Wedding Day What-Ifs

Being proactive is part of what an experienced wedding planner or wedding coordinator does.  It's her job, she's got to be ready for just about anything, so don't stress over things that "could happen" on your wedding day.  With a professional in charge, you won't be the one worrying about the what-ifs. 

Not to be negative, but my years of experience have provided me with some challenges that I would lie to share.  Here are five things that have happened during my watch, and the ways I handled them.

1. The rings got "lost," or that's what we thought.  It seems the wedding rings didn't get into the groom's bag when he was putting together the items he needed for the day.  Of course, his best man should have been on top of this, but when the photographer started prep shots, the rings were nowhere to be found.  What did we do?  We borrowed the bride's mom's and dad's rings for the ceremony.  There was no way anyone could get back to the groom's apartment to find them in time.  Moral of the story:  make sure your maid of honor and best man take their jobs seriously. There are certain duties that must be performed.  Your wedding planner can brief them if you like, but they need this information before committing.
2. The ceremony officiant got stuck in a pileup on the highway and was not able to get to the ceremony on time.  Solution: the groom's uncle stepped up to the plate at the last minute and performed the ceremony after a lengthy phone conversation with the officiant. The uncle was not a ordained minister, but when the officiant finally arrived (one hour into the reception), he signed the license application, and everything was fine.  Not too many guests knew this had even happened. 
3. Surprised by a sudden thunderstorm!
   
   All outdoor weddings have weather risks. This summer storm was not even on the radar, but right before the ceremony, very strong gusts of wind arose.  Reception tables were turned over, tablecloths were flying everywhere, glass containers were crashing to the ground, and the sound equipment even turned over.  Needless to say, the ceremony was delayed somewhat, but with the quick work of my staff and the venue staff, we uprighted all the ceremony chairs and got the ceremony décor back in place for the ceremony to proceed.  During the ceremony, we were able to rearrange the reception site and redo the arrangements that had gotten blown to pieces.  It was not the disaster that we thought at the time; we did what we had to do, and the evening was as beautiful as planned.  And, the bride has some beautiful images of her veil flying in the wind!
4. One of the groomsmen fainted on the altar during the ceremony.  Actually, standing in the back of the church, I did not see him go down, but did realize something was happening when the minister turned his head and made a remark like "See about him, guys,"  and kept going with the vows. 
   
   Two of the other groomsmen just stepped over quietly and helped the fallen soldier. He was a little woozy, but able to stand there a few more minutes, then recess as rehearsed.  I had a bottle of water waiting for him at the back of the church, and made him sit down until I was sure he was ok.  Nothing major, but it's something the guests will remember.
5. A bridesmaid failed to show. 
   
   After several unanswered phone calls, I had the maid of honor just give up and did my best to reassure the bride that we would find her missing attendant as soon as possible.  I had my assistant go to the hotel where the wedding party had spent the night and see if she was there.  It seems I was the only one not privy to the fact that the bridesmaid had a big fight with her boyfriend by phone the evening before, and decided to leave during the night to drive home.  The girls knew about the fight, but no one knew she had gone home.  Needless to say, the bride was somewhat upset, so it was our job to try and keep her stress level as low as possible.  We did this by focusing on the beauty and excitement of the day and the fact that she would be married to the man of her dreams regardless of whether this maid was present or not.  We adjusted the processional accordingly, and everything turned out great. I'm sure that the bride had words with this "friend" after all was said and done, but we couldn't let this spoil the day for her.

I would just like to emphasize that  most likely you will not see any of these scenarios on your wedding day, but this is where an experienced coordinator proves her worth many times over.  Every wedding presents challenges; some serious; some not so serious.  But, it's the expertise and knowledge that a seasoned professional wedding coordinator brings to the table that can save your day and save you from the stress that situations like these can bring. Don't think you and your mom or good friend can handle it all.  Have a professional at the helm and let her do her job!!


Photo credits:  Gretchen B Photography; Allison Lewis Photography, She Finds

LOOK!! We're on the Jumbotron!

Not only was Heather and Stewart's wedding a fun, exciting time, but the setting was amazing!  How many couples can say that their wedding reception happened at a ballpark?  And, how many people can say they've seen their faces on a giant screen for hundreds of guests to enjoy?  That's exactly what this cute, fun-loving couple can tell their children one day.

Heather and Stewart's ceremony was short, but very sweet and special at Avondale United Methodist Church in a trendy,  historic section of Birmingham, Alabama.  They enjoyed doing their photo shoot at the neighborhood park across the street, were able to ride to their reception at Regions Field in a vintage trolley with their wedding party and depart in a vintage white Jaguar--quite a bit of history encompassed in the day.

Enjoy the images by Allison Crouch Lewis, www.allisonlewisphotography.com. 

www.barons.com

Coats Classic Cars  www.ridebackintime.com

photography by www.alllisonlewisphotography.com

trolley by www.raretransportation.com

 

 florals by www.Hothousedesignstudio.com

Men's attire by www.mrburchformalwear.com



www.bellabridesmaid.com       www.ivorywhiteboutique.com

cake and cheesecakes by www.dreamcakes-bakery.com

Brother 2 Brother via www.musicgardenbands.com

staff, l to r Hayden Slaughter, Emily Stuenkel, Jackie Rowell, Emily Redmon

Polka Dots and Pies

Holly and Rob's wedding this week-end was one of the sweetest, most original, nontraditional I've ever done.  Since I am a very nontraditional person who loves surprises, this was right down my alley.  The overall feel for the entire day was mid-century vintage.

Bride +holly blalock  with her groom @Rob Dominquez

Photo by +Mary Margaret Smith Photography

They chose as their venue the repurposed, refurbished  Kress Building in downtown Birmingham .  From about the nineteen thirties through the nineties, Kress was a five and dime store in downtown Birmingham.  The new century brought new life for the building as a local law firm saw its potential. The building's rooftop venue overlooks the arising theater district of the City, while a local theater group is housed in the basement where the store's soda fountain was, very popular during its heyday. (I could write a very lengthy post about the many Saturdays I spent there after attending matinees at the nearby historic +Alabama Theatre and +Lyric Theatre). The location produced many wonderful photo opps for the couple and their photographer, +Mary Margaret Smith during the day .

So, this wedding created many deja vu moments for me from the very beginning of the day, as I stood on that rooftop, soaking in all the memorable marquis and buildings which later served as the backdrop for our band, called Deja Blue, appropriately.

From Holly's sweet, blush pink chiffon gown and blue open-toe pumps to the bridesmaids' polka dot, fifties-styled dresses, the entire day portrayed that mid-century feel beautifully.  The building's lobby was draped  by +Alex Garmon and +Event Rentals Unlimited  to transform it into a dramatic wedding white ceremony space. The couple chose some of the Beatles famous love songs to use for their processional music -- "Blackbirds Singing," "Across the Universe," several others --  creating a few tears in my eyes along with those of many of their guests.  So Special!!

The roof-top reception continued that vintage feel as guests signed in using metallic pens on specially-selected  vinyl records. Holly and Rob chose albums from some of the concerts they have attended together-- very original and creative.  Long, burlap covered tables were lined with mercury glass votive candles, mason jars and bottles tastefully filled with fragrant stems by +Mandy Majerik  of +HotHouse Design Studio .    Not only did guests enjoy the atmosphere, food and dancing, but the hit of the evening was the special dessert table.  The bride and groom chose to have a mini-pie bar instead of a wedding cake.

Mini pies from +Pie Lab 

One special pie for the bride & groom

Birmingham's own De'Ja Blue Band (www.dejablueonline.com)

One final, special surprise was when the bride's dad brought out his guitar to play and sing a song he had written for Holly and Rob -- not your typical love song, but special nonetheless.  It is one Holly and Rob will be singing in their heads for a long time to come.  Oh, what a night!!



Thanks to my tried and true assistant coordinator, +Hayden Slaughter  for the use of her images.  She even takes time to snap some great shots.

Ten Things Every Wedding Guest Should Know

This Post is For Everyone . . .  Not Just Brides!!

This is for YOU and  yours, regardless of age, sex, race, . . . and all that other stuff.  Each and every one of us puts on a wedding guest hat at some time or other.  Whether you have never attended a wedding or have attended dozens, you probably never thought about your responsibilities as a a guest at this sacred, dreamed-about, once-in-a-lifetime event that the bride, groom and their parents more than likely have been planning for a long time. 

Just ask yourself how considerate you have been in the past and try to step up your manners at the next one with the following:

1.  Return that response card (this is a very important detail) indicating that you will or will not attend this special event.  Note:  some couples today opt to ask for your response via their website.  This is just as important as a response card would be.
2.  If you cannot attend,  perhaps the families will understand, but a gift IS in order.  And, this gift needs to be ordered, sent, or taken as soon as possible.  We hear the rule of thumb is within a year, but hey, who remembers to do it after a week or so? With online registries these days, it is as simple as going to one of the couple's chosen registries, selecting something that they need or want within your price range, providing a credit card, clicking and it's done.
   
3.  If there is any way possible you can attend, DO!  These families did not send you an invitation out of courtesy, they really do want you there.  And, from personal experience, I know how much it means for so many friends and family members to be present at this time.  I tell my brides and their moms and dads, "this probably is the only time so many of your friends and family members will be in one place at one time because you have invited them."  Perhaps their funerals, but who cares about that?? It really IS a special time for them, and should be for you too. This being said,  Mark your calendar so you don't forget the time and date.
4. Make any necessary travel and hotel accommodations soon.  This is your responsibility as well as any expenses incurred.  The family will probably provide this if you are a member of the wedding party, but is not responsible otherwise.
5. Plan to be at the ceremony about 30 minutes before the time stated on the invitation!  That time shown is the time the processional should be starting, and you don't want to interrupt the processional or have to wait until after the processional to make your entry.  This is quite distracting.
6. Don't bring gifts to the wedding if you can avoid it.  This responsibility should have already been taken care of.  If you haven't done it before the wedding, wait until the next week and take care of it.  That works out much better for the moms and dads who always have tons of bags, left-over cake, , guest book, flowers and any props used during the reception to load into their cars.  All this with gifts makes it very difficult for families at the end of the reception.  And, gifts at the ceremony or reception can get lost sometimes, or cards can get separated from their respective gifts.
   
7.  If the line is backed up at the entrance because of guests signing the guest book, try to go ahead and get seated.  You can always sign the guest book at the reception.  Don't knock anyone down or step on toes, just be seated as quickly as possible.
8. Either leave infants at home with a sitter or sit in a provided area for guests with small children.  If a nursery is being provided for the ceremony, that is usually stated in the invitation. The reception is different.  Children are usually a refreshing and fun addition.
   
9. After the ceremony, leave and get to the reception as quickly as possible if the invitation states that the reception follows the ceremony.  Don't wait for the wedding party and don't stick around and socialize.  You can do this at the reception.  Don't try to run any errands or stop for a quick cup of coffee in between.
   
10. Have a fun evening.  This is the purpose of the reception,  and that's what your host wants more than anything.  Remember that the bride and groom are the guests of honor and the entire event revolves around them.  Don't rush or crowd them, but at some point during the event, try to speak to them, thanking them for their invitation and wishing them well in their new lives. It's nice also to find the host and hostess as listed on your invitation and thank them for such a fun evening before departing.