"At last your love has come along – your lonely days are over and life is but a song." First take some time out to stare at the third finger on your left hand, accept congratulations from family and friends and get ready for showers and parties. A wedding is an incredibly special day.
We will try to briefly cover all the essentials involved in your special day from invitations to the last hurrah…your honeymoon. Remember, the amount of planning and preparation that goes into a wedding pays off in memories that last a lifetime.
INVITATIONS
The first impression is the invitation you choose. It sets the theme for the day. With thousands of invitations available, there is one especially for your day if it be a formal church wedding, a country wedding, an outdoor garden wedding, a destination wedding, a small private evening wedding, or a white tie extravaganza – each is reflected in your invitation.
Budget plays an important part in choosing an invitation. From the least expensive – probably a comp uter generated invite, to a custom –made traditional engraved invitation, usually made with a high quality linen type paper or parchment can cost up to hundreds of dollars. Wedding invitations can be obtained by mail order, printer, stationers and stationery designers or online. Some suppliers will help you with the correct wording and rules of etiquette, although you are the one who makes the decisions. And when you have made your selection, remember addressing your envelope with either calligraphy or ornamental or skilled penmanship. Little is sadder than receiving a beautiful invitation with sloppy handwriting.
YOU OUGHT TO BE IN PICTURES
After the party’s over, the cake is gone, the honeymoon is a pleasant memory, the lasting reminders of your special day are the pictures of your wedding day. Pictures last a lifetime and beyond. They are and will be cherished by you and by generations that will come after you. Shopping for a photographer is different than shopping for a gown, invitations or a reception hall. You won’t see your pictures until after the wedding. Start your search for a photographer and /or videographer by checking websites, ask for recommendations from friends, and lastly schedule an interview with them. A good photographer will not only capture the highlights of the event but the emotions of the day. The best photographers can be booked as far ahead as a year, especially during peak wedding months. Don’t leave your memories to chance. Keep a shoot sheet and meet with your photographer a week or so before the ceremony supplying him with a list of photographs that will be important to both of you for years to come.
Photo courtesy of Palmer Photography~
REHEARSAL DINNER
It is customary that following the wedding rehearsal the bridegroom’s parents host the Rehearsal Dinner. Usually an invitation is issued about four weeks before the wedding. Guests include the bride and groom’s immediate families along with the wedding party and their spouses or significant others. It is a nice touch to invite grandparents, god parents and, if the budget allows, out-of-town guests, but it is not necessary. The Rehearsal Dinner can be held at a club, restaurant, or at home. It can be as informal as a picnic or as formal as the hosts prefer. It is a nice time for both families to become better acquainted.
The parents of the bridegroom are the traditional hosts, and as the hosts, welcome the guests, and toast the couple before the dinner. It is the perfect time for the bride and bridegroom to say a few words, thank their attendants, parents, and pass out gifts.
A word of advice: End the evening early as the next day the celebration begins.
MUSIC
At all great events of state, of pomp, of celebration, music holds an important part. Do not underestimate the power of music. It has a spirit of its own, it speaks of the importance of the event –especially if it is your wedding ceremony.
An important factor in choosing your music is the setting for your wedding ceremony. If your ceremony will be in a garden, a park, a reception hall or convention center you can choose just about any kind of music you like -- although you will want to stay within the bounds of good taste! Popular instruments include flute, harp, violin, guitar, or hammered dulcimer, either solo or as a duet, and any of these instruments may accompany a vocalist. They are also effective in outdoor locations where organ music is not an option. When making your choice, consider the size of your space and degree of formality you are seeking. On the other hand, if your ceremony will be in a church or synagogue, you will need to stay within guidelines set by the clergy or the church. From the music played while your guests are seated in the church, the garden, the convention center, or wherever the ceremony will take place, the music will speak of the joy and the solemnity of the occasion. Through the processional, the ceremony and the jubilant music of the recessional, the music you have chosen has the power to light up the moment of the day you will long remember.
We all know that your Wedding is one of the most important times of your life, and at times we find ourselves seeking answers to questions about planning our special day. Should you have a question or seek the right answers, come to us. Use our question/comment section below to ask, and if we don't know we will ask the experts and get back to you as soon as possible.
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seri
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how can i plan a simple wedding ceremony and reception me and my fiance ,we just get engaged,we plan to have our wedding at keuka lakes vacation homes rental..our wedding date is on 6th may 2011.we plan to have a fun but simple wedding for family and closed friends.how much the cost will be. |
Linda Sylvester
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Comment about your wedding Planner Why no mention of securing your reception hall early and also the wedding cake and flowers. These are also important planning items. Might also want to consider mentioning a time frame...like 6 months out, talk to your florest and bakery. 3 months out, confirm reception food, music, etc. Just thought the planner would be more like a calendar planner. Thanks, Linda |
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