Wedding reception

How to survive planning your wedding

by

Planning a wedding is exciting, but overwhelming. It’s easy to let the big event overtake your whole life- but there are ways to stay calm and take it one step at a time.  Let’s learn some successful strategies for making wedding planning manageable.

  • Have perspective:  Any large undertaking can seem insurmountable.  It’s important to put things in perspective.  Planning a wedding is akin to eating a life size chocolate elephant.  You need to do it in pieces, and a little at a time or you’ll feel very uneasy in your stomach.

    Liz & Kathleen_Ceremony 173
    A well planned wedding: Liz & Kathleen
    photo by Max & Friends
  • Know where your strengths are:  There are going to be parts of the process that appeal to you more than others.   Are you a foodie? Focus on the menu.  Fashionista? Designing the event will be oodles of fun.  For the places you’re dreading, don’t force yourself to slog through – recruit help, professional or friends and family.
  • Don’t rush it: We get it.  You’re in love, and don’t want to wait around.  But Rome wasn’t built in a day! Rushing through details will cause details to be overlooked, details that properly looked after, could be the moments that mean the most to you and your intended.

Being engaged is a joyous time – make sure you breathe and savor the interlude!  Once the streamers are tossed and the  DJ has packed up her records, chances are you’ll remember the process as much as the day itself.  Enjoy the journey.

Be well, and love well.

Dinah

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta

Corporate Event Advice Applies To Weddings Too!

by

Hot event planners/experts spilled their party pet peeves to Biz Bash, we’re sharing some that will help make your wedding amazing, not crazy-making. Amy Sacco, founding partner and creative director, LDV Hospitality Nightlife, listed four points, three of which translated perfectly to weddings. Today, we cover Amy’s irritant number two*.

Overcrowding. It’s annoying to move around and especially with all the tilting glasses when one is in a fabulous outfit—and then you can’t even get a drink as you can’t get to the bar!

Do you hear that, people?  Don’t pack your guests like sardines. Venues say what the maximum capacity on a space, but that number was picked out by a fire marshal thinking about best escape routes.  If you asked her how many people she’d want in there for her son’s wedding reception, you’d likely get a completely different answer.

Seating Chart project by SomethingTurquoise,com.
Seating Chart project by SomethingTurquoise,com.

Fix: Know your headcount and be realistic about your venue’s capacity.  Don’t talk yourself into a too- small space, no matter how much you love it. It’s very easy to justify things, so take someone along who will remind you that 20 people will not stay on the balcony all night in November.    

Amy is correct in that there is nothing worse than putting on your favorite dry clean only dress and winding up wearing the (hot pink) signature cocktail all night after bumping into a bridesmaid. And then when things are so crowded you can’t get a drink at all? Awful.

Fix: See above about headcount and venue capacity reality checking.  Then make sure you account for décor elements and staff that will also eat up real estate.  If you think there’s going to be a wait for the bar, tray-pass drinks to offset.  Oh, and your signature cocktail? Make it clear (or near) with a colored garnish – less tragic if perchance one does spill.  No maraschino cherries, please.

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.

To see the seating chart project click here.

Newsflash: We Love Weddings.

by

Did you know? We love weddings.  We love gorgeous bouquets, place cards, people in love, vows, diamond rings, aisle runners, wedding dresses, ballrooms, tears of joy in everyone’s eyes, dance floor monograms, fake lashes, scrumptious wedding cake, country clubs, ring bearers, tuxedos, poetry, sunsets, centerpieces, proud parents, something borrowed, hors d’oeuvres, parasols, table linens, boutonnieres, hotels, ring pillows, and of course, brides and grooms.

We love weddings. If you need us, we’ll be here in the Design District making all of our couples’ weddings meaningful, and beautiful.

Be well, and love well.

-Dinah