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Simple Things To Ensure a Stress Free Wedding Day
There are always some people that are always late no matter where they are going and your wedding will be no exception. Either they get stuck in traffic or they can’t find the location or they leave home late, or. . . . You don’t want your guests arriving while you are walking down the aisle or worse yet, during your vows. A very simple and effective way to avoid this is to simply put the start time on your wedding invitations one half hour earlier than the actual time the ceremony starts. If you want to start your wedding at 7:00 P.M. simply put 6:30 P.M. on your invitations so guests start arriving prior to the actual start time. They don’t need to know that you did this, they will just think things are running late, as a lot of weddings do start late for various reasons.
Another thing you can do is to make sure the flow of your day goes smoothly. Everything needs to be planned so the flow is not disrupted. For example, try to not have your wedding ceremony and reception in the same room as it will take time to have the room set up for the reception after the ceremony. If you are having a church wedding this will not be a concern to you, but if you are having both at the same location make sure another room is available for the reception so your guests do not end up with an over extended cocktail hour. Staff needs time to rearrange and set up and it will be a nightmare if both the wedding and reception are in the same room.
The Flow of the Wedding
Great flow is easy if you handle the details ahead of time and prepare and anticipate possible problem situations. It is almost impossible for most weddings to stay absolutely perfectly on schedule, but you can avoid big problems by planning ahead. I know this is going to sound like a lot of work, but believe me it will prevent a lot of possible problems if you do this one thing. Make up a flow chart of your wedding day from the time you get up to the time the wedding is over. You then need to give each person an schedule of what is expected of them: what time and what the order they follow is. This way each person from the florist to the caterer knows exactly what time they are to arrive, and what their specific duties are. This is a very simple way for them to coordinate themselves without you having to watch over each and every detail. Each person participating in the wedding. The band to the caterer to the photographer, etc., and including family members, will know exactly what they are to do and in what order. You can break down the itinerary into smaller lists with the details each person or vendor needs to know. This includes the vendors arrival times, setting up, particular dances such as the, father, daughter and mother, son, and even including the cutting of the cake. Every small detail needs to be scheduled from the order of walking down the aisle, the music to be played, reserved seating instructions, distribution of programs, and placement of the flowers.
Each vendor needs a contact list of the other vendors to coordinate with them if needed. An example of this would be the wedding photographer and the videographer coordinating what they need to do themselves. You should have itineraries for the speeches, the band, the limo, and the coordinator of the party. If every detail of your wedding is listed on the flow chart you will be less likely to have any surprises or upsets on your wedding day.
Take the time to organize and prepare to ensure yourself a stress free wedding day. You deserve to have your dream day go off without a hitch.
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