This weekend I had the pleasure of attending a wedding. In fact, it's been years since I've actually attended someone's wedding as a "guest". So determined to be on my best guest behavior I was ready to participate as an observer and I told myself that I would not spend the entire event "working". Quite honestly there is a lot to be gained from the experience of other planners and event professionals so I anticipated the chance to admire the accomplishments of a fellow professional.
Well, I did learn something...I learned that as planners we need to constantly remind our brides of the do's and don'ts of wedding planning and etiquette.
DON'T - Don't make your guests wait! I still can't believe that some think that this is acceptable. Why would you want to go through all the trouble to plan such a special day to ruin the grand event by starting more than an 1 1/2 hours behind the designated time? Not only is it terribly rude but it gets to be quite costly and in today's economy family's are becoming more cost conscious. Why set a budget just to blow it on wedding day to pay the additional charges to the caterer, dj, or venue simply because you elect to be "fashionably" late?
DO - Take the time to mingle with your guests during the reception and be sure to thank them for coming. No, it doesn't have to be as formal as a receiving line but a quick acknowledgement to let your friends and family know that you appreciate that they took the time to join you to celebrate your special day.
DON'T - Don't hide all of your planning details because it's so unfortunate to watch all the brides hard work go unnoticed. Again, why go to all the trouble of creating personalized favors, escort cards, specialty tables? Do I need to tell you that setting up your escort cards after the entree has been served is a waste of time? Or placing your favors on a table in a dark corner will easily go unnoticed?
DO - Create a wedding itinerary and share it with all the professionals needed to make sure that your special day runs smoothly. There is nothing worse than having bored guests (bored guests quickly become disappearing guests)
DON'T - Don't be afraid to admit that you need a little help while planning your wedding. Most people don't plan weddings everyday and there are lots of details to attend to which can easily become overwhelming for today's brides.
DO - Hire a professional wedding planner. Your wedding will be the most treasured day of your life and why entrust all the details with someone who doesn't understand how to execute your vision? More importantly someone who is unaware of the fact that your wedding does not run on auto-pilot.
Even those with moderate budgets can benefit from the services of a professional planner. Why wouldn't you want have someone who can assist you with cost saving tips, creative ideas and overall wedding protocols. Think you can't afford a planner? Contrary to what you may think, most planners can tailor a package especially for your needs.
DO - Take the time to meet with more than one planner to see who may be the best fit for you. Remember, that your co-worker, married girlfriend or godmother may not always be the best choice. Although their intentions may be good sometimes these ladies like to use your wedding day for their "do-over" moment. Ladies, please understand that wedding planning is about more than wearing a beautiful dress. No matter how much you hate to admit, it's a production that requires someone to help keep you focused on your budget, that can be objective, knowledgeable and creative.
Note: if everything looks and runs effortlessly on wedding day you can bet there was a hard working planner involved!
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