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wedding guests
What Wedding Problems Drive Planners Crazy?
Biz Bash, an event industry trade paper, recently ran a piece on what drives PR and corporate planners crazy at parties they attend. Amy Sacco, founding partner and creative director, LDV Hospitality Nightlife, listed four points, three of which translated so well into wedding world, I had to share. Today, we cover Amy Sacco’s irritant number one* in the next few days, on to the next two.
When events are pitched as intimate or exclusive and then you find guests’ assistants there
It doesn’t take a lot of creativity to translate this one into the wedding experience.
A couple explains their tiny, intimate wedding and matching brutally small head count. The venue only holds so many people, or there are budget issues, and that’s why the guest list is so lean, and you can’t bring your fiancé. Apologies are made, and tears are shed.
Your tears dry pretty quickly, though, on wedding day when you’re seated with the bride’s sister’s boyfriend’s mother. You think I’m kidding don’t you? This happened to me. The bride’s sister-in-law’s brother and her parents were there too. My boyfriend of three years sat at home. The upshot? I had a crappy time at that wedding, and remember it as an unpleasant experience to this day.
The Fix:
Guest List Diplomacy. Think a little before you cross someone off or decide on your “plus ones.” You could be changing a dear friend or relative’s experience of your wedding completely for the benefit of your father’s chiropractor. This is your day, but do you want people to remember it as a miserable one? Probably not.
Stay tuned for Amy’s next pet peeve, how it pertains to wedding planning, and how to avoid it!
Live well, and love well.
-Dinah
*Note. Amy’s Biz Bash quote started with this:
“I loathe the following, in no particular order…” ergo this party fail is no more or less loathed than the others we will cover in the days to come.
The 4th of July Non-Weekend. Bad for Brides? Good for Guests? You decide.
Ah the calendar. Tomorrow, the 4th of July falls on a WEDNESDAY for the first time in many years. For those with office jobs whose vacation days are comparable to certain rare truffles in the food world, this is a big deal. There are calculations by which you can take only a few days off, and yet stretch your vacation and/or wedding weekend to five days, all with the aid of a well placed Monday or Friday out of the office. Thanksgiving is the ultimate centerpiece to the art of stretching PTO: you can take a full seven days and only “spend” three.
But this year (darned Gregorians) Fourth of July isn’t participating. And some are breathing a sigh of relief. Hint: it’s not the brides. People who might have attended weddings this holiday, are attending barbeques. And parades. And celebrating Independence Day well, independently. There are many people who don’t want to have their summer plans set for them by receiving a “save the date” in February and being expected to clear their calendars.
As a bride, it’s hard to see outside the bubble where your wedding is the Most Important Thing In The World, but sometimes people have fun things scheduled at the same time or want to have that option. And that’s OK. (Well your sister really ought to keep her schedule open, but let the rest of your list plan their own vacations, and lead their own lives. It’s not anybody’s fault, and there shouldn’t be any lasting drama or upset about who had something else going on that day ).
All thoughts running through my head on a summer’s day… enjoy your barbeques tomorrow. And the weddings that are happening this weekend! Remember, you can always have sparklers no matter what time of year it is* And no matter who comes, or what the season, your wedding will light up with joy and memories for everyone.
Live well, and love well.
Dinah
* please check the fire regulations in your area and at your venue!