Fireworks, coloring books, acrobats, s’mores, hot tubs, Star Wars and welding???? A wedding? Not the typical words when you talk about a wedding but isnt it fun when all of these ideas come together and WORK!?!?!?! Well, our friends at Rock N Roll Bride thought so too and put it in their blog today!!!!! This is too good to miss!!!!!
Fireworks, coloring books, acrobats, s’mores, hot tubs, Star Wars and welding???? WHAT?? A wedding? Not the typical words when you talk about a wedding but isnt it fun when all of these ideas come together and WORK!?!?!?!
OMG, you MUST listen to this song David wrote for his bride!!! EVERYBODY needed a tissue……
I have had so many questions lately about booking wedding vendors and the confusion many of the websites suggestions. The bottom line is, you want to book them as soon as possible! Don’t think that every vendor you want will be available on your wedding day! You want to hire the best, but so does every other bride! I am booking weddings for 2013 already….. So the early bird does catch the worm (although I am in NO WAY referring to wedding industry folks as worms lol!!!!)
I went to the a few planning websites to see what timelines they are suggesting to brides. Some of what I found made sense, but certain parts of each “wedding vendor checklist” didn’t seem to match reality. I’ve broken them down their advice by vendor type, and added my two cents as well.
Wedding Planner:
The Knot: 9-11 months Wedding Wire: 9 months Brides.com: 11 months My suggestion: 12+ months Notes: There is a general rule of thumb that you can follow when booking your wedding vendors, “If it requires a specific person, do it as soon as possible.” Certain wedding vendors provide products (like cake, flowers, and invitations) and can provide those products to multiple couples in a single day. Anything else needs to be secured as quickly as you can, because they are a scarce resource. Wait too long and the one you want will probably be booked. A wedding planner will have the greatest amount of utility to you and can help with the rest of your purchases, so start here. If you’re not sure if you need (or want) a wedding planner or coordinator you may want to schedule a consultation (ours are FREE) and find out more. I highly recommend hiring one — you’ll thank me later.
Wedding Venue (Reception Site):
The Knot: 9-11 months Wedding Wire: 9 months Brides.com: 11 months My suggestion: 12+ months Notes: ASAP. This is another scarce resource, and some reception venues will book up to two years in advance of a popular date. Contrary to popular belief, simply saying a date is your wedding date does not mean that is your wedding date — unless it doesn’t matter to you where you have your wedding. You do not have a wedding date until you put down a deposit on your ceremony and reception sites. Without a firm wedding date, you can’t hire any of your wedding-related services. Hence, this is the place to start.
Wedding Caterer:
The Knot: 9-11 months Wedding Wire: 9 months Brides.com: 6 months My suggestion: 9-12 months
Notes: Catering may be included at your reception venue, so you may be able to skip this one, but if it isn’t , you will want to book a cater once you book the venue. Every caterer has a limited number of events they can do on any given date, and booking early ensures that you will be able to choose the one you want. I would also advise you not to wait for a tasting if it’s more than a month into the future — you should be able to get a clear picture of a caterer’s quality and their style of food from their website and reviews. This is another area where a wedding planner can help a lot. They have probably worked with every good caterer in your area and know who is good, who is not, and who will fit your budget.
Wedding Photographer:
The Knot: 6-8 months Wedding Wire: 6 months Brides.com: 6 months My suggestion: 10-12 months Notes: NO NO NO NO!!!!!!! I was actually surprised by the “expert” timelines on this one. Six months? Really? Most couples think the photographer is an important part of their wedding, and I can tell you that most of the top-tier wedding photographers are going to be long gone at 6 months to go. In my opinion, you should include the wedding photographer in the group of vendors you hire immediately after setting your wedding date. The top talent will book first, so hiring a wedding photographer close to a year before your wedding is a good idea.
Wedding Disc Jockey:
The Knot: 9-11 months Wedding Wire: 9 months Brides.com: 6 months My suggestion: 10-12 months Notes: This was one of the services that the timelines didn’t seem to agree on. The same rule from above applies to your wedding DJ as well — you are hiring a specific person to be your disc jockey and the top talent in your area will be the first to get booked. Waiting too long to book your wedding DJ will leave you with a limited number of available DJs to choose from.
Wedding Videographer:
The Knot: 6-8 months Wedding Wire: 6 months Brides.com: 6 months My suggestion: It depends. Notes: If you’re going to hire a wedding videographer (and I SERIOUSLY think a video is a cherished gift years down the road), you need to decide how important the wedding video is to you. If a fabulous, amazing wedding video is a high priority for you, then you need to treat the videographer the same as the photographer and book them as early as possible. If it’s a low priority and you’re just going to hire the cheapest person you can find, it can probably wait until later.
Ceremony Officiant:
The Knot: 9-11 months Wedding Wire: 6 months Brides.com: 11 months My suggestion: 9-12 months Notes: I personally think that finding the right ceremony officiant is crucial, assuming that your ceremony site doesn’t come with a pastor/priest/rabbi included. A really good officiant can make your ceremony magical and since you’re hiring a specific person, the same rule applies and I recommend booking them early in the process. This is yet another area where a wedding planner (as well as your photographer, videographer, and disc jockey) can really help – we’ve all seen great (and not-so-great) ceremonies and can offer suggestions based on what type of ceremony you want.
Wedding Florist:
The Knot: 6-8 months Wedding Wire: 6 months Brides.com: 6 months My suggestion: 6-9 months
Notes: Now we’re getting into the wedding vendors who can do multiple weddings in one day. Most florists can handle a few weddings at a time depending on the size, so booking one at a year before your wedding isn’t as crucial. That being said, I think that it also depends on how important the flowers are to you. If you have your heart set on a certain florist or a certain style, then I say pull the trigger and put down a deposit. The really good florists in our area still sell out during the busy season, so you can’t wait too long.
Wedding Cake:
The Knot: 6-8 months Wedding Wire: 6 months Brides.com: 6 months My suggestion: 6-9 months Notes: Most wedding cake bakeries can do multiple wedding cakes on any give date, so you’re safe waiting for a little while. I highly recommend visiting multiple cake shops and sampling their cakes. Note that some cakeries may charge for a tasting (that may or may not be applied to booking with them!) Plus, you’ll end up making a better decision if you shop around a little bit. Not everybody has the same palate so multiple tastings are a good idea!
Wedding Invitations:
The Knot: 6-8 months Wedding Wire: 6 months Brides.com: 5 months My suggestion: 6 months Notes: Since you’re not going to be mailing your invitations a year before your wedding, you don’t need to buy them that early either. However, I do recommend sending “save the date” cards to your guests as soon as you secure your reception site and wedding date. Find a good stationer in your area that carries the styles and brands you like, and use them for both. They will save you time, offer suggestions on confusing wording, send you a proof and take care of errors!
Wedding Transportation:
The Knot: 2-3 months Wedding Wire: 2 months Brides.com: 6 months My suggestion: 5-6 months Notes: Seriously? TWO months lol? If you are going to hire professional transportation (limos, shuttle buses, whatever), then you need to hire someone good and you need to do it more than 2 months before your wedding. Any wedding planner will tell you that the wedding vendors they have the most trouble with are limo drivers. The good ones will provide you with a clean, great looking ride and get you to the church on time. The bad ones will show up late (or not show up), get lost, and make you late for the wedding you’ve paid so much to plan. My advice is to do this about 6 months before your wedding, and pay a little extra to hire the best company you can find. Ask your wedding planner for advice on who to hire, chances are she’s had a bad experience with more than one of the limo companies in your area.
***Additional note: If you are getting married from late April through the beginning of June, you really need to jump on your limo situation. Most brides don’t think about it, but its prom season — most limo companies will completely sell out on Fridays and Saturdays.
As you can see, the “experts” don’t even agree on the wedding planning timeline. The best advice I can give is: a) hire a wedding planner, b) book your reception site and set your date immediately, c) book anything that requires a specific person as soon as possible, and d) do your homework when you hire your vendors!
As social media becomes even more integrated to our daily lives the rules of etiquette are a bit unclear on the parts that are acceptable. Weddings are the one place that can put the etiquette rules to question. This is a day you want to share with the world but we all know that a “status update” can be a complete distraction from the event (come on, you know you don’t pay attention to ANYTHING when typing your update or tweet!!!)
So how can you use Social Media and still maintain the decorum of proper etiquette?
1. Before the wedding
Many times your wedding party has never been introduced to each other. This can make for an awkward situation as the wedding festivities begin. Facebook “groups” can be a perfect platform for your party! Introducing wedding attendees online before the big day can help you avoid any day-of awkwardness. This will give people the chance to break the ice and virtually get to know a little about everyone else.
2. The Ceremony is off-limits
We’ve all seen the video where the couple updates their facebook relationship status on the alter. Sure it was funny the first time but……. The wedding ceremony should be off limits. This is a scared ceremony that should be respected (just as marriage is to be respected!) My advice, leave your phone in the dressing room (with the ringer off!!!!) I say to my couples, everybody you need today is here, so the phone wont be ringing!
3. Make it a tweet-fest reception
All tweeters know the power of a # – Hashtag. You can create a custom hashtag for your wedding day. Make it something fun and easy to remember. This will make all tweets from your day easy to find later on and helps to create a feeling of celebration for your guests.
Getting the word out to your guests can be FUN! Instead of putting disposable cameras around, make signs with the hashtag for your event and encourage your guests to send you their well wishes, touching moments and snap shots. These are moments that otherwise would have been missed.
Instead of a guestbook appoint a “Tweeter In Charge” and create a wishing station. You can post well wishes, photos and a whole host of things! All for the bride and groom to experience later. You can also choose to read a few wishes and tweets during your toasts. What a fun way to get your guests involved (once again, our OMG wedding tips TOTALLY apply here!!!)
4. Set Up a Social Media Station
The way of the guestbook is fading fast. We are always looking for the next “thing” in registering the thoughts of your guests! But how can you mix tradition with modern? How about a “Social Action Station.” A “social action station” is a place where those who want to connect or comment online can do so, without forcing the issue onto the uninterested.
Set up a station with a laptop, a webcam, projector and screen. Encourage guests to come by, and leave their mark however they want- a facebook post on the “event wall”, tweet their well wishes and watch others’ tweets scroll over the screen. Any form of social media can be used, as long as you have the expert to set it up!
This can also work for photos, as well as text-based communications. A live stream of photos from the event can be a fun way to engage people and encouraging sharing.
5. Live Stream for Those Who Can’t Make It
Thanks to the wonders of modern tech, nowadays you can share your special moments with people who can’t make it in person. Ustream is one such site that can help you share your ceremony with those well-wishing from afar.
“Live weddings give our users an opportunity to experience Ustream in a completely new way. It’s very exciting to see our broadcasters offer unfiltered access to the best moments of their lives. That’s one of the many reasons we’re here,” says Ustream’s Tony Riggins. “The use of Ustream to share (publicly or privately) your day live online for friends and family that cannot make it to your ceremony is especially useful for those having destination weddings. If Great Grandmother cannot make it, she can still virtually attend and share in your joy,” Howard says.
And don’t think this means you’re spilling private moments all over the web; there are ways to make this a private process, Stevens points out:
“If you have loved ones who are unable to attend the wedding, collaborate with your videographer on showing a live feed of the ceremony via Ustream or another online video streaming service. You can make these password protected if you’d like, so that you can share your joy only with people you know and not random Internet strangers.”
Brides all over have streamed some of their special day to far-flung elderly relatives, and even got them involved in the speeches:
6. Don’t Forget to Enjoy the Moment
You only get one wedding day — if things go as planned, anyway — so don’t waste any precious moments you could be interacting with real-life people. Rest assured anyone who is following your day online will certainly understand your priorities. Changing a Facebook status from engaged to married just after the vows is a growing trend, but don’t miss taking in those moments with the people actually there with you. Put down the phone and enjoy the company of those who came to celebrate with you
“When you’re one of the major participants, you need to unplug for the day and focus on the people who are actually there with you.
7. After The Big Day
Finding the best way to summarize your wedding day: Set them up in advance and you will have everything in place for your wedding day!
Facebook Event
Flickr- Have your guests upload their photos to a custom and private flickr page (set up in advance!)
Blurb -With Blurb, you’ll find all the tools you need to make your own photo book
Party On by Get Married- PartyOn! finds your guests’ photos, videos and posts from across the web and gathers them all into one simple, fun place.
Save the dates are a unique way to start the anticipation of your wedding celebration. Your guests will begin to get an idea of what they can expect. There are no right or wrongs……….
I always tell my brides to get something that is a reflection of you! I know that is a broad statement, but only the couple will have that in their head! Working with a great invitation company or online store will give you so many options, but don’t discount the importance of creativity.
Some of my favorites:
AND if you are REALLY “tech”y with a great creative focus, I LOVE this idea:
Now if you have a really well behaved “baby” or a HUGE bag of treats, lol
But you know I wouldn’t leave you with a DIY……. I think this is so awesome!!!
How-To Make the Save-the-Date 1. Download clip art for the text of the card, the red-squiggle design, the note for the lens, and the envelope liner (on the 3rd page).
2. Input details of your event into the editable file, and print onto card stock.
3. Print the red-squiggle design over the text by running the same card through the printer again.
4. Stamp our “look closer” note onto the decoding lens (send our clip art to a rubber-stamp maker, such as Stamp-Worx 2000.
5. Print blue envelope liner. Cut to fit the envelope. Adhere with glue stick.
