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Since you were a child you dreamed of your Wedding Day. It will be special,
magical. The sun will shine, music will play, people will laugh, dance sing.
There will be talk for years of how a good time was had by all. It can all
happen, but it takes the planning of a Movie Producer, the discipline of General
Patton and the patience of a saint.
And guess what? You can do it. And you can have FUN too. All it takes is some
planning and organization. I'm going to take it for granted that you have, at
this point, done all the necessary ground work to make your Grand Production
happen…the hall, the caterer, the church, the photographer, the music, the
flowers, etc. Now lets get down to the nitty gritty of the Schedule of the
Day.
TRUTH #1…TIME IS YOUR ENEMY
You have a lot to do in a short time during your wedding day. If you can develop
a good schedule and stick to it you can accomplish a lot. Work backwards from
the time you and your caterer have decided you should arrive at the reception.
This is a critical time point because all of the reception activities will
follow this point. Remember your schedule at the reception is fairly fixed and
will usually follow a tried and true script set out by the caterer. Keep in mind
that if you have booked a five hour reception that begins at noon and is set to
end at 5:00 PM, you can usually assume that at 5:00 the lights will come on and
the caterer will begin to turn over the hall for the 6:30 reception coming in
after you.
If you are a half hour late getting to the hall, either the dinner will begin
to get cold, or other activities will be rushed. Not a good thing if you are
trying to relax and enjoy yourself. By the way, if the hall offers you a
separate room for the
Bridal Party to hide in during the cocktail hour, let your
bridesmaids and ushers use it, but your time and interests are best served
by mingling with the guests. This will leave you more time later for dancing and
playing rather than the mandatory table visits when the music is too loud
anyway.
TRUTH #2…TRAVEL EATS UP TIME
Many
couples forget to include this into their estimates. You may spend as much
as an hour or more in the limo during course of the day. And god help us all if
one of the bridal cars gets lost. It is often a good idea to hire a party bus to
transport the critical attendees. Nobody gets lost and, unlike the traditional
limo, you can all have fun together.
TRUTH #3…GOOD PHOTOGRAPHY TAKES TIME
When you see disaster footage on the local news, victims are always shown
looking for their most precious keepsakes…the family photographs. Not their
vcr's or hot tubs. Those are the important memories you are looking to preserve.
The FORMAL PORTRAITS (not a dirty word) are an important historical record and
as such you should devote some time to creating them. You will appreciate them
more as you pass them on to your children and grandchildren. You should
generally allow about a half hour for them and they are best done right after
the ceremony. All the important players are there already, assembled and freshly
attired. The worst place to try to get these is at the reception where trying to
get people off the dance floor does nothing but eat up time. Receptions are for
informal and fun photos.
TRUTH #4…RECEIVING LINES WASTE TIME
After all you will be seeing each of these guests at the hall anyway, right? Why
throw away as much as 20 good minutes that you could spend at the cocktail hour.
TRUTH#5…START YOUR DAY EARLY
It's easier to spend a little time waiting for the show to start while lounging
in the limo than it is to make up for lost time. This means you should plan to
leave for you hair appointment early. If you plan to meet your bridesmaids at
your house beforehand and go together, give them an earlier time. Plan a little
slack into the schedule early, you will appreciate it later.
TRUTH#6…NUTRITION IS POWER
Yeah, I know this sounds like your mom talking, but it is true. When you don't
eat you loose energy…and you can't have any FUN if your tired and hungry. Plan a
good breakfast. Even if you think you can't eat a thing, at least drink a diet
shake. Have one of your bridesmaids compile a snack basket for everyone to pick
at during the day. Soft pretzels work great…no mess and they soak up alcohol.
Give the basket to your limo driver to attend to. By the way, Alcohol early in
the day is usually a BAD idea. Hangover at the reception…not FUN.
TRUTH#7…YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER IS THE CRUISE DIRECTOR
He will be with you from the beginning of your day until the cake is cut. If you
work with him to realistically plan your schedule he will keep you on track and
maximize your FUN. Believe it or not this is in his best interest. When you are
relaxed your photographs look best.
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