Best Wedding Ideas From Our Brides!

We had a great season and of course, learned many things from our weddings. Whether you choose a small or large event for your wedding day, we have some new tips to help you along. These come from our own brides so they’re tried and true.

1. Do your ceremony and reception in the same place. We have several couples currently planning this, and we’ve done it many times in the past. A simple transition from ceremony to cocktail hour to reception makes this a convenient choice. And many venues now have elegant, designated spaces for your nuptials.
2. If you do a church wedding, have the cocktail hour within a half hour of the end of the ceremony. Your guests will appreciate a cocktail waiting for them while you take your church photos.
3. Have a first look. Unless you are really traditional (and we understand if you are), a first look takes the pressure off of keeping the bride and groom apart until the ceremony procession, gives everyone more time for quality photo shots, and generally relaxes the entire bridal party.
4. Even with an outdoor wedding, hire wait staff. If you’re having an outdoor or more casual wedding reception, you still need staff (we recommend 2 per 100 guests) to set linens, bus tables (even if you’re using disposables), keep an eye on the coffee percolator, and put your venue back to its original state when the evening ends. This is money well spent.
5. Make a donation in lieu of favors, or make cookie boxes instead. We have been witness to many favors left behind at the end of the evening. Even if you think your favor is the boss, order less of them and put them on the entry/sign in table. Consider making a donation to your favorite charity instead (and have a small sign indicating so) or if you have relatives making spectacular cookies, box them, and let that be the favor.
6. Utilize your wedding location and maximize what’s available in that area. Can you stay at a hotel nearby? Use an amazing public park that you don’t need photo permissions? Or use a non profit venue for photography, then move onto your venue site? Make it as convenient as possible for you and your bridal party, without lots of driving and tiring timeline events.
7. Use your coordinator to stay on track, interface with vendors, and worry about everything on the day of! That’s what we are here for! We specialize in wedding planning/coordination at a price you can afford. Our goal is a smooth, well planned wedding day that will forever live in your hearts!

We want to say “thank you!” to all of our couples, especially for their great ideas! Let us help you have a fabulous day of less stress, more calm. Use our contact tab and send us a message. Let’s get started!