Hi ELD Brides! In my experience, there are always a handful of things that get overlooked during planning- things that also have the potential to result in chaos on the wedding day. So today, I wanted to touch on a few of these things that you need to know for your wedding day!
Whenever couples and I are working hard to plan their weddings, these are topics and questions I pose to them to ensure that no detail is overlooked and the wedding day runs smoothly…
1) The Marriage License… Who’s responsible for it?
Picture this. You’ve just completed your ceremony, married the man of your dreams and have a grin that shines “I’m the happiest woman alive!” Yes, indeed. To seal the deal, your planner pulls you aside with your officiant and your photographer so that you can sign your marriage license. Once that’s complete, then what? Is the officiant responsible to turn it in? Do you and your honey want to mail it in together? Will your planner hold on to it for you? Whatever the solution, just have one and know what it is. (Same goes for who is responsible for having the license before the wedding.)
2) Don’t forget the “plus plus”!
Costs can get larger when gratuities, service charges, and fees associated with food and beverage aren’t considered- just be aware that there are usually extra fees added onto your bill. Make sure you’re aware of them, what they are expected to be, and plan ahead for them. You can usually get an “estimate” of these extras, but it’s usually not set in stone until right before or right after the wedding.
3) Vendor Meals… Do you need them?
Many vendors have it written into their contracts if they require a meal. If in doubt, it’s nice to feed your vendors a meal if they’ll be working longer than 4 hours at your wedding. It doesn’t have to be the same meal you’re feeding your guests, and most times your caterer or venue will offer discounted vendor meals. When a vendor meal is not contracted, it’s not required, but it is certainly a nice gesture. After all, your vendors are working hard to make your day perfect and I’m sure they’ll be hungry!
Image by Gian Carlo Photography
4) Picture time! Rally the troops!
While your wedding planner will be there to assist your photographer get through your formal family portraits, your planner doesn’t know who Aunt Minnie and Grandpa Mort are. So, enlisting the help of trusted family members can be a huge help in moving the pictures along. You can create a photo list complete with who’s needed for what picture, and leave it to your “wrangler” to get everyone ready. You might also consider letting each side know when they’ll be “going” – is your family first and then his? Either way, more information is better when you’re dealing with a large number of people.
5) Presents… Where are they going ?
Along the same lines of the marriage license… who’s responsible for the gifts? Whatever your planning, I would highly suggest appointing one person to take all of your presents. Whether you’re planning on bringing them to your hotel room or having them loaded into your parents car, make sure you keep everything together- when you split the presents up, it’s likely some could get misplaced. Trust me, that has happened before and no one wants to be held liable for gifts that went in 5 different cars! Plus, you want your gifts, right?!
6) Transportation… How are you getting home after the reception?
This is applicable for transportation to the ceremony, the reception, and then after the reception. It stinks to plan everything down to the “t” but then forget about yourself! This HAS happened to me before, and it was resolved with a quick call to a cab company – but what a bummer for the bride and groom to be the last ones at their party waiting on the curb with their planner for a ride!
While unforeseen hiccups do arise despite the best of planning, these are a few things to know about and prepare for ahead of time. And of course if you have an experienced planner, they will also be posing questions like these along the way to make certain you’re on track for a fun and memorable wedding day!
Anyone else have anything to add? Brides, has anything come up in your planning that would affect your wedding day?
Happy planning and have a happy wedding day too!
Erica
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