What To Have At A Wedding

From The Little Stuff To The Big Stuff

Our free wedding planning checklist guides you through 12+ months of the planning process, helping you to manage your time and to-do listright up until your big day and beyond.

Mark off your to-dos and write-in your own. If youre organized, youll have more time to enjoy the process and each other!

Time Your Wedding For The Winter

The holidays are a popular and pricey time of year for weddings. But January through March is considered the off-season for weddings throughout most of the country. In most locations, youll likely find the lowest cost venue options during deep winter. You may even be able to haggle down the costvenues would rather have a low-cost wedding than no wedding on a particular date.

Who Traditionally Gives Speeches At Weddings And In What Order

You dont have to do any toasts or speeches at all if you dont want to. Many of the traditional speech-giving guidelines follow outdated gender norms and should definitely not be seen as a must-follow in any way.

Apologies for the super-heternormative examples expressed in the following section. But if youre curious about what the typical or traditional formula for wedding toasts and speeches are, they go something like this:

1. The best man acts as toastmaster as calls on the father of the bride to start things off. If the brides father cannot make the speech, it falls to another mature relative. The content of the speech depends on the fathers relationship with his daughter but it could include topics such as a welcome to all the guests how proud he is of his daughter a welcome to his new son-in-law a welcome to his son-in-laws parents well wishes for the new couple and finally a toast to the newly weds.

2. Next the groom gives a speech on behalf of himself and his bride . The content of his speech might include a thank you to his new father-in-law a thank you to the brides parents for giving him her hand in marriage a thank you to his own parents a thank you to the guests for coming a thank you to his best man, groomsmen, and bridesmaids acknowledging anyone who couldnt be present and finally talking about how amazing and beautiful his bride is.

Read Also: What To Put In Wedding Guest Gift Bags

Pick Your Wedding Party

Maid of honor. Best man. Groomsmen and women. Bridesmaids and bridesmen. Decide who among your close friends and family you want to be with you throughout your wedding. Choose wisely, because theyll be the folks on hand from the rehearsal dinner until you drive off into the sunset.

Pro tip: Your choice for wedding party members should be based on what you want and how you feel. There will be egos involved, however, all you have to do to mitigate sore feelings is have an honest conversation with anyone who wasnt chosen that may have been expecting it. If youre really stuck, use this handy to help pick. Additionally, consider inviting the people who didnt make the cut to some special wedding activities, such as the bachelor/bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner, etc.

Planning A Micro Wedding Advice From Junebug Wedding Professionals

After reading the benefits of hosting a micro wedding, its normal to have ideas running through your mind and a beat of excitement in your chest. We asked our pros what theyre been hearing about micro weddings from their couples who have done it. When youre ready to start planning, keep their advice in mind.

Its 100% okay to break the rules. You dont have to do, or not do anything. Hannah McMaster

Some couples feel the guilt of not having all the people they know at their wedding and are scared of what uninvited people are going to feel. First, we want to say that if its the only thing holding you back you can always have a bigger party later to celebrate with them. Second, if people dont understand your priorities and why its simply not you to have a large wedding then too bad for them. This is YOUR wedding day. People having large weddings made that decision and nobody blamed them for it, everyone is entitled to make their own decisions when it comes to their wedding day, period.The Archivers

Recommended Reading: How To Plan A Wedding Under 5000

Take A Break And Manage Last

The hiatus before the hoopla. The breather before the big day. The calm before the celebration. However you want to think about it, this is the sweet spot between all the planning and the actual wedding. There will be things to manage and decisions to be made. But mostly, this is a time of anticipation and excitement. Enjoy it.

Pro tip: Assign someone to be your crisis manager during this time. Theyll handle incoming requests, take care of tasks that they dont need you for, and can filter out anything that actually does deserve your attention. Wedding planners, maids of honor, and best men are all great for this role as long as you trust their judgment and feel they are reliable.

Picking A Wedding Venue

Choosing a wedding venue for your reception and ceremony tends to be the first step in the wedding planning process. Wedding venues are typically booked 1-2 years in advance, though some only need a few months notice. It all depends on the type of venue and your personal criteria. When in doubt, book as soon as possible so you have the best chance of securing your dream venue.

Anything can be a venue, from backyards to banquet halls, so be creative. Some questions to ask yourself before searching: are you looking for venues that can accommodate a large event, or a more intimate affair? Do you see yourself saying I do in your place of worship, or with sand between your toes? Walk down the aisle surrounded by nature or exchange your vows indoors. Whatever you and your partner have in mind, theres a good chance you can find it, as other venue options include hotels, farms, restaurants, mansions, government buildings and inns.

Dont forget that youll need a place to host your wedding ceremony and your wedding reception. Some couples have both in the same location, while others choose separate venues. Celebrate your wedding outdoors and then move to a banquet hall on-site or meet everyone on the dance floor at a nearby hotel or restaurant. There are no rules when it comes to planning your wedding, so allow yourself the creativity to make your wedding as unique as you.

Also Check: How To Pawn A Wedding Ring

Explore Cheap Wedding Favor Ideas

Favors are a little something special to show your friends and family you appreciate their coming to celebrate your day. They can also add up in costquickly. At $3 each, favors for 150 guests will cost $450.

Guest list control will help you out here, too. The same $3 favors for a guest list of 30 will cost you under $100. Beyond throwing a small wedding, here are some other ideas for low-cost wedding favors:

Send Out Your Invitations

This is an exciting moment in the planning process. Once those invites are in the mail, or you pressed send on your digital invites, the big day starts to feel more real.

Pro tip: Artist and owner of Invitations by Dawn has this to say about wedding invitation etiquette on her blog:

• Tip 1. Everyone invited should receive an invitation. Don’t overlook people you know will be attending .

• Tip 2. Clearly print the names of all invited on the inner envelope. This is your chance to state each person by name .

• Tip 3. Only one invitation per married couple.

• Tip 4. Indicate a plus one is welcome by writing and guest after the recipients name on the inner envelope.

• Tip 5. Invitations to unmarried couples should be sent to the closest friend but each persons name should appear on the inner envelope.

Also Check: How To Address Families On Wedding Invitations

Choose One Venue Instead Of Two

iSave to

Pick a bigger venue located at the site you want to have your wedding. It could be indoors or outdoors.

Venue idea: Create a time gap between your wedding and reception. A time which is used to set up the venue for the reception.

Description: You may make the ceremony spot more secluded and leave the reception open to nature. Again, dont buy so much decor as youll move it into the reception. A Villa, hotel, park, or garden is perfect.

Benefits and tips for using: Youll save more money on logistics, transport, and venue. When you have to get just one place, you save. When the guests dont have to take a trip from ceremony to reception, you save.

Create A Rustic Entrance Arch

If you want to make your backyard look appealing, then go for some unusual ways. For example, creating a rusting entrance arch. The best thing is that you dont need to break your bank for this. DIY it all by yourself you can even use it in your backyard after the wedding. It will serve as a beautiful reminder of the special occasion that you can see daily. Use things like branches, leaves, and flowers to create the arch

Also Check: How To Address Families On Wedding Invitations

Adapt The Space To Your Needs

Rachel Havel

Make it easy for your guests, and yourself, by adapting your space to fit all of your events hosting needs. Bring in power generators, restroom trailers, additional lounge seating, etc., advises Virginia Edelson, founder and owner of Bluebird Productions. The last thing you want to worry about is adding additional stress on your home, she adds.

Unique Favors Gifts & Decor For Weddings Bridal Showers Baby Showers & More

Remember having tea parties when you were a little girl? There’s no better way to keep the tradition alive than with a tea party bridal shower filled with fun and nostalgia. A tea party bridal shower is light, delicate, and feminine, making it perfect for the occasion. And with our wide selection of tea and coffee bridal shower favors, you can create the perfect party without breaking your budget. Dishes, silverware, napkins, decorations, even food–we’ve got everything you need to give you the bridal shower of your dreams.

When you’re hosting a tea party, one of your biggest priorities is finding the right set of dishes. Fancy tea sets can be expensive, and you don’t want to spend too much for something that you won’t use often. Fortunately, My Wedding Favors offers a variety of dishes at affordable prices. And unlike commercial tea sets, our personalized bridal shower favors, making each item a keepsake for your special event. We offer glasses, jars, measuring spoons, paper plates, glass mugs, cups and saucers, glass coasters favors, and more: everything you need to serve everyone in your bridal party.

Also Check: Should I Insure A $3000 Ring

Now You Know How To Plan A Wedding

But remember, this guide doesnt cover every aspect of wedding planning. There are tons of other little details that go into a wedding, like selecting wedding favors for guests, writing your vows, choosing escort cards, and so on. Be sure to stay up-to-date with our blog for all of the additional tips, tricks, and advice to help you along the way.

Find the perfect wedding venue for your budget!

Match The Florals To The Site

Jose Villa

Sherry Spencer, partner at Southern Blooms, looked to the landscape of the bride’s garden for inspiration in creating the ceremonys stunning floral altar. It was a very beautiful classic Virginia garden, very private and intimate, says Spencer. “We used local magnolia greenery and hydrangea, along with pepper berries, to create arrangements and an arch that evoked the season, as well as fit naturally with the setting.

Read Also: Ways To Use Excel To Plan A Wedding

Wedding Speeches At Multi

This is another consideration for us, as our families are from different countries and speak three different languages.

When planning wedding speeches that everyone can understand, this can be a bit tricky. One option is to not do speeches at all, or to use one of the alternatives described above, with translations. For example, the written letters could be printed in multiple languages or the slideshow could have text in multiple languages.

Another way to do it could be with an interpreter. So the speaker would speak with someone next to them translating after each sentence or so. This method requires patient audience members and short speeches, so that it doesnt become too tedious. But for short and sweet speeches, this would work just fine.

Save Your Honeymoon For Later

As we all know, vacations are expensive, and spending can easily get out of hand when on your honeymoon. Now, were not saying you should skip the post-wedding holiday 78% of couples surveyed in Canada and abroad had honeymoons but you may want to postpone yours for a while, especially if you want to do something pricey, like yachting in the Maldives or staying in a private villa in Bora Bora. To celebrate, think about doing a minimoon or a staycation and save the main event for later.

You May Like: Wedding Hashtags For F Last Names

We Love These Micro Wedding Ideas From The Archivers:

• Have a destination micro wedding.
• Make your micro wedding last longer than a day .
• Plan a fun adventure or activities with your guests like a boat ride, helicopter ride, hiking, fire camp, karaokeof course, that will depend on your budget, number of guests, and what you enjoy doing.
• Have people write you letters of what they wish for you in the future in a sealed box for you to read on one of your anniversaries.
• Make a spiritual ritual during your ceremony.

photo by Inner Images Photography see more of this real wedding here.

Traditional Roles Of The Wedding Party

• The wedding party helps the couple with various wedding planning tasks such as addressing invitations, running errands, craft projects, and more. The couple may seek advice from their wedding party in order to help make important wedding decisions.
• Members of the bridal party are often asked to wear certain attire as requested by the couple to indicate their involvement in the ceremony.
• The wedding party helps the bride and groom get ready on the wedding day, calming their nerves and making them feel comfortable.
• The wedding party typically takes formal photos with the couple either before the ceremony or during the cocktail hour for the couple’s wedding album.
• Often, the wedding party is seated at special tables at the reception, either with the newly-married couple or close by.
• The wedding party serves as a support system to the couple in their new marriage, encouraging their love and helping them see through arguments and fights long after the wedding day.
• Sometimes, the wedding party will plan special events for the couples, such as bridal showers, bachelor or bachelorette parties, or even wedding night surprises.

You May Like: Wedding Excel Spreadsheets