Timelines and Checklists

The first order of business when planning your wedding (or any special event) is creating a checklist. That's why you can't help but find them all over the place in wedding magazines and websites. They'll tell you when you need to order invitations, bridesmaid dresses, and decide on flowers, and they'll include the most minute detail like "decide whether guests will throw rice or rose petals 2 months in advance."

Yes, in a perfect world you would have plenty of time to plan and arrange for everything. However, in my opinion a lot of the checklists and timelines can drum up fear - if you don't have the venue selected over a year in advance you're SOL! Truthfully hotels and bigger venues book up quickly, but if you're planning a wedding for 150 or less, it is quite possible to throw something together in just a couple of months without having to elope to Vegas. Good news, huh?

The wedding I did in February was supposed to take place Memorial Day but the couple had to move the wedding date up 3 months. We had approximately 100 guests, and I was hired 10 days prior to the date. The couple found Suxanadu, a venue with availability (see pictures), and the bride already had her dress. So in those 10 days we found a caterer, valet, DJ, and I purchased several hundred candles. We nixed the idea of flowers due to budget and because the reception venue was modern and stylish, and already gave such an elegant aura in the candlelight.

The nice thing about the venue we used was that it was a private home, so we had all the time we needed to set up the day before, and we were able to pick up items the day after. Hotels are much more strict about this!

So basically what I'm trying to say is ignore the fear of getting everything arranged in time, and just know that when there's a will there's a way to get a wedding planned in a small amount of time.

At Night It Gets Dark

I just got back from doing a day-of wedding outside Fresno. The wedding was in an almond orchard, next to a river. It was gorgeous! There was an expansive portion by the banks that was covered in green grass, and then there was a section of packed dirt which turned into the parking lot. However, as if working outside in the 90+ degree heat for 3 days wasn't bad enough, I encountered a whole slew of mini-dissasters. With a little spit and polish (not to mention wet wipes because some of us didn't have time to shower), the wedding was a huge success.

Before I go any further, let me just say that you need to read this if you're going to do an outdoor wedding and/or reception.

The Reception

The Candy Table with a Ballet Skirt Tablecloth

Lesson #1: At night it gets dark

Yes, simple, yet profound. During the reception about an hour after sunset, I went back to check on the guys cooking the meat. They were in complete darkness, using flashlights so they could see. Interestingly enough, it had never occured to anyone that these guys would need lights out there after the sun went down. Fortunately the caterers who provided the salad and sides and served the food had one clamp-on light that they were able to work with. So make sure you provide light for your vendors if there isn't any.

Lesson #2: Keep the number of vendors to a minimum

There were twelve vendors who worked on this wedding, eight of which I coordinated with on the day of (the other four were for the rentals). So the big problem was that each thought the other was in charge of a certain aspect, like bringing lighters to light the 400 votives for the reception. Fortunately we rummaged up three lighters and sent the caterers to work when the ceremony started.

Lesson #3: Sometimes venues are easier...and cheaper

Okay, for obvious reasons like easy access to running water and provided bathrooms. There was one point during the evening when I had to take the champagne flutes from the sand ceremony, rinse them out, and then put them at the head table for the toast. I've never had to be more creative about such a simple process because there was no running water. After considering giving them a rinse with bottled water, I came upon a water spiket 2 rows into the almond grove, and gave the flutes a nice power rinse. By the way, the bathrooms cost as much as a venue rental fee.

Lesson #4: Provide bathrooms

Although the high-end portopotties were delivered the day before the wedding, the electricity was not turned on until 4 p.m. the day of. That meant that all day we didn't have access to bathrooms while setting up.

Lesson #5: When you DIY, don't forget the details

This was a fairytale wedding, complete with white organza and satin columns, twinkle lights, and pink organza table cloths. The family built the structures, sewed the table cloths, and handmade the dresses. There were months of full-time planning put into this wedding and it was just stunning! Unfortunately, with all this work, there were just a few details that had fallen through the cracks...no guestbook, no cake knife, no pillow for the ring bearer. We managed to pull it off so that no one noticed, but it certainly provided for some fun surprises once the wedding was in full motion!

The Cake and Head Table