Winding down the planning...
Our three month engagement ends in just 18 days!!! We were very focused on the items that were important to us [ceremony wording, environmentalism, photography and budget-friendly personal touches] so for the most part, we were able to avoid being let down due to the short time frame [got a simple dress that came in 4 days, shoes and accessories on clearance and online, not renting tuxes, no extra frills] and even managed to get discounts on some vendors because of the short timeframe!
Here was my 81 day progress post: http://community.livejournal.com/weddingplans/15066204.html
I'm running down my to-do list and am thrilled that there are only about a dozen items left!
1. Rehearsal - Our DJ will not be at our rehearsal AND we want the ceremony music to be a surprise to our guests and the wedding party. Those walking include the groom and his mother, my mother and grandfather, best man and maid of honor, and 2 bridesmaids together with a groomsman, and the song [Those Sweet Words - Norah Jones] is 3 and a half minutes, and it takes about one full minute to slowly walk from the front of the house around to the orchard, down the aisle and to the standing place. I'm having trouble figuring out the timing of when people should start walking, such that the bridal party takes up the whole song length, then a pause, and a switch to the music for me and my dad. Any advice on timing this?
2. Parent gifts - We need help here and we don't have a lot of time! My parents are paying for a lot of the wedding, we're having the wedding at FH's mom's boyfriends' home, and FH's mom relandscaped the whole place and is making a lot of the decorations, hosting us a brunch the next morning, and is cooking the favors [a family recipe of chocolate butterscotch peanut candy!]. I thought of spa gift certificates for my parents, but we can't afford to buy them a whole massage - would it be okay to get them a certificate towards a massage? And what the heck do we get for FH's mom and boyfriend, whose garden/home/street we're piling in 120 people, 240 chairs, tons of big trucks, etc?! They're quite simple, don't have hobbies, and refuse to let us pay for a housecleaning service to come the day after the wedding!
3. Picture cards - I want to print business cards that ask people to upload their pictures to our Flickr account, but don't know how to word this in a cute yet user-friendly manner. Can anyone post examples they've used or seen of these cards?
4. Food timing - Our ceremony and reception are at the same location. We're having about a half hour cocktail time starting at 4:30pm while we finish up the pictures, where the bar will be open and there will be fruit, veggie, cheese and cracker trays. We're serving a buffet meal to about 120 guests. What time should the buffet open? I was thinking there should be 30 mintues to an hour after the cocktail time so people are sufficiently hungry [we don't want a lot of leftovers!]?
5. Dances during reception - The songs we have chosen for our dances [Frank Sinatra - The Way You Look Tonight, Ray Allaire - A Song For My Daughter, and In My Life - the Beatles] are all 2.5 to 3.5 minutes long. If we space these out over the reception, will people get bored that the dances are so long?
6. Last song - My mom thinks we need a last song to play, and if we leave before the party ends, a song to mark that as well. Any ideas?
I think that's everything! I'm amazed at how little family drama we've had, how easily it turns out we're able to pull this whole thing off in 3 months [with only one horrible vendor fiasco - the invitations!], and how helpful all the fabulous people here are...I've actually been a member for about 6 years now [many boyfriends ago!] and it's so great to see the tips and tricks and of course pictures and happy memories that come out of this community.
Here was my 81 day progress post: http://community.livejournal.com/weddingplans/15066204.html
I'm running down my to-do list and am thrilled that there are only about a dozen items left!
1. Rehearsal - Our DJ will not be at our rehearsal AND we want the ceremony music to be a surprise to our guests and the wedding party. Those walking include the groom and his mother, my mother and grandfather, best man and maid of honor, and 2 bridesmaids together with a groomsman, and the song [Those Sweet Words - Norah Jones] is 3 and a half minutes, and it takes about one full minute to slowly walk from the front of the house around to the orchard, down the aisle and to the standing place. I'm having trouble figuring out the timing of when people should start walking, such that the bridal party takes up the whole song length, then a pause, and a switch to the music for me and my dad. Any advice on timing this?
2. Parent gifts - We need help here and we don't have a lot of time! My parents are paying for a lot of the wedding, we're having the wedding at FH's mom's boyfriends' home, and FH's mom relandscaped the whole place and is making a lot of the decorations, hosting us a brunch the next morning, and is cooking the favors [a family recipe of chocolate butterscotch peanut candy!]. I thought of spa gift certificates for my parents, but we can't afford to buy them a whole massage - would it be okay to get them a certificate towards a massage? And what the heck do we get for FH's mom and boyfriend, whose garden/home/street we're piling in 120 people, 240 chairs, tons of big trucks, etc?! They're quite simple, don't have hobbies, and refuse to let us pay for a housecleaning service to come the day after the wedding!
3. Picture cards - I want to print business cards that ask people to upload their pictures to our Flickr account, but don't know how to word this in a cute yet user-friendly manner. Can anyone post examples they've used or seen of these cards?
4. Food timing - Our ceremony and reception are at the same location. We're having about a half hour cocktail time starting at 4:30pm while we finish up the pictures, where the bar will be open and there will be fruit, veggie, cheese and cracker trays. We're serving a buffet meal to about 120 guests. What time should the buffet open? I was thinking there should be 30 mintues to an hour after the cocktail time so people are sufficiently hungry [we don't want a lot of leftovers!]?
5. Dances during reception - The songs we have chosen for our dances [Frank Sinatra - The Way You Look Tonight, Ray Allaire - A Song For My Daughter, and In My Life - the Beatles] are all 2.5 to 3.5 minutes long. If we space these out over the reception, will people get bored that the dances are so long?
6. Last song - My mom thinks we need a last song to play, and if we leave before the party ends, a song to mark that as well. Any ideas?
I think that's everything! I'm amazed at how little family drama we've had, how easily it turns out we're able to pull this whole thing off in 3 months [with only one horrible vendor fiasco - the invitations!], and how helpful all the fabulous people here are...I've actually been a member for about 6 years now [many boyfriends ago!] and it's so great to see the tips and tricks and of course pictures and happy memories that come out of this community.