serving. This decoration would not only be colorful, but it would give your reception an intimate, closer feeling. At some point, have the guests find their name and get their wedding favor.

The way you present your food can add dramatic accents to plain food. Buffet tables are perfect for creative presentations. Tiered plates of strawberries dipped in chocolate are always an attraction at buffet tables. Consider dipping the strawberries in the hot chocolate mixture and letting them set up on a chocolate spoon. The dramatic effect could be enhanced by dipping the berries in white chocolate and then placing them on chocolate spoons. Other fruits can be strung on a bamboo skewer, dipped in chocolate and presented in silver goblets.

Martini glasses with their stems wrapped with pretty ribbons can be used to present almost any vegetable, fruit or candy. Instead of sit-down dinners of chicken or meat, served by caterers, consider bamboo skewers loaded with anything you can combine that doesn’t need to be kept warm in a sauce.

Try ice-cold shrimp, lightly brushed with a shrimp marinade and strung on a skewer. Separate the shrimp with red or black grapes. Creative salads can be put on a skewer and marinated with an elegant dressing before placing on the buffet table. Load salad skewers with cherry or grape tomatoes, chunks of red, green and yellow Bell peppers, whole, pitted olives, cocktail onions or slices of red onions, other veggies of your choice.

If your guest list is smaller, consider a river cruise with dinner, dancing and maybe a turn at the gambling tables, if they have them. Your wedding favors could be small bags of chips for your guests to try their luck at the tables.

You could schedule a hay ride by moonlight, with a surprise barbecue or candle-lit buffet tables arranged around a fire pit at the end of the ride. Be creative.

Instead of an organized wedding reception, you might try having a mystery party, like Clue. Some cities have Victorian houses you can rent for parties and events. Let your guests have some fun discovering “Who Dunnit.” Have a special prize for the one who unravels the mystery and smaller ones (themed favors) for the rest of the participants. In one room have a buffet table and a few bottles of wine.

There’s no reason to follow the old traditions with your reception if you don’t want to. Make it fun and memorable in your own way.

Technorati Tags: church weddings, creative wedding receptions, ceremony, formal reception, couples, reception hall

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