Outdoor weddings

I love outdoor weddings. They can be very beautiful, meaningful, and already have built in glamour--mother nature! But outdoor weddings can also be unpredictable, somewhat unmanageable, and oh-so time consuming unless you plan for the unexpected.

Indoor weddings in certain venues, such as a country club or hotel already have the safety and I-know-what-to-expect features attached to them. But outdoor weddings require much more thought process. They require extra planning because there is no indoor plumbing at many outdoor places. What do you do? Outdoor weddings need fail-proof contingency plans because Mother Nature will rain or storm when she wants to and no amount of Doppler technology will stop her. Outdoor weddings usually require much more work all the way around because you will need to truck in tables, chairs, buffets, furniture, lighting, etc not to mention have to figure out parking and electricity logistics.

It takes a special type of bride who understands "Murphy's Law" to deal with an outdoor wedding. They can be as simple as a wildflower field or as elaborate as a silk-covered tent ceiling complete with outdoor chandeliers. Which ever outdoor wedding you decide to hold, please accept the inevitable: an outdoor wedding is "outdoors," and as such you will be subject to the bugs, weather, wind, and pollen, but you also get atmosphere, nature, views, and beauty. A trade off? Oh, yes and so much more!

Taking time for each other

So many times during planning for a wedding or any event, we can get caught up in the details and the day to day activities. This and that commands our attention and all of a sudden we find ourselves wondering "why am I doing all of this?"

If you feel overwhelmed or stressed about the event that you are creating, maybe it is time to take a breath, sit back and re-evaluate. If your wedding event seems to have gotten out of hand with this and that vendor and the latest decorating craze, maybe you have lost the focus and need to scale back to your original plans---getting married to each other.

Don't get me wrong, I am in business as well and would love to decorate for the ultimate event, but weddings shouldn't be spectacles--they should be ceremonies of love and individual expressions of joy and togetherness. If your days are caught up in the particular color of a flower or how many key chains to make as favors, then I would say that you may have lost the true meaning of the day.

To stay on track, talk to each other about likes and dislikes. Be respectful of each other's opinions and dreams of the day. After all, the wedding needs two people to perform the act of getting married, so it isn't all about just one person's wishes. Incorporate personal touches and loving gestures that your friends and family will remember. How about greeting your guests at the door to your reception with hugs and handshakes rather than riding around in a limousine that costs hundreds of dollars drinking yourself silly? How about having a date night right before the wedding instead of going to the bars and creating scenes that aren't befitting a gracious host and hostess?

Holding hands, loving smiles and hugs, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere for your wedding day--now that's a wedding celebration that is worth millions!

Timelines

One of the most important and stress reducing things you can do for your wedding is to create a timeline of the week's activities leading up to your wedding day. You can entitle it a "Who's who and What's what" of needs and projects that have to be finished to ensure a smoothly-run event day. The last thing you want to have happen to marr your day is an unexpected vendor glitch, unaccounted for missing item, etc. Please keep in mind that even the best laid plans can sometimes go awry, but at least you will have accounted for the major things so that if something unforeseen does happen, you are better prepared for it.

Planning to have a plan for the day is smart. It frees you up knowing that projects and needed items are accounted for. People that you have assigned tasks to will know what is expected of them and when they need to be carried out. Your venue coordinator will appreciate knowing what time you want the cocktail hour to stop and the dinner hour to start. Your bridal party will be better prepared for their toasting speeches when they know they are speaking. Your parents will appreciate the fact that you have taken care of the vendors so that they don't have to run around locating missing service providers.

Make your plan for a week out and make copies for all of the key players. Follow through, but be flexible. The most successful business people always start out their day with a plan to succeed. Their positive focus on the goals in front of them only feed the overall success of their business and the same holds true for you. Planning for a beautiful wedding day? Put it to paper!

Choosing a wedding reception venue

Choosing a wedding reception venue will take a lot of thought process, research, time, negotiations and a large chuck of your over-all budget. Your reception venue is important as it helps to set the mood of the event, houses your guests (be it tent, country club or the sky) and basically defines your event's parameters.

Working with your event venue instead of against it will cost you less anxiety and money in the long run than trying to cover up something that you wish wasn't there in the first place. So many couples rush into signing on the dotted line for a venue because they think that is the only option they have, and then end up regrettting their decision. But with a little sleuthing and research, not to mention flexibility on dates and times, you can have exactly what you want.

I had a bride that dreamed of a certain venue ever since it had been built. She loved the marble columns, the tiled floor, the furniture and drapery, the food, the service and most of all., the entire setting was perfect for her wedding day. The only draw back was that it was completely out of her budget. She looked around at other venues, but she always held out for her dream. Instead of settling for what she didn't want, she opted to hold her wedding on a Sunday and chose the date accordingly. Her wedding was very beautiful and she had many guests that stayed into the wee hours of the night, even though they had to work the next day. Her wedding was every bit the dream that she envisioned, her guests loved the evening, and her budget was intact because she chose a day that was discounted.

Brides and Grooms, don't be afraid to think out of the box and hold your wedding where you would like within the budget that you have. Ask, ask, ask; negotiate, negotiate, negotiate and don't ever be afraid to hold out for the dream. Weddings don't have to be expensive to be elegant, just well-planned and attention to detail takes your wedding beyond the norm.

Remembering the little things

One of the things that will set your wedding apart from other events are the little things that you remember to do. A carefully organized wedding runs smoother, has less chance for problems, and keeps your guests comfortable and not thinking "how fast can we leave to go home?"

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

If you are not hiring a wedding planner to oversee your event the day of, then appointing an "overseer" is a must. This person is generally in charge should something go wrong with a venue, a vendor or life's other little problems that crop up. Please keep in mind though, that this person must be able to think and react fast, be firmly in charge, and know your tastes, style, and the way you want things to unfold during the event. In short, they understand your vision and you have the confidence in this individual to make that happen. Also note that they tend to miss a lot of the wedding day because they are busy running here and there; make sure that this person doesn't mind "missing out!"

Organizing things like a timeline of the day's events and designating little jobs to many people so that no one person feels like they are "doing all of the work" and missing out on the wedding festivities are very important. These two things alone will ensure that the day goes much smoother. The last thing you want to do at your wedding is to stop visiting with your guests or put the day on hold while you track down a missing vendor or other mishap.

Weddings and decorations

I am often told by many brides that they don't have a big enough budget for the type of decorating that they would like to do at their weddings. I will agree that the guest tables can get rather pricey as most florists and decorators can really make quite a bit of money on these items.
I tell my brides that elegance doesn't have anything to do with the size of their bank account but rather it is in the details. A single perfect bloom amongst blazing candles can be very romantic and beautiful. Carnations, once thought to be the poor man's flower, are very beautiful when a single color is massed together. Add a circle of ribbon around the vase with your initials or monogram that you printed on your home computer and you have a custom-made and stunning centerpiece that didn't cost you over $10.00 especially when you found your vase at the Salvation Army store.

Vases don't have to match--just be in the same style family; IE clear glass, similar colored-glass, or the same style of shape. For that matter, all of your tables don't have to match. Why should they? The rooms in our house don't all look the same, so our reception table decorations don't have to as well.

I was just mentioning to a bride the other day that buying 30 of any one type of vase can get very pricey and what was she going to do with 30 vases after her wedding was over? But buying 5 of this type, 7 of another, and so on until she reached 30 tables, was more cost effective and smarter in the long run since she could take advantage of sales.

Decorating doesn't need to be expensive or difficult. Just thinking outside of the normal process will allow your creativity and style to shine. Your guests will appreciate the beautiful array of tables to look at, and your budget will say; "Thank you!"

The greatest gift

Many wedding couples think that they need to give their guests something to take home to remember their wedding day. I encourage my couples not to do this, but rather to give their guests the greatest gift that they can--time of themselves.

Your guests have gone to considerable time, effort and expense to spend this day with you, ignoring them is not the way to create lasting memories. A trinket of your choosing is not going to endear them to you either. The last thing that your guests need is another tin of M&M's or a photo key chain. They already have a drawer full at home and could probably pass out their own favors at the next event they attend.

Rather than spend your money on something that is wasted, why not put that money towards good food and good entertainment. If you take each other by the hand and individually thank your guests for attending your day, that is all the gift that they need. Your thankfulness for their presence, your graciousness and kind words will leave the lasting impression that you want to leave with your guests. They will think that your event was truly the best and only carry fond memories of your special day.

Making your guests feel treasured and special is truly the greatest gift that you could give to them!