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The best wedding receptions are the ones that energize and entertain the guests you have invited. Involving your guests isn’t a hard task; it simply takes some planning on your part. Follow these suggestions and your reception will be talked about for years!
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Your wedding day will be one of the biggest days of your life and you should enjoy it. Often brides get stressed or overwhelmed – one of the biggest mistakes a bride can make. (Want to know the others? Click here)
Here are some things you can do to keep stress at bay.
Eat something
It is a busy day, but it’s important to remember to eat. If you are too nervous to eat a full meal, make sure you eat some quality snacks. Not eating can lead to jitters as your blood sugar level fluctuates.
Stay hydrated
A hydrated bride is a happy bride. Drink plenty of water on your wedding day – especially if you are getting married in the summer months. Many ceremony sites are not air conditioned and your dress is likely to have several layers of fabric – trapping the heat in. Add to that the fact that when you are excited or nervous your heart rate increases so you lose even more fluid. It’s best to leave alcohol consumption to party hours too!
Dance
Dancing is a proven stress reliever as it releases the feel good chemical endorphins, so if functions as a mood enhancer. Instead of worrying about every last detail of the wedding reception, enjoy it. Share a dance with your guests and you’ll have a happier time.
Visit
Your closest family and friends have traveled to share your wedding day with you. Enjoy visiting with them to thank them for their participation. Listening to how much they love you, and how great you look, is sure to fill your heart with joy!
Look at your partner.
In the end the most important thing to remember is this is the day you will marry your best friend, the love of your life. Everything else is just details.
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This is a job that you can give to your most trusted friend. At the conclusion of the reception, someone should be tasked with collecting the boxes, bags and envelope holder. Decide in advance who this person will be and where they will place the items. Often the gifts are placed in the couples hotel room if at the same venue or given to the parents of the couple. This is particularly important to decide if you are departing in the morning for your honeymoon.
If you have rented any items for your decorations, you may need someone to not only collect them at the end of the evening, but also to return them to the vendor. Some companies will pickup the rental items, but there may be a fee for doing so.
Floral arrangements may be given to guests as they part, donated to a hospital or nursing home or disposed of by the venue. Be sure to check with the venue to see what items can be left on site at the conclusion of the evening.
Typically, most fees are paid prior to the wedding day, but it is possible you will have some due that evening. One of the best man’s duties is to handle any fees or gratuities for the couple. Prepare and label envelopes in advance so he can handle those tasks for you.
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A champagne toast with your bridesmaids is often a fun tradition (and photo moment), but it is recommended to be cautious and keep it to one toast. You’ll be walking down the aisle in a few moments and should look your best.
If you are going to capture wedding photographs between the ceremony and wedding reception, too much liquor in the limo can create an unruly bridal party that may be less focused on executing your photography plan. If you are going to celebrate the moment, consider banning hard liquors and make sure there is plenty of water and snacks. Too much imbibing on an empty stomach can ruin the rest of your day!
Many couples wait, and ask their bridal party to do so also, until the traditional dances are completed before having a few drinks in the final party hours. This will insure that you enjoy the day, create positive lasting memories and still have a chance to unwind – it is after all your wedding day!
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After a night of dancing, many couples are enjoying an additional day with family by hosting a morning brunch or afternoon barbecue. This gives you another chance to thank your family for their involvement in your wedding day – especially if you didn’t have enough time to visit with out of town guests. How often are all of these people gathered in one place after all?
As most weddings take place on the weekend, delaying your travel arrangements by a day can result in less airport congestion and maybe even better pricing. Fewer travelers are likely on a Monday. You’ll also have time to pack your bags when you aren’t trying to plan a wedding.
An added benefit to leaving a day late; you’ll have time to unwrap gifts – you may even have time to take those wedding gifts to the bank too!
We make the planning process stress free. Email or call 248-689-0777 to learn more.
Every bride wants amazing, breathtaking images of their wedding day. But it’s important to remember that you have invited your guests to share the evening celebrating your wedding with your family and friends. A photography plan can prevent you from spending too much time on photography – a mistake brides often make. (Want to know the others? Click here.) A photographer will likely have suggestions their experience tells them works well, but can only understand your unique wishes by developing a plan with you. Here’s are some tips and a general timeline for wedding photography:
Hair and make up is completed or near completed when coverage begins. The photographer will typically spend 1/2 hour photographing details and candids. The remaining 1/2 hours is spent capturing attendants, family and planned images of the bride. Be sure to convey your comfort level with having someone in the room as you get ready to your wedding photographer. Together, you and the photographer should develop a list of images and special items you would like the photographer to capture during this time.
The pre-ceremony images of the groom are often captured at the church, but any location of your choice can be used. The photographer will typically photograph the groom’s attire, images with groomsmen and family, pinning of boutonnieres, and other detail shots. If you have specific requests for the groom’s images, be sure to share them with your photographer.
Many churches will have restrictions on wedding photography. If your church does, share that information as early as possible when you are developing the wedding photography plan as it may impact the type of images that can be captured. As you develop the photography plan, it is a good idea to discuss what you would like the photographer to capture – your last moments with your father before the ceremony or guests being seated. Let your photographer know if there are honored guests, candle lightings, or other items to make special note of.
Following the ceremony, many couples like to have a balloon release or bubble exit. This is typically done immediately after the ceremony so that guests that are not a part of formal altar images can be released. You will likely sign your marriage license before beginning your family images as well.
Again, many churches limit the amount of time you have to capture formal altar images. Because time must be used effectively, assigning a friend to help gather groupings is most helpful. Work with your photographer to develop a list of images that should be captured at the ceremony location and those that can be done at the wedding reception.
This is the time that your wedding photographers artistic abilities can really shine. Whether you are interested in traditional, photojournalistic or artistic images, develop a plan for what images you would like to capture of you as a couple, with and without the bridal party. If you like images with an urban or natural background, you and your wedding photographer can discuss locations that match your creative vision. You should also discuss poses that you’ve seen in the past that appeal to you – and those that don’t too.
You family and friends will be gathered to share a meal with you and your new spouse, visit and dance. When planning the photography for your wedding reception, remember to take your guests in account. Share the timeline that you have developed with your wedding DJ with the photographer for the grand entrance, cake cutting. toasts and special dances. Most couples focus the wedding reception photography on those key moments and take a more candid approach to the remainder of the evening. This allows them to converse with their guests and have a great time dancing, while the photographer captures those candid moments.
By forming a photography plan with your wedding photographer, you can preserve the memories of your wedding day without letting the wedding photography take over.
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