Especially to those at your wedding. When you send your thank you notes out, be sure to include a photo; maybe a “backstory” photo of getting ready or leaving for your honeymoon. It will bring back sweet memories to those who shared your day!
If you’re having a location wedding; in a park, on a lawn, on the beach, let your guests know (in a nice way)that they should plan accordingly. Add a line to the end of the invite (where you might have said, “Black Tie Optional”) that lets them know that “Stilettos will sink” or, “You’ll be walking on shifting sand”. One of my clients had a basket of black and white flip flops at the entrance to the ceremony. (And the bridal couple both wore flip flops too; hers trimmed with flowers!
(The picture is actually a cool note card from JustforyoubyJen.com, an artist who makes very neat stationary; wouldn’t this make a perfect casual invite?)
What a great site! I just learned about Gusto because I’m “buzzing it” as a Bzzagent. Gusto is a travel site with a real difference; here are some of the details from their website;
Try out the Gusto Grabber, a cool feature that lets you collect and store information from the Web on the places that you daydream about, the places you plan to visit and the places that you’ve been to and don’t want to forget. You can bookmark those places in your “places i’ve been folder” and your “places i’m going” folder.
Write reviews or read other members’ reviews before you decide on the perfect hotel for your anniversary or the best restaurant to visit when you have the whole family in tow.
Upload your pictures on Gusto and organize them by trip or topic. You can even copy your photos from other photo services into Gusto. It’s just another way to create memories and share them with friends and family.
Use your blog as an online journal to write about your travel experiences. You can organize your blog by trip or topic.
What a great way to organize, research, remember and share your honeymoon! It is highly fun to use. www.gusto.com
They go OFF OFF OFF at the rehersal and the ceremony, but please don’t make your New Jersey Wedding Officiant (smooth, eh?) start your ceremony by saying that; it sets a NOT mood. Ask the ushers to tell people as they come in.
I did a wedding recently, and in the middle of the vows, the a cell phone went off.
“That’s my mother!” she said.
In the middle of the ring exchange, another cell phone went off.
“That’s MY mother”, he said
Everyone laughed.
Then ANOTHER one went off.
I said, “Wow, that’s MY mother!”
Everyone laughed, but your crowd may not think this is funny, and normally, neither do I. During your ceremony, we are trying to create a sacred space that is apart from the real world. There is no one that is so important that they can’t spend the hour to celebrate your union. If they can’t, then don’t invite them.
What could be more fun for a summer wedding than an “adult” ice cream station? Start with some great flavors like Mint Chocolate Chip, Coffee, and of course, Vanilla; add some interesting sauces and mix in like Melba, Cookie Dough, Malted Milk Powder, Salted Nuts in Caramel Sauce (we call this one, “Twisted Sister), some sophisticated cookies and brownies and maybe an Irish Coffee Bar. Who needs dinner?
This is a copy of the letter I sent to the New York Times Style Section after what I considered to be a particularly unpleasant wedding story last Sunday. Not that I have an opinion……We’ll see if it gets printed……
Dear Editors of the Style section,
I am a wedding freak; I love them, I write and perform them as a civil Celebrant, and I own an event company that produces them. I read the “big wedding” before anything else in the New York Times, (which I read every weekend, no matter how nuts the rest of my life becomes). I love the “big wedding” stories; they remind me of my own work, teasing out couples’ stories and constructing a meaningful glimpse at the evolution of their life together. It is joyous work, and I consider myself lucky to be able to do it.
A majority of my couples have histories that include previous marriages, and we deal with that inevitability in a gracious way, but I was disappointed in your choice to highlight the more unsavory aspects of the Drager/Wright courtship. To celebrate a relationship that clearly started as an extramarital affair is not only irresponsible and questionably tasteful, it’s just plain tacky. Dismissing Mr. Wright’s home life as “troubled” doesn’t quite absolve either of them; he was still married, and stayed married for close to two more years. I’m sure the former Mrs. Wright (although remarried) was thrilled to see,in glowing black and white, just how she was betrayed, via email, river rafting and sleeping bags.
As someone who consecrates weddings and writes ceremonies built on my couples’ stories, I’m sorry that you chose to hold this couple up as a joyous model. Had they come to me with their story, I would have had to refer them to someone else.
I know, you probably don’t have it on the top of your “honeymoon destination” list, but it’s beautiful, it’s interesting, and it’s cheap. One of the best links I can send you is www.streetfriends.com (thank you, New York Times). It lists a number of restaurants that are non profit training grounds for young Cambodians. The site also lists a nail salon and a second hand clothing store, both of which are also used to train kids for careers. You couldn’t find a better place to spend your dollars.
And they could be in any form; your butter pats could be in a heart shape, your cake can be heart shaped. The pizza bagels could be heart shaped, the croutons on the salad could be too (I like that one!) One of my more creative brides made placemats from rice paper so there was a big petal studded heart at each placesetting when her guests sat down. You could even add some markers to the table and encourage guests to write notes on their placemats, to be collected at the end of the night. How fun!
If you’re looking wedding services you need to check out www.wedalert.com. They are organized by state, they can find you all sorts of vendors including New Jersey Wedding Celebrants (oops, I did it again!), and it’s fun! And you can do it in your jammies!
What better way to celebrate than with an elegant, gorgeous, red cocktail? Our fave is a flute of Champagne or sparkling wine laced with a touch of Campari or Cassis. Garnish with a few raspberries or a twist of lemon and you’re good to go! Beautiful and delicious. Also a great way to toast your wedding if sparkling wine seems too pedestrian.
Cheers!
