You got engaged, Congratulations! That's wonderful.......you start telling everyone and the first question they ask is "so when are you getting married?"
This is the first item you have to take care of....The date
To book a date a year or more in advance is not uncommon. Especially in this fast pace world we live in. Most people plan vacations and graduations months in advance. Well weddings are no different. Especially if you want it on a holiday weekend. Check to see that no large festival is happening near your location or that the biggest college football game will not be in town.
Most brides have a good idea where they want to get married, be it a place of worship , hotel, country club, restaurant, banquet facility, theatre, park or a friends back yard.. Once you have a date in mind
The second item you need to do is ....Call and reserve your clergy/ ceremony location
Now that you have your date, clergy and ceremony location, things will fall into place fast. You can talk intelligently to any vendor. Now that you have the date and ceremony location you have to decide: is this where I want to have my reception?
If so, is it big enough? Is it to big? Will there be other parties happening at the same time?
Is there a smooth transition from room to room or from one location to another?
The third thing you need to do is .... Book the reception location
This could be very tiresome and drive you crazy if you let it.
You have to do your homework first.
You have to have a budget in mind. When someone asks you what your budget is, it does not mean that you have to take their highest package. It just gives them a starting place. If you say you want to spend $30.00 per person and their packages start at $45 per person. Then move on, do not waste your time or theirs. Be serious and be firm. One thing a lot of people do not realize is that TAX AND GRATUTITY ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE OF FOOD THEY QUOTE YOU!
Once you add tax and gratuity, you will be adding about 25% more to your price. The more questions you ask the better the venue will be able to tell you if you can work together. Also be sure to ask what they offer, such as, some places will give you white linens, votive candles and free cake cutting. While others may offer a disc jockey, cake, chair covers, linens and votive candles.
So now you have your date, ceremony and clergy, reception site......
Now the fourth thing you need is your photographer. This is one thing I would not skimp on. I would not use a cousin who did his sons football team or a neighbor. This is one of the most important decisions I feel you will make. You must not only like their work but like them. You are going to spend one of the most important days of your life with them so interview a few until you find a perfect fit.
Number five you may not think is necessary, but I think a videographer is very important. You may not think so now, but your children will love seeing their "Mom and Dad" on their wedding day. Who cares if you only pull the video out once a year. Some videographers have a special highlight version also, like 20 minutes or less. Like a photographer, there are many priced videographers out there. Choose one that you can afford, but I think you should have a photographer and a videographer.
Now number six is a florist. Hear you have to be careful. A lot of people say they are florist, again because they did their sisters wedding or a friends wedding. There is a lot to know about flowers. Are they in season? do they come in my color, are they locally grown? do you carry glass, wooden, silver, metal containers? have you been to my location? etc. Usually the bride is looking to the florist for guidance. I would use a reputable florist. Most florist are willing to work with any realistic budget.
The seventh item you need is a band or D.J. If someone refers one to you then go to a party or wedding they are playing and see how they interact with the guests. How is the band dressed? Will you have to feed the band? Can you add pieces to the band? How many hours do they play? Is overtime by the 1/2 hour or by the hour? Listen to the MC. You need the MC to be on top of it. He is the person who runs your party. He needs to know the itinerary, how to pronounce names, is he working with the other vendors.
The eighth item is the ceremony music. What do you like? A string quartet or trio? A piano? A harp? A piano, flute and guitar? What ever you like keep your music to a minimum. For the ceremony, in my opinion, you only need three songs. One for everyone in the bridal party to walk in on. One for the bride to come in on. And one for the bride and Groom and entire bridal party to go out on. After those three songs, what they play as your guests are being seated or as your guests leave, is not that important. You will not be in the room. Yes, you can say, for example, play all Beatle songs as my guests enter or play music from the 70's as they enter or play Broadway hits as the guests leave. Unless you are a real music person, keep it simple and it will be wonderful
Once you have the 8 items above booked, you can take a breather. Because next week we are going to talk about DETAILS.
No comments:
Post a Comment