Hello, everyone! As I have been blogging each post during the "Wedding Wednesday" series I have multiple thoughts jotted down that do not correspond to the topic at hand. So, for today's post I thought I would blog about the random tips and advice that may not always be a top priority. Nonetheless, these things should be considered before wedding week.
If you missed yesterday's Wedding Wednesday post on Flowers, click HERE
I will warn you- Excuse all grammar and format in this post! Now, let's get this party started...
Videography- This was the first tip I was given, therefore it will be the first tip I start with! Videography is a huge investment, but extremely worthwhile in the long run. Tony and I hired Alabama Wedding Video from Hoover to cover our ceremony only. While Photography is a great asset to remembering your wedding day, video is even better. Photos capture a lot, but video captures all that is in between each camera shot, which can be interesting to say the least. (When I googled Videography, I lot was offered near the Mobile and Birmingham areas.)
I honestly do not remember most of our wedding day. I remember arriving at the church at 6:15 AM, going to grab a Krispy Kreme donut from the candy table, getting ready with Haleigh and Mrs. Amy, my bridesmaids arriving, and then First Look with Tony. After our First Look and Bride/Groom portraits off site, everything becomes a blur.
First Look- First Look is something that we had never heard of until our photographers suggested it. First Look is basically where the Bride and Groom get to have their moment together to greet each other, take pictures, swap notes/gifts, and just take in the moment before the madness of the day begins.
As much as we loved our ceremony contributions from Mrs. Cowan and Hannah, our vows, and letters that Greg read- First Look was by far the best part of our wedding day. Our photographers were able to capture me running down the aisle to my future husband, the first glance at each other's wedding attire, tears, emotion, and so much more. (Tony and I swapped letters and I gave him my bridal portrait portfolio.)
As much as we loved our ceremony contributions from Mrs. Cowan and Hannah, our vows, and letters that Greg read- First Look was by far the best part of our wedding day. Our photographers were able to capture me running down the aisle to my future husband, the first glance at each other's wedding attire, tears, emotion, and so much more. (Tony and I swapped letters and I gave him my bridal portrait portfolio.)
This is the one time (and final time) during the entire day that you get to share with your Groom alone, before he becomes your husband. We did not allow anyone inside except for our photographers. Also, we actually left the church and went to a local area that is gorgeous to take our Bride and Groom portraits. I know that everyone has a different opinion about First Look, but I would encourage anyone to seize the opportunity to share this time with your man, cry it all out, and take the edge off of being so nervous. It was very heartfelt and meaningful for us after seven years of waiting for that very moment. It is a moment that you share with only a few people, versus walking down the aisle sharing that moment with everyone. Overall, we decided to have First Look because there are just some things you do not share with everyone on your wedding morning. The rest of the day is shared, so this is just something to think about.
After First Look you can go ahead and get all Bride/Groom portraits, wedding party portraits, and family portraits taken care of before the ceremony. This will alleviate having your photographers rush and guests wait for your arrival at the reception after the ceremony. You and your Groom will be able to enjoy the reception instead of worrying about what was left on the itinerary. I knew that as soon as I walked down the aisle, there was nothing left to do. Tony and I could simply enjoy being married and enjoy our family and friends who were there to support us after the exchange of "I Dos".
Vows- To me, vows are the biggest part of the ceremony. (Not everyone will agree.) I adored our vows. I adored our letter swap. It made things all the more special, unique, and personal. Although we have been to only a few weddings, we never what we wanted and what we did not want out of our ceremony. We have been to weddings that were short and weddings that were long. Some weddings drag along with too much in-between singing/entertainment and others are very traditional, short and to the point.
When planning, this is another beauty of hosting your own wedding. You and your groom can do whatever you want without having to worry about tradition. We knew that we anted to remember our wedding ceremony step for step. We did not want our ceremony to be just like all the others that we have attended in the past.
Our wedding was 35 minutes. I was afraid that it was going to be longer, but it felt like it flew by. I prepped myself for days on trying to not cry during my vows. Prior to our wedding, every time I talked about our vows or even thought about them I would tear up. Luckily, something inside of me happened to "woman up" and I did not shed a tear. I think I was able to get everything out of my system before our vows thanks to First Look and Mrs. Cowan's part of the ceremony.
In Memory Table/Foyer Decor- I had the idea for our in memory table from our director's wedding. Actually, I used a lot of her ideas and made them personal and unique to fit Tony and I. My father died when I was in 8th grade and Tony's grandmother passed away early in our relationship. Although Tony never knew my father, we were able to cling to each other during his loss. No matter who or when, love and death will always bring people together. I supported him through the ups and downs and he has supported me.
I say all of this because we immediately knew that we wanted to do something in memory of my father and his grandmother during our wedding. While our loved ones could not be there physically, they deserved recognition in the same way that the rest of our family was recognized. We set up a table in the foyer with photos and had a candle burning. Also, all of the foyer decor was dedicated to these two individuals as noted in our program.
The foyer was full of lamps, ferns, and personal little set ups similar to the one below. Since this was the area first noticed by guests it was important to really set the stage in the foyer for the type of wedding that we wanted to portray.
Snack Station- Our wedding was at 2:00. Portraits were scheduled from 10:00 until 1:30, therefore no one had the opportunity to eat lunch. We decided to set up a snack station in an extra room for everyone helping with the wedding, involved in the wedding, family from out of town who arrived early, and those who just hung out at the church with us all day.
This was a huge benefit for everyone! It shows that you are thinking about everyone even though you are super busy and starving, too. While subway sandwiches are not the best lunch, they will hold everyone off until the reception. Everyone was able to run in, grab a sandwich, and then run back to the sanctuary for pictures between group sessions. Any catered food would work, not only subway!
Depending upon your budget and time of wedding I would definitely consider this as an option for catering to your family and friends. Lastly, this room was also the area for our family to congregate instead of being in the dressing rooms or reception area. They also were given their boutonnieres in this room before heading to take pictures. One of our directors was stationed here to make sure everyone arrived on time, was dressed, and had their flowers before they were able to do anything else. (I know this all sounds crazy and systematic, but it worked wonderfully! We even finished everything that had to be done with time to spare before the ceremony!) (Do not forget plate, napkins, ect.)
Welcome Bags- I created our welcome bags at the very last minute. I think I could have contributed a little more creativity to the bags had I planned accordingly. However, this was one thing that I pushed to the back burner. I was not sure that our budget would cover the expenses, nor did I know if I would have time to run around and find all the goodies.
35 welcome bags were made and stored at our two hotels in Meridian for family, friends, and wedding party staying over night. Also, I had bags made for vendors, those in our wedding party, and those affiliated with the ceremony who were not staying at the hotel but were from out of town. These bags were delivered to certain individuals at the Rehearsal.
I included detailed maps from the hotel to the church (older people do not have iPhones or Garmins!), important phone numbers of wedding party, photo session schedules, wedding invitation and program keepsakes, peanuts, crackers, advil, water, gum, mints, napkins, random wedding trinkets, engagement photo keepsakes from our session with J Franks, and a welcome letter from Tony and myself. think it was a pretty big hit because although the bags were not creative, they were thoughtful. Everyone seemed to like them.
The bags were brown, medium size bags with handles. I added a large fancy scroll "R" sticker to one side of the bag similar to the tablecloth print in the photo above. I added our welcome letter to the handle via twine. The goodies were wrapped inside with bride/groom paper and fun little fillers. The best thing about welcome bags is that the items can be personalized for a fairly cheap fee it you like! (Check out Pinterest, Oriental Trading, ect.)
(Everything for these bags came from Dollar Tree, Hobby Lobby or Sams. Sorry no photo! The one below is similar to ours.) Check out Pinterest- They offer a TON of ideas of what to include and how to decorate a $1 grab bag from the dollar store!
Room Block Wedding Tip- When negotiating your hotel room block read your contract carefully. If there is an "attrition" clause you will be responsible for the rooms that are not booked. Ask it the hotel would be willing to remove the attrition for a slightly higher room rate. Also, ask to be updates at least every two weeks on the status of your room block; make this a clause in your contract!
Staying on Top- Wedding planning is HUGE. Depending upon how many people are helping you, this may not be of concern. However, Tony and I did most of the planning. When I needed actual things done for decor, then I asked for help from friends and family the week of the wedding. It is extremely important to follow up with your vendors and everyone affiliated with the wedding at least once a month.
I would call EVERYONE the first week of each month to make sure that whatever they were working on the month prior was accomplished. Then, I would make sure that they started working on a new task for the new month (This being vendors, orders, fittings, ect.). This will curve any last minute freak outs the month before the wedding. If you do not stay on top of something or someone, it is likely that it will not get done or they will not do as they should. On a completely different note, do not pay for anything until after the fact (if you can). Some things we had to pay for in advance, but most everything was paid in full wedding day.
Photo Area- This is a tip I could probably add to the photography post, but I am going to go ahead and share here. We have only been to a few weddings. At some, I noticed that there is a photo area designated at the reception. At others, there was not a photo area which means that you may possibly have an awful wall color in all of your pictures or random photo bombers with terrible facial expressions. (You cannot see in the photos below, but we added two large canvas on easels to each side of the screen.)
We knew that some of my out of town Louisiana family would not make it to the photo session before the ceremony. We opted for renting a screen, and created a photo area behind the Bride and Groom table. This is the area where Tony and I stayed with our parents and photographer. Guests did not really congregate in this area often, which was the point of setting the Bride/Groom table in the area that we did. It may not look like much, but it helped tremendously to cut down on a terrible background messing up a good picture. Depending on your venue this may not be needed.
Another plus to having the screen was that it was the perfect area for our photographers to get the best shots of our bridal toss and garter toss. Also, from the side the photo is being taken there is a flat screen TV set up showing a slide show of all the photos that the photographers took throughout the day. That was a pretty neat aspect for our guests. (Sorry it is not visible. I do not have a photo to show.)
These ideas were both given by our photographers. Did I mention yet how awesome they were? J Franks will be photographing all of our big moments in the future. They were such a pleasure and joy to work with and I would recommend them to anyone!
Program Examples, Itinerary, Photo Schedules- Tony and I started planning our wedding the end of October 2011 (LSU Fall Break) and were finished the second week of February (LSU Mardi Gras Breaks). You do not want to know how much hair and weight I lost during those 4 months! Besides trying to commit bridal suicide, I was attempting to finish my last semester at LSU, transfer to UAB successfully without having to retake 60 hours, support my sister through her sickness, and plan to move myself from Baton Rouge and Tony from Tuscaloosa/Butler. At the time, Tony was honeymoon planning, working on a huge final project for EE, and getting ready to graduate. This is going to sound crazy- Not only were we wedding planning, but we were also house hunting. Those four months were a whirlwind!
Regardless, I am so thankful that I pushed to get everything done because my sister came home from her stay in Oklahoma in March. I was able to help her get acclimated to the real world again. Then, in April we had every single weekend on the calendar filled until after our honeymoon. There was always something to do, somewhere to be in either Louisiana or Alabama. From photo sessions, birthday parties, showers, house showings, graduations... You name, we did it! Absolute madness, yes! I know that I always say I am a bit of a planner, however, for that I am thankful!
I am about to admit how much of a planner I truly am sharing the photos below. Do not judge! Being a former cheerleader and future teacher, it was fitting to make posters for everything!
Although I gave everyone a photo schedule and itinerary at the rehearsal, I also had posters on each door of where every was to get dressed. I decorated the posters by adding baby pictures of Tony to the Groomsmen door poster and baby pictures of me to the Bridesmaid door poster. On the Snack Station poster I added pictures of us dating during high school.
**If you would like an example copy of our photo schedule, itinerary, program or invitation to follow when making your own, contact me and and I will be more than happy to scan and email a copy to you and your Groom! :)
Wedding Timing- Having a 2:00 wedding is tough, y'all. I did not realize all that had to get done before the ceremony. I arrived much earlier than I planned and still did not have enough time to get everything done before Mrs Amy arrived to fix my hair. Thankfully, my director and her awesome husband arrived early. She knew exactly what to do and took over for me.
The plus side to having an afternoon wedding is allowing people travel time in the morning and evening if they chose to not spend the night. After the reception we had to drive back to Birmingham, pack, and be ready at 3:30 the next morning to leave for the airport. Can you say exhausted?
We had to check in, board a plane in Birmingham by 6:15, another in Atlanta at 8:30, and then catch a bus in St. Lucia. As soon as we arrived to our room in St. Lucia we were worthless until we rested. I think if we could do things again we would probably leave for our honeymoon on Monday instead of Sunday. We would have had more time to rest and pack.
I want to brag on a few people. The photography team (Jessica and Jeremy Franks, Haleigh Boothe Hain, and Ashley) are what kept our schedule going and on time. Without our photography team and two directors everything would have not run as smoothly as it did. Having the photo session schedule helped tremendously! This is how everyone found out when to arrive and where they should be stationed. I cannot stress enough the importance of a schedule!
These were the amazing people working behind the scenes. Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of the photography team.
I am going to step on a few toes, but I am going to share this bit of info anyway. Depending on how large your family is, there can be huge advantages and disadvantages to having everyone gather at once. Being that there is divorce in both Tony's family line and my family line I was apprehensive of how things would work successfully wedding day. Also, weddings can be huge depending upon how dramatic your family is about certain situations or people. While aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents are great- they can be a huge distraction from what is supposed to be happening. All in all, once our family, our wedding party, our wedding party's families, and vendors were combined there were about 75 in the church somewhere doing something.
To keep peace and to make sure that everyone knew where they should be at certain times our director would rounded up groups of people accordingly. I will say it once more-- I cannot stress how important a schedule is. It is extremely helpful in so many ways! I made sure that everyone understood where they were supposed to be when and everything worked better than planned! This may sound catty, but I was determined to make sure that no one messed up "our" (being Tony and I) day. Way too much time, work, planning, and money goes into such a short event. You have to make the most of the time you have with the people there regardless of dysfunction and craziness. The photo schedule, itinerary, wonderful photographers, great directors, and flexible family members and friends are the products of a successful wedding day! (Thankfully, I had a photographer and director that were not afraid of managing big crowds.)
Groomsmen and Bridesmaids: I do not have a lot of advice to say about Groomsmen or Bridesmaids because we had amazing friends to work with. I picked out the color of dress and 7 dresses from David's that the Bridesmaids could wear. They were able to pick which dress out of the 7 that fit their body style best. Every dress was a little different and I liked that look.
Part of our gift to the Bridesmaids was having their hair done the morning of the wedding and a pearl bracelet to wear. Depending upon their dress, some girls wore pearl necklaces and if their ears were pieced they wore pearl earrings. I did not care what type of shoes they wore as long as the shoes were nude. Overall, I wanted the Bridesmaids to be comfortable. Also, they were buying their attire and I wanted them to be able to have a say in it since it is likely they may not wear the dress again.
It was a tremendous benefit for us to have our Bridesmaids and Groomsmen bring their attire to the rehearsal dinner and leave it. I did this for three reasons:
- 1) The photographers were planning to arrive one hour before the wedding party to take all of the "staged" pictures.
- 2) I wanted to make sure that everyone had everything that they needed before the wedding eliminating any freak outs the morning of. We had Bridesmaids and Groomsmen coming from Baton Rouge, Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Pensacola, and Shreveport. This ensured that everything they needed for the morning of the wedding was in Butler.
- 3) I knew that everyone should arrive on time for hair and make-up if their attire was already at the church. Having everything at the church helped greatly because we all had to get up super early. There was no excuse for someone arriving late since everything was together the night before.
- Early morning + lots of girls = frazzled rooms of mixed matched luggage
- (All the Bridesmaids stayed with me and all of the groomsmen stayed with Tony, which was not only helpful but a ton of fun!)
911 Baskets- I included these baskets in the room where the Bridesmaids and Groomsmen were getting dressed. All of the stuff in the photo below was included, as well as some extra things for my friends and Tony's friends. In all honestly, a lot of these items came in handy which was a huge plus. I thought that we probably would not use them.
I found baskets at Dollar Tree. Most of the items that I put inside I found at Dollar Tree, Walmart, or Walgreen's. Overall, I think I spent about $50 on these baskets. Luckily, what did not get used at the wedding came home with us and we have used it since.
Outfit Changes- Depending upon where you are going once you leave the reception you may not need to change clothes. We had a 2.5 hour drive and it was the end of June, so we decided that it would be best to get out of a tux and dress. This is not the big of a deal, but it does give you photos in a different outfit if that matters to you. I wore a cocktail dress and Tony wore a collar shirt with dress pants.
Additional Tips from Facebook Fans: On our Facebook page I asked for additional tips to include in this post from former Brides. This is what I received in messages or comment posts:
-"Keep all wedding and honeymoon receipts in a manila envelope. When we arrived at the hotel they said we had not paid. I was able to produce a receipt because I had it with me."
-"Picking someone to take your things home after the reception. Your gifts, mementos (think toasting flutes, cake topper, unity candle and guest book) and any leftover food, booze or cake need a trusty escort to get them home."
-"Preserve your dress."
-"Decorating the other areas. Of course, no guest will walk out of your wedding if the bathrooms and cocktail bar are left bare. With all the energy that’s put into dressing up the reception and ceremony, you might want to put in the small extra effort to give these spots the decor they deserve."
- "Send your thank you notes in a timely manner." (I know I get grumpy about this sometimes. Many people become irritated if they do not receive a thank you note in a timely manner. I think it took me a 1.5 month to get thank you notes out. Once we got home, settled in, unpacked wedding gifts, moving boxes, honeymoon luggage I then wrote thank you notes for about two weeks. Do not stress over writing these, but do send one. It is common courtesy. First, go change your name! :) )
I loved every minute of wedding planning and will run of out breath talking about the planning process. Although I did not cover all that there is to know, I hope that I have helped another Bride and Groom in the same way that we were helped by so many who had gone before us.
If I think of any other random tips or advice that I can give, I will just add it to one of the Wedding Wednesday posts in the near future! If you are not following "The Knot" on Pinterest, you should! Between their boards and my binder, this is the type of information that I was able to rely heavily on.
Until next time- Happy Planning and Happy Blogging!
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