Quick Tip: At The End of the Day

You've spent tons of time planning for the Big Day to make sure everything goes smoothly; don't forget to plan for what happens once the party is over. 

Simply put - there is a lot of stuff to take home at the end of a wedding! You'll have gifts, the guestbook, leftover favors, leftover programs, the top tier of the cake, any DIY decor that you provided, your bouquet, and possibly even centerpieces. It's best to designate a friend or family member in advance to be responsible for taking these items home for you. Your designated person should know ahead of time that they are appointed for this task, and they should be aware that this responsibility requires that they stay until the very end of the wedding. Also, these items don't easily fit in the hotel shuttle or a cab, so be sure that the designated person will have her own transportation after the reception.

If your plan is to pick up these items at a later time, just be sure to clear this with your venue in advance. Some venues expect everything to be removed after an event while others may store items for you until the next day. But be sure you know your venue's policy before making your plans.

Lastly, don't forget about the rentals! You may have centerpiece vases or cake stands that are rentals from your vendors. Make sure you are aware of the plan for removal of these items. Check your contract to see if you are responsible for the return of these items. If so, these items will need to go with your designated person. But if the vendors will be returning to collect these rented items after the wedding, you will need to inform them of the venue's policy on when they must come. Again, some venues will not store items after the wedding, so the vendors will need to know that they must come immediately after the reception ends. But if the venue will store the items, the vendors can arrange for pickup at a later time.

Some simple coordination in advance will help avoid confusion at the end of the Big Day.

Tweet

Whitney & Andrew: Antique Sophistication

Whitney & Andrew's wedding was filled with antique accents and personalized details. The reception took place at Architectural Artifacts, where you can incorporate the shop's antiques into your decor! Check out the beautiful photos from Clary Photo:

Right before the processional, the bow on the bride's shoe decided to unstick itself! That's exactly where my overly stuffed emergency kit comes in handy. I simply grabbed the super glue and voila - all fixed. No sweat! Of course, Clary caught the photo. :) Moral of the story is make sure you or your wedding planner has a wedding day emergency kit for those unexpected moments!

I always love the shots of the grand exit. Pure joy!

Photo by Camille McLamb

We scoured the bins at Architectural Artifacts to find these vintage letters of the happy couple's initials.

I snapped this photo of the escort card table. Interspersed among the cards are crystals from old chandeliers that we hand-selected from Architectural Artifacts' massive collection.

Another quick shot by me. One of the gorgeous centerpieces by StemLine Creative.

Each table featured a vintage treasure, hand-selected by the bride and groom. Notice the spool of thread? 

Beautiful shot of the cake by Clary. Quick tip: Specify to your caterer to have a plate and two forks on the cake table.  Seems obvious but it's often forgotten! Your day-of-coordinator can give a reminder and ensure it's there for the cake cutting.

Props to the father of the bride who strung up additional lights to make his daughter's wedding day extra bright.

Congratulations to Whitney & Andrew!

Vendors:

Venue - Architectural Artifacts

Caterer - Catered Productions

Photographer - Clary Photo

Florist - StemLine Creative

Cake - Lovin' Oven Cakery

Ceremony Musicians - Quartet Parapluie

DJ - Cage & Aquarium

Wedding Coordinator - Camille Victoria Weddings LLC

For more photos of this wedding, see the feature on Style Me Pretty!

Tweet

Quick Tip: The Importance of a Decorative Hanger

One of the classic shots that I see nearly every wedding photographer take is the photo of the wedding dress hanging by itself on a door or in a window with the light shining on it.  You can help the photographer to create a beautiful photo by avoiding an unsightly wire or plastic hanger.  I recommend to all of my brides to prepare for this shot by being sure to put the dress on a decorative hanger before wedding day.

I like these ones available on Etsy.

By LynnClaire

By Jannyfay

Happy Planning!

Tweet