Getting Creative with Wedding Guestbooks

Camille Victoria Weddings is proud to announce that we were recently quoted as a wedding expert in Wedding Guide Chicago!  In the summer/fall issue of the magazine, we revealed a hot trend we've been seeing -- couples getting creative with guestbooks! 

With traditional wedding guestbooks, guests simply sign their name and address into a decorative book, thereby creating a log of everyone that was in attendance at the wedding.  But ask yourself:  years down the road, will you feel compelled to pull out the guestbook and look through a bunch of names and addresses? Chances are the guestbook will sit on a shelf collecting dust.  That's why today we're seeing couples spice up their wedding guestbooks with creative new ideas.

One way to revamp your guestbook is to create a photo guestbook.  Simply get a decorative scrapbook and some instant cameras.  Ask a couple of outgoing friends to be your guestbook attendants.  They will stand by the guestbook table to welcome guests, take their photos, and paste the photos onto the scrapbook pages.  Guests can then write messages to the bride and groom next to their photos.  I had one bride who set up an old time photo booth, where her guests could take photos and then paste them into a scrapbook with a written message.  Any way that you do it, the photo scrapbook is fun for guests and creates a keepsake that you may actually look at in the future.  Check out the photo scrapbook from my own wedding!

photo by Caroline Eller LLC

photo by Caroline Eller LLC

photo by Caroline Eller LLC

Another fun guestbook idea is to simply use any book that is special to you.  I had one bride who used a coffee table book filled with photos of the university where she met her groom.  I've heard of other couples using cookbooks or storybooks.  The guests then write messages to the bride and groom throughout the pages of the book.

Consider creating guestbooks that you can hang on a wall in your home.  There are many companies on the Internet that create ceramic guestbook platters guests can sign. One couple I worked with framed their engagement portrait and the guests signed around the photo.

One of my favorite ideas is to put out fabric squares for guests to sign.  After the wedding, the squares can be sewn together to create a guestbook quilt. 

from bride&babyfavors.com

There are so many ways to make your guestbook unique and fun for your guests.  Pick an idea that's special to you so that you'll come away with a guestbook that you will actually treasure into the future.

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Show Off the City Sights

Your wedding may not be on the beaches of St. Thomas, but it still may seem like a destination wedding to your guests traveling from out of town.  If you have a lot of out-of-town wedding guests, make their visit into a vacation by showing them the sights of your city.  You can get free brochures about things to see from your town's tourist or visitor's center and put them in hospitality bags for your guests so that they can explore the sights in their free time.  Alternatively, you could arrange a tour of the city for your guests.  I recently had one bride who incorporated a trolley tour of Chicago into her wedding day activities!  After the ceremony, the bride and groom made their grand exit onto the trolley and traveled around the city with their guests before returning to their venue for the reception.  The added bonus of treating their guests to a tour was that they got some unique wedding photos, as you can see from some of the great shots by Dave Price Photography and Video.

No vacation is complete without souvenirs, so give your guests wedding favors with a connection to the city.  For a Chicago wedding, for example, you could give bags of Garrett Popcorn or Frango mints.  Make your wedding weekend into a vacation for your guests, and they are sure to have a blast.

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Flower Girls, Ring Bearers, and Meltdowns... Oh My!

A tiny ring bearer in a mini-tux and petite flower girls with poofy dresses are such a cute sight at a wedding.  But before you plan for the young'uns to walk down the aisle, consider their ages and what is likely to happen when they are confronted with a room full of strangers watching them.

Flower girls and ring bearers should typically be between the ages of three and seven. At this age, they are usually able to follow directions, understand what they will be doing, and even enjoy the attention.  It can be tempting to dress up your best friend's one year old and put her in the wedding, but kids younger than three are much more unpredictable.  I have seen baby flower girls run up the aisle with glee at the rehearsal and then erupt into tears and screaming when prompted to walk down the aisle on wedding day.  I've had baby ring bearers that are known as happy go lucky kids, refuse to walk down the aisle and then run the other way.  Your best bet is to stick to the age guidelines and choose children no younger than three to participate in the wedding.  But if you just can't resist showcasing that adorable bundle of joy, here are some tips to prevent kid meltdowns.

Bring a Buggy ~ For babies and young toddlers, instead of having them walk down the aisle, consider rolling them down the aisle! You can decorate (or have your florist decorate) a wagon or stroller with flowers and ribbons to fit in beautifully with the ceremony decor.  An older child can pull the wagon down the aisle, eliminating the worry that the youngest kids will refuse to walk or will run the wrong way!

Use the Buddy System ~ Don't expect a one-year old to walk down the aisle alone.  Even the most energetic, cheerful kids can get scared and confused when faced with a long aisle lined with strange faces. Give young children a buddy!  The buddy will be another flower girl or ring bearer that is slightly older and someone the young child already knows. The buddy can help the young child get down the aisle and hold his or her hand if necessary.

Utilize the Power of Parents ~ There is no one a child trusts more than her own parents.  Tantrums and meltdowns seem to occur most often when the child is left alone.  If a young flower girl or ring bearer's parent is in the wedding party, consider having the child walk the aisle with the parent.  If the parents are not in the wedding party, then one of the parents can wait with the child in the lineup for the processional and be there to help prompt the child when to walk.  In case of a temper tantrum, that parent is then on hand to carry the child down the aisle (and back out the door if necessary).

Walk and Be Seated ~ You want to make the experience as easy, fun, and comfortable as possible for children participants.  Avoid making young children stand up at the altar with the wedding party for the entire ceremony.  They are likely to get tired, restless, and even cranky.  Once a flower girl or ring bearer walks down the aisle, it is usually best if they go sit in the audience with a parent or family member.

Remember the Rings ~ If you have a tiny little ring bearer, it is not his job to remember the rings.  The best man should hang on to the rings until it is time to lineup for the ceremony.  At that time, the rings should be tied on to the ring bearer's cushion.  However, tiny tots are known for their tantrums.  That ring cushion could get thrown, tossed, trampled, or misplaced.  The safest option when dealing with young ring bearers is to use fake rings on the cushion while the best man and maid of honor carry the real rings.

Be realistic when incorporating kids into your ceremony.  Considering the comfort and abilities of your youngest wedding participants in advance will help curb any meltdowns and disturbances during your Big Day.

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Wedding Programs: why have them, what to include, and where to put them

Wedding Programs are becoming increasingly popular at today's weddings.  Programs are certainly not a wedding necessity, but they add a nice touch.  They inform the guests of what to expect throughout the day and also serve as a keepsake.  You can have program attendants or ushers hand out the programs to your guests.  Alternatively, you can simply place the programs in decorative baskets for guests to pick up as they enter the ceremony.  Here are some examples and ideas of what to include in your wedding programs.

When and Where ~ The front of the program typically has the names of the bride and groom, the date, time, and location of the wedding.

Participants ~ On the inside of the program, recognize all of the participants in your wedding.  List parents, grandparents, everyone in the wedding party, guestbook/program attendants, readers, and the officiant.

Ceremony & Traditions ~ It is also common to provide the order of the ceremony within the program.  I recommend including explanations of any religious or ethnic customs that you'll be performing.  Your guests may be unfamiliar with the traditions and will feel more connected if they understand what is going on during the ceremony.  For example, at a Jewish wedding, you could include a short paragraph about the symbolism of having the ceremony under the chuppah and breaking the glass.

Memoriam ~ If there are deceased family members whom you would like to recognize, acknowledge them within the program with some thoughtful words.

Special Instructions ~ Provide any information your guests may need to know about the wedding day in the program.  For example, if they will be blowing bubbles as the newlyweds walk back down the aisle at the end of the ceremony, put a note in the program.  Or, if it's not intuitive where the guests will go next after the ceremony, let them know in the program.

Poems, Songs, & Writings ~ Some programs include a poem or other writing that is special to the couple. 

Message from the Bride & Groom ~ Give your program a personal touch by including a message to your guests from the bride and groom.  Thanking your friends and family for sharing in your big day will make them feel welcome and show them how much you appreciate them.

Photo by Caroline Eller LLC

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Quick Tip: Guests with Gifts

While it's exciting to see a gift table at a wedding laden with large wrapped boxes for the newlyweds, it can be a problem when guests bring their gifts to the wedding.  Why?  After the wedding, it's usually the parents who are left struggling to fit cumbersome boxes into their cars to take them home for the bride and groom.  The proper etiquette is for guests to send wedding gifts to the couple before the wedding or not long after the wedding.  Since most registries are now online, it should be no problem to order the gift and have it sent directly from the store.  And when the store ships the gift directly, you are not responsible for packing it up, which means if the gift breaks in transit, the store will likely replace it.  Be a savvy guest and remember it's not just about giving a gift but when you give it. 

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Timing is Everything!

As you approach your big day, it is helpful to create a timeline of events for wedding day.  Your vendors will likely ask for your timeline, especially if you have a band or DJ serving as the emcee for the reception.  If you have a wedding coordinator, she can help you create your wedding day timeline and will be there on wedding day to make sure everything stays on schedule.  Basically, you'll want to lay out all the little mini-events of the day on a schedule, starting with what time your hair and makeup will start and ending with what time you'll make your grand exit from the reception.  You'll include everything from when photos begin, to what time you'll do your first dance, to when you'll cut the cake and toss your bouquet.  To get you started, here are some general timing guidelines.

• Try to get some formal photos done before the ceremony.  Even if the groom won't see the bride before the wedding, the photographer can go ahead and take individual shots of the bride and groom, shots of the bride with her bridesmaids, the groom with his groomsmen, the bride with her family and the groom with his family.  Then, after the ceremony, you'll have less formal shots to get through as your guests await.
• Ceremonies usually last about 30 to 40 minutes.  If you're having a full mass for a Catholic or a Greek Orthodox wedding, leave about one hour for the ceremony.
• Following the ceremony, consider having a cocktail hour.  The cocktail hour gives your guests something to do while you finish taking photos. At Jewish weddings, you'll also use a portion of this time for the yichud, where the bride and groom will spend 8 to 15 minutes alone with each other after the ceremony.
• Don't forget to factor in a few minutes to bustle your gown!
• The timing for the reception can vary. The typical reception length for dinner and dancing is about four hours. Consider switching around the usual order of events.  Instead of waiting until after dinner for your first dance, you could go right into your first dance as you make your grand entrance into the reception.  Want to leave more time for dancing the night away? You can save time by doing the toasts at the rehearsal dinner instead of the wedding reception. The cake cutting can be done immediately after dinner and served as dessert or it can wait until about an hour before the end of the reception.  Any special dances, such as the father/daughter dance or mother/son dance typically happen after dinner to open up the dance floor to the guests.  The bouquet toss and garter toss should occur after the cake cutting, not long before the bride and groom are ready to depart.  The bouquet toss can even be done as the bride and groom are making their grand exit.

Making a wedding day timeline will help to ensure there is smooth sailing on your Big Day!

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Sometimes Less is More When it Comes to Decor

I handled the day-of-coordination for a beautiful wedding at the Knickerbocker Hotel in Chicago that was the perfect example of how sometimes less really is more.  Because the hotel's architecture and decor is so ornate, there was no need for tons of fancy floral arrangements.  The bride chose elegant tall and low centerpieces made of white hydrangea by Ashland Addison Florist, and their simplicity allowed the venue to shine.  As you can see from these gorgeous photos by Wedding Creativo, the white centerpieces blend nicely with the golds and blacks of the venue.

Part of the point in picking a historic venue, like the Knickerbocker Hotel, is to highlight its unique features.  If there is too much going on with wedding decorations, the venue's magnificence can get lost, and your guests' heads will be spinning.  This wedding truly illustrates that if you have a unique or lavish venue, you can go with simpler flowers and decorations so that your wedding decor complements the surroundings.

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