guests
tj maxxinista bride
Just for fun….
“Lisa Sayatut and Drew Ellis, a local Mount Pleasant, Michigan couple said their “I Dos” in their local T.J.Maxx store on Saturday, July 24, 2010. The couple’s unique nuptials came as a result of the bride-to-be’s love for T.J.Maxx. Lisa, a true “Maxxinista,” who admits to visiting the store three times a week, calls it her “happy place.”
On a $5k wedding budget, this Maxxinista got her wedding and maybe a little shopping afterwards!
What do you think, readers?
common guest faux pas at weddings
Today on Fox 7 AM Evansville we talked about common guest faux pas that happen at weddings. As planners, we see A LOT of them, but here are the highlights…
1. Arriving late to the ceremony. If the ceremony starts at 1:30pm you should be arriving NO LATER than 1:20pm. Seriously, I see people give more attention to arriving at a movie theater early than they do at weddings. But let’s say something happens beyond your control and you are strolling in at 1:34. If you see pretty girls lined up and a bride at the front of the church, kindly step to the side and wait. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, scoot by the wedding party and enter the church. If you wanted to see the bride’s face as she walks down the aisle, you should of arrived on time.
All of the guests will be focusing on the entrance of the church as the processional has already begun, so you’ll be seen by EVERYONE. Also you ruin the video and let’s face it, you’ve drawn attention to yourself at someone’s wedding. Instead, wait to the side until the bride has walked down the aisle and is at the altar. The guests will be turned around and you can slide on in, unseen.
2. Manage your children. Everyone should know that if your child starts to cry during the ceremony, please get up with crying child and leave as to not disturb all the guests. Most parents will do this. But I’d like to add, do not forget about your children at the reception. For some reason, I see parents completely relax and let their children run everywhere. And when I say run, I mean the 100 yard dash sprint. And fingers poking into the cake is not cute, nor sanitary. So please watch your child(ren). It may even mean leaving the reception to take them home.
3. You forget the gift. This is easy. Don’t say anything. Do not apologize to the parents of the bride, do not mention anything to the bride and groom. Just send the gift immediately when you get home. There is no need to draw negative attention to yourself.
4. You’ve drank too much. The best advice is to not get to this point, but I know that sometimes it can happen, to the best of people. So if you have had too much, or the bartender has cut you off, realize that they are doing this for a reason. And if other guests or staff is taking your keys from you and calling a cab, do not argue. Know that your friends are looking out for your safety and others.
ps Catch the TV version of this blog post with Saundra Hadley, Fox 7 Wedding Planner.
having a backup (heat) plan
We all know that for outdoor weddings, it is critical to have a backup rain plan.
But have you considered the other weather elements? Like oppressive, humid, glaring, blazing heat from the sun?
This year we have had an tremendous shift of venues for wedding selections. More people are choosing personal residences or outdoor venues for their wedding ceremony (and/or receptions).
It’s a fab idea, as bride and groom’s are looking for something different for their special day. The concern is mostly with the potential of rain, but you have to remember other weather elements. In southern Indiana, the humidity factor is a huge concern as it is oppressive to a woman in a beautiful, layered wedding dress and men in full tuxedos. This can lead to crabby attitudes, sweaty faces, heat exhaustion and fainting.
Keep these points in mind, when planning your outdoor extravaganza:
- Your elderly guests need to have shade and comfort.
- Outdoor musicians will not play in direct sunlight. It’s not the uncomfortably factor (although that should be a concern, imagine YOU trying to play a violin dripping of sweat and exhaustion for an hour), musicians WILL NOT expose their high dollar instruments to direct sunlight. It ruins them.
- Should you proceed with the outdoor, sunny plan; then make sure you are choosing garments to wear that will allow some coolness factor. This includes your wedding dress, groom/groomsmen attire, bridesmaids and parent attire.
- Prepare for helping the guests cool off: A shaded location to wait until the last minute to be seated for the ceremony, fans (electric and handheld), cool non-alcoholic drinks to refresh themsevles.
- Choose a short vow ceremony. Short…. very short.
- Have an inside backup plan to move the ceremony. You don’t want to think about this now, but once you step outside in full dress, you may change your mind.
- Do NOT choose a month that an outdoor wedding will almost 98% sure to be miserable. In this area, August is the worth month of the year with high humidity and heat.
- Encourage more casual dress for guests; open collar shirts and sundresses for the girls.
do not box in your wedding bartenders :: part five/finale
So far the series of “not boxing” in certain wedding vendors has probably made some sense to you, perhaps you it even made you think, aha?!
So I bet you’re wondering why we would talk about your bartenders and their needs? They just pour drinks, right?
You must recognize that a life-blood area at your reception is your bar. If service is slow due to the small ratio of bartenders to large quantity of guests or the setup is not correct, then your service will suffer. And your guests will be frustrated.
Tips for the best outcome working with your wedding bartenders:
1. If you have a down-time between your ceremony and wedding reception (ceremony starts at 1:30pm and reception starts at 5:30pm) then be sure your venue will not open their doors to your guests until 5:30pm. Guests will always come in and may go to the bar for a drink. Your bartenders have to decline them and your guests will perceive they are being rude.
2. Try not to come up with a complicated, well-intentioned cost-savings idea for your bar. You can thank ill-advised websites for publishing these crazy concepts. Such as:
Open Bar for Pre-Dinner
Bar Closes for Dinner
Bar reopens for Dancing but only serves hosted Beer, Wine, & Signature Drink until 9pm
Cash bar for the remaining wedding reception
Huh? You need a time grid to remember all of this. How do you expect your guests to react to your bartenders and vice-versa?
3. Do not try to squeeze your bartenders into the corner of the room with limited space and light. Sure they are tucked away, but there isn’t enough room to turn around 3x.
4. Please do not skimp and only hire 2 bartenders for 300 wedding guests. The ratio to keep service at its optimum is as follows:
1 Bartender per 75 guests (and some say 100)
But DON’T forget you need a bar back for multiple bars. This is a person who runs back and forth for ice, restocking etc. A very necessary position.
Trust your bartenders.
do not box in your wedding caterer :: part four
Hmmmm….. good food. Hmmm…. good food at one of the biggest events of your LIFE, your wedding!
Sasha Souza once said that your guests will remember 3 things from your wedding: food, fun and service! Isn’t that true? If any of those things are sub par, then you will have problems.
Interestingly, your food costs could be one of your higher expenses depending on your taste palette and your guest count. So keep these things in mind…
Tips for the best outcome working with your wedding caterer:
1. Do not pack in 250 guests into a space challenged venue and expect your catering staff to serve a plated meal in a timely manner. This is where event planners can really help you with the floor plan and the real anticipated serving time (which can dramatically effect your timeline). There has to be enough space for the servers to walk around the table to set/pick up the plates.
2. Like with bartenders, do not skimp on the volume of servers that you are willing to pay for working at your wedding. It takes a lot of people to serve a large amount of guests. Most often there will be a line item on your catering proposal as to the number of servers they will bring. Look closely at that.
3. If you have guests that are suppose to have a specific plate, such as; vegetarian or vegan, make it easy for these people to be identified. Work with your wedding planner on where they will be seated so he/she can let them know.
4. Listen to your caterer when they talk about the best ways to serve the food. If they tell you it is difficult to keep your favorite dish hot and serve 200 people, then listen to them. Order that fave dish tonight for just to the two of you.
Trust your wedding caterer.
Tomorrow, part 5 and finale of this “don’t box us in” vendor series …
jennifer + adam’s wedding
We had our first wedding in Jasper and Huntingburg, Indiana this weekend. What a fantastic area! It was such a great wedding with wonderful family (we heart Jenny’s mom, Cindy).
The new Huntingburg Event Center was fantastic! So excited to have a new venue that is up to code and is a wonderful facility. Cannot say enough good things about that venue and their staff.
Here’s a few photos from the iPhone just to capture the day. Jenny and Adam’s doggie/baby made a quick appearance after the wedding for formal photos. Too cute!
Finally a real professional photo,below of the happy wedding party in the RV transportation! CRAZY fun!
photo: Brian with Clarion Creative
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