Wedding season has already kicked off for us which is so crazy and we are FINALLY back in our happy place!! I wanted to start off a quick series os posts of things to be thinking about as you prepare for your big day and some things to bring up to your coordinator if you haven't already chatted about them.
We already chatted about some hacks for the morning of your wedding and getting ready timeline so check back a few months for that to incorporate all of this together!!
This post is dedicated to giving you a few ideas of where some things can run behind after the ceremony so you can head them off at the pass! Talk to your coordinator to make sure all of these are accounted to keep everything running perfectly smooooooooth!
First of all we always start our ceremonies 10 mins after invitation time but no later if we can help it at all. Weddings are so short and we want you to be able to enjoy all of it!! So if you have chronic late people in your fam tell them that we mean business here! If folks come late, no sweat! We greet them and help them get seated or stand in the back to watch the rest of the ceremony. :)
Oh hey! It's me helping with the license on a wedding day! Paperwork is super un-fun so let's get it the heck over with. Talk about who will be signing your license as your witnesses before the day so everyone is ready to head out and sign right after the ceremony. We ask you and set all of it up with drinks and snacks during your ceremony, but it's super important to have your witnesses sorted out before the big day!
We already chatted about making a family photo shot list but here is the reminder to doooooo it. Maybe assign someone from your fam that knows people's faces to help your coordination and photo team organize your peeps so we can roll through the shots.
Make sure you are super comfortable with your bustle if you are wearing a dress that requires it! Take a video, write it down and have multiple people know how to do it. Rehearse it, too! Sounds crazy but we usually have to pull you away from the party to get that done and if we are starting from scratch that can be a real time suck!
If you have a seating chart and a large guest count make sure your coordinator has factored in some time for people to find their seats before dinner service begins! We want to make sure that food comes out at the perfect temp and nobody likes mushy salmon so 10 mins can make a huge difference here. We always designate a guest seating time as well as a grand entrance time to get everything kicked off just right!
Toasts! This one is a toughie. So tough in fact that we did our own post on it next week so check back in for those hacks!
Dessert service can be a real eater of time too if catering will be passing cake after your cut. We often suggest rolling straight from cake cut (or dessert photo moment of your choice!) to first dance to get people up and moving. This also gives catering a chance to get things plated or cake cut and ready to pass. They can always tray pass to guests who aren't dancing to elevate the service there and place the rest on a table to folks to grab as they want it. Don't worry, we always circle through and let people know where to find the sweets and remind your DJ or band to point people in their direction too!
We just want you to party your faces off with the people you love the most and hopefully this post helps you avoid some headaches. <3