Post wedding post: part 1.
(Pictures will be in part 2)
So I have lots and lots to post about with my recent wedding, but I'd really like to get some things out before I start forgetting. It's divided into parts for easy reading.
1. The photobooth. I can't stress just how much we all enjoyed it. Have you ever been at a wedding and thought "Oh man, it would be great if we could all get a photo together!" but then someone snaps the picture and forgets to upload it? No more! I pulled people into the booth all night and had a riot. 20 seconds and you're done, but with 4 great candid photos with your nearest and dearest. In terms of expense, it's on par with a videographer - and I know I will treasure the scrapbook of photobooth photos (which guests paste in their pictures & sign next to them) so much more than a video. PLUS our guests all got copies of their photos, which turned out to be great favors.
2. Seeing my husband before the ceremony. Things went SO much easier - we had to stay on our cellphones for all of 5 minutes to maneuver people into place without seeing each other (I can't imagine how brides map out the whole time before the ceremony without seeing each other!), and after that the whole bridal party could run around and have fun for pictures without worrying about how long our guests were waiting for us.
3. Having a friday night wedding. Very few people had work issues, since we pushed the ceremony back to 5:30 PM. We started first dances at around 9 PM, and the partied for three hours solid - just enough time to have all our fun without feeling like things slowed down. Plus we got a huge bonus by being the only wedding in our venue that hosts up to three weddings at a time during peak season.
4. Our receiving line/visiting tables. We did a modified receiving line where Nick and I circled back around to the front of the church and excused people by pews just the two of us, allowing guests to go to the back and then meet up with our parents - no bottlenecking, no awkward handshakes with bridal party members you don't know and speedy without sacrificing time with our guests. My biggest piece of advice is to spend as much time with your guests as possible. Seeing everyone and getting to have a real conversation with people was the most rewarding part of the day.
5. Having a sweetheart table. It allowed Nick and I to get served quickly and have some alone time where we could eat in peace, which allowed us to get up from dinner in plenty of time to go visiting. Plus, our bridal party all got to sit with their dates and have fun at their own tables - we had spent plenty of time together earlier in the day, so it didn't feel like we were missing out at all.
6. The anniversary dance - our DJ was brilliant and did it in reverse order - starting with us and adding couples based on increasing length of marriage. That way, when the song ends and you open the floor up to everyone, it's already packed with happy couples. I requested fun & cheesy songs from each decade, so we had Whitesnake for the 20 years crowd and the Beegees for 30 years, etc...
7. Not throwing my bouquet. I always hated being dragged out on the floor to try and compete for "who's next" when I was single. Instead, we gave my bouquet to the woman who had been married the longest at the end of the Anniversary dance. One of the few times I teared up was when my Grandmother-in-law (married 57 years!) wished me an equally happy & long marriage and held on to her flowers all night.
8. Music. We eschewed traditional music and instead picked out instrumental pieces from all our favourite movies. People had a great time guessing where the songs were from and we got to include one of our beloved interests (big movie buffs). AND we walked out to Queen (You're my best friend), which was a great light-hearted moment of celebration after all was said and done.
9. Dance lessons. We took youtube dance lessons, which is to say watched a TON of instructional videos, practiced over and over & filmed ourselves practicing. But after all that effort, our first dance was magical - a classic foxtrot to Frank Sinatra's "Just the way you look tonight". Everyone applauded and the DJ had our guests hold up table numbers to "judge" us. (We got a 7, 8 and 9.) SO worth the time and effort.
10. Non-flower centerpieces. We had simple centerpieces: a hurricane vase, some sand, white pillar candles and seashells. The candles provided a lovely glow and since we only spent about 10 dollars per centerpiece, we sent them home with whichever guest at the table had a birthday closest to May 22nd. BIG hit.
1. Having my makeup done. I will state for the record that I Don't Do Makeup. I never wear it, I can't put it on very well, I think it's overpriced and overdone much of the time. Still, my bridesmaid brought her friend and professional makeup artist as her date, and having Trina there was a godsend. Everyone looked lovely and classic, and not "made up" - just perfect for photos. Even if you're like me and hate the idea of makeup, I would STRONGLY recommend bringing in a pro - makeup in the right hands is a very impressive tool.
2. Whirlpool jacuzzi suite. Nick and I laughed off the idea of getting the "honeymoon suite" at the nearby hotel we crashed at. "We're going to be exhausted, why spend all that money?" I'll tell you why. After a long and crazy day where you stand for hours, wear shoes that aren't entirely comfortable and dance your butt off, a jacuzzi tub is heaven's idea of heaven. We worked out our sore muscles and got to relax as a couple.
3. "Follow the leader" - We hate clinking. Hate it. I refuse to clink at weddings because it always seems forced (let's kiss just after we've taken a big bite of dinner!) and the couple doesn't get to eat. So someone suggested that after the first clink-kiss, our DJ would announce the name of a couple there (given to him at random) and they had to demonstrate how to kiss for us, and then we would emulate. It turned out to be so much fun! We had all sorts of crazy kisses and couples were planning on what to do if they got called on. It did limit the clinking somewhat, though - so it worked out perfectly.
4. Simple comb veil - I found my veil at a discount craft store, and it was attached to a plain clear plastic hair comb. I was originally worried with how it would sit and if it would stay - but having a veil that is easily removed meany that you can take it off at will for windy outdoor photos, a getaway in a top-down convertible, etc and put it right back in to make a grand entrance at your reception. Taking the veil OFF for the receiving line is definitely the way to go as well! Hugs with a veil are a pain in the neck - literally!
5. Not having a videographer. I have a simple flip video camera and as an afterthought, I gave it too a good friend and asked them if they would mind shooting my entrance and the vows. Turns out they got the WHOLE ceremony, our reception entrance, toasts and our first dance - and were happy to help. So I got video of all the highlights of my day shot for free - and having it shot from a guest's point of view is nice - it feels more authentic, instead of going back to do staged re-enactments for a professional video crew.
As you can see, I really enjoyed my wedding. It was happy, fun and really not that stressful. (Of course, that's because my mother is Super Organized and had everything running smoothly, but still. :-P)
I'll leave you with the most succint wedding advice I can manage.
1. There is no such thing as too much organization. A wedding is controlled chaos, so have plan B's in place - you'll have peace of mind knowing they're there. (like a wire shorting out and almost every light between your house & the church going dark.) Also: emergency kit. My mom's dress caught on her shoe & ripped just before the ceremony, but we were prepared and could fix it right away. Have bags labeled with their destination and ready to go, that way you're not trying to find programs for the church and instead finding favors for the reception.
2. If you act like nothing has gone wrong, nobody will know the difference. Some of our music had to be repeated when it took way longer to altar candles than I had planned on, but nobody even noticed. You are your wedding's worst critic, so when you see something go wrong, just smile and pretend that you planned it that way.
2.5 And if something goes wrong in a big and obvious way, then you've turned into every other wedding ever: laugh it off, and know that the story of Uncle Albert belching the middle of the ceremony will be the story you tell 20 years later. The whole tone of a wedding is pretty much set by the bride, so if you're happy and laughing, everyone else will be too.
3 See your guests as much as possible - there's a reason we invite people to witness a marriage. The people who love us do so much to strengthen the bonds of matrimony, so take time to celebrate with them.
So I have lots and lots to post about with my recent wedding, but I'd really like to get some things out before I start forgetting. It's divided into parts for easy reading.
1. The photobooth. I can't stress just how much we all enjoyed it. Have you ever been at a wedding and thought "Oh man, it would be great if we could all get a photo together!" but then someone snaps the picture and forgets to upload it? No more! I pulled people into the booth all night and had a riot. 20 seconds and you're done, but with 4 great candid photos with your nearest and dearest. In terms of expense, it's on par with a videographer - and I know I will treasure the scrapbook of photobooth photos (which guests paste in their pictures & sign next to them) so much more than a video. PLUS our guests all got copies of their photos, which turned out to be great favors.
2. Seeing my husband before the ceremony. Things went SO much easier - we had to stay on our cellphones for all of 5 minutes to maneuver people into place without seeing each other (I can't imagine how brides map out the whole time before the ceremony without seeing each other!), and after that the whole bridal party could run around and have fun for pictures without worrying about how long our guests were waiting for us.
3. Having a friday night wedding. Very few people had work issues, since we pushed the ceremony back to 5:30 PM. We started first dances at around 9 PM, and the partied for three hours solid - just enough time to have all our fun without feeling like things slowed down. Plus we got a huge bonus by being the only wedding in our venue that hosts up to three weddings at a time during peak season.
4. Our receiving line/visiting tables. We did a modified receiving line where Nick and I circled back around to the front of the church and excused people by pews just the two of us, allowing guests to go to the back and then meet up with our parents - no bottlenecking, no awkward handshakes with bridal party members you don't know and speedy without sacrificing time with our guests. My biggest piece of advice is to spend as much time with your guests as possible. Seeing everyone and getting to have a real conversation with people was the most rewarding part of the day.
5. Having a sweetheart table. It allowed Nick and I to get served quickly and have some alone time where we could eat in peace, which allowed us to get up from dinner in plenty of time to go visiting. Plus, our bridal party all got to sit with their dates and have fun at their own tables - we had spent plenty of time together earlier in the day, so it didn't feel like we were missing out at all.
6. The anniversary dance - our DJ was brilliant and did it in reverse order - starting with us and adding couples based on increasing length of marriage. That way, when the song ends and you open the floor up to everyone, it's already packed with happy couples. I requested fun & cheesy songs from each decade, so we had Whitesnake for the 20 years crowd and the Beegees for 30 years, etc...
7. Not throwing my bouquet. I always hated being dragged out on the floor to try and compete for "who's next" when I was single. Instead, we gave my bouquet to the woman who had been married the longest at the end of the Anniversary dance. One of the few times I teared up was when my Grandmother-in-law (married 57 years!) wished me an equally happy & long marriage and held on to her flowers all night.
8. Music. We eschewed traditional music and instead picked out instrumental pieces from all our favourite movies. People had a great time guessing where the songs were from and we got to include one of our beloved interests (big movie buffs). AND we walked out to Queen (You're my best friend), which was a great light-hearted moment of celebration after all was said and done.
9. Dance lessons. We took youtube dance lessons, which is to say watched a TON of instructional videos, practiced over and over & filmed ourselves practicing. But after all that effort, our first dance was magical - a classic foxtrot to Frank Sinatra's "Just the way you look tonight". Everyone applauded and the DJ had our guests hold up table numbers to "judge" us. (We got a 7, 8 and 9.) SO worth the time and effort.
10. Non-flower centerpieces. We had simple centerpieces: a hurricane vase, some sand, white pillar candles and seashells. The candles provided a lovely glow and since we only spent about 10 dollars per centerpiece, we sent them home with whichever guest at the table had a birthday closest to May 22nd. BIG hit.
1. Having my makeup done. I will state for the record that I Don't Do Makeup. I never wear it, I can't put it on very well, I think it's overpriced and overdone much of the time. Still, my bridesmaid brought her friend and professional makeup artist as her date, and having Trina there was a godsend. Everyone looked lovely and classic, and not "made up" - just perfect for photos. Even if you're like me and hate the idea of makeup, I would STRONGLY recommend bringing in a pro - makeup in the right hands is a very impressive tool.
2. Whirlpool jacuzzi suite. Nick and I laughed off the idea of getting the "honeymoon suite" at the nearby hotel we crashed at. "We're going to be exhausted, why spend all that money?" I'll tell you why. After a long and crazy day where you stand for hours, wear shoes that aren't entirely comfortable and dance your butt off, a jacuzzi tub is heaven's idea of heaven. We worked out our sore muscles and got to relax as a couple.
3. "Follow the leader" - We hate clinking. Hate it. I refuse to clink at weddings because it always seems forced (let's kiss just after we've taken a big bite of dinner!) and the couple doesn't get to eat. So someone suggested that after the first clink-kiss, our DJ would announce the name of a couple there (given to him at random) and they had to demonstrate how to kiss for us, and then we would emulate. It turned out to be so much fun! We had all sorts of crazy kisses and couples were planning on what to do if they got called on. It did limit the clinking somewhat, though - so it worked out perfectly.
4. Simple comb veil - I found my veil at a discount craft store, and it was attached to a plain clear plastic hair comb. I was originally worried with how it would sit and if it would stay - but having a veil that is easily removed meany that you can take it off at will for windy outdoor photos, a getaway in a top-down convertible, etc and put it right back in to make a grand entrance at your reception. Taking the veil OFF for the receiving line is definitely the way to go as well! Hugs with a veil are a pain in the neck - literally!
5. Not having a videographer. I have a simple flip video camera and as an afterthought, I gave it too a good friend and asked them if they would mind shooting my entrance and the vows. Turns out they got the WHOLE ceremony, our reception entrance, toasts and our first dance - and were happy to help. So I got video of all the highlights of my day shot for free - and having it shot from a guest's point of view is nice - it feels more authentic, instead of going back to do staged re-enactments for a professional video crew.
As you can see, I really enjoyed my wedding. It was happy, fun and really not that stressful. (Of course, that's because my mother is Super Organized and had everything running smoothly, but still. :-P)
I'll leave you with the most succint wedding advice I can manage.
1. There is no such thing as too much organization. A wedding is controlled chaos, so have plan B's in place - you'll have peace of mind knowing they're there. (like a wire shorting out and almost every light between your house & the church going dark.) Also: emergency kit. My mom's dress caught on her shoe & ripped just before the ceremony, but we were prepared and could fix it right away. Have bags labeled with their destination and ready to go, that way you're not trying to find programs for the church and instead finding favors for the reception.
2. If you act like nothing has gone wrong, nobody will know the difference. Some of our music had to be repeated when it took way longer to altar candles than I had planned on, but nobody even noticed. You are your wedding's worst critic, so when you see something go wrong, just smile and pretend that you planned it that way.
2.5 And if something goes wrong in a big and obvious way, then you've turned into every other wedding ever: laugh it off, and know that the story of Uncle Albert belching the middle of the ceremony will be the story you tell 20 years later. The whole tone of a wedding is pretty much set by the bride, so if you're happy and laughing, everyone else will be too.
3 See your guests as much as possible - there's a reason we invite people to witness a marriage. The people who love us do so much to strengthen the bonds of matrimony, so take time to celebrate with them.