| | Wedding Day Tips |
Delegate Wedding Day Responsiblities | Ask your Mother or Matron of Honor to handle details that might pop up at the Reception. Technical problems such as the DJ misplacing your first dance music, or the microphone not working can sometimes arise. If you designate someone to work with the personnel at the Reception beforehand, you can relax and enjoy your Reception more fully. |
| Know how long you have your site reserved. | Many times, a Reception site notifies the Bride they should begin their exit well before the party is ready to leave. We recommend asking the site Manager to notify the person you designate (Matron of Honor, Father of the Groom, etc.) when things should begin to wrap up for the evening...that way, if there's a discrepancy, the Bride isn't spending precious time negotiating with the Reception site Management. |
| Discuss extended hours with Photographer, Videographer, and DJ before the big day. | Most services indicate on their contracts with you how long they are contracted to stay for the Reception...but what if you are having so much fun, you'd like everyone to stay an extra hour or two? We recommend you have someone you designate negotiate the extension with the service personnel for extra time. |
| Have Conversation Starters at your Reception | While the Wedding Party is typically having Pictures taken, the Reception Crowd is anxiously awaiting their arrival. We recommend a Video montage of the couple being displayed...pictures of the couple at various stages in life is a great conversation starter. Also, a good DJ or Master of Ceremonies can get the crowd engaged with Trivia Games, or Discussions about the couple. |
| Big Game the same day as your Wedding? | Assure the guests the Big Game will be on display at the Reception. Nothing leaves a hall empty like your guests itching to leave for the nearest sports bar to catch the last moments of the World Series or the Florida/Georgia game. If you have the game on at the Reception, your guests will relax and enjoy the party. |
| Plan "B" for outdoor Weddings. | It may seem obvious, but outdoor weddings can be rained out, too windy for that Wedding Trelace, or too hot for the guests due to lack of shade. Have a backup indoor location available, say the Reception site. |
| Save money by getting married on a day other than Saturday. | The vast majority of weddings are held on Saturdays, but if you don't mind getting married on a Friday or Sunday, you can save a large amount of money...and many locations remain unbooked for these days, so your favorite location may well be booked solid for Saturday, but free on Sunday! Also, many vendors offer discounts for off-Saturday services. |
| Ask your Reception site if they have power backup available. | Yes, we've been to a Reception where the power was out, and in the middle of Summer, no power means no air conditioning. The Bride's makeup melted, her hair fell, the cake dropped, and the guests were a mess. Does your site have a backup generator to provide power? While most errors are circumvented, loss of power will ruin a Reception, so this is a big one. |
| Check the local event calendar for conflicts. | Check the local area Event Calendar to see if there's a potential conflict. If there is a large concert or sporting event on your wedding weekend, guests may be challenged to find a hotel...or being able to afford the inflated rates. |
| Bring comfortable shoes to the Reception. | You'll be on your feet for several hours, dancing, greeting guests, and enjoying the day. We recommend changing into a pair of comfortable shoes or even slippers for your Reception...this goes for the Groom too! |
| Realize no big event will always go flawlessly. | We've seen the minister forget the vows, the wrong first dance song played, the cake fall, the weather forecaster was wrong and it rained, the singer's voice cracked, a string break on a violin, and even the butterflies to be released all deceased...but realizing this is all part of an imperfect world can make you realize the important thing is everyone is really there to share your Wedding Day with you...not for the great food, or the doves flying away. |