What a great New Jersey wedding Ceremony!

Who doesn’t love pasta? If you’re having a cocktail party wedding or a station style grazefest, you gotta have pasta. Everyone loves it, it doesn’t cost a fortune, and if you serve it in some cool thing (think take out containers, martini glasses, or even little fishbowls. It’ll still be portable, it will give your guests something substantial to eat, and even better, something to talk about!

Vodka sauce is still the biggest hit, but why not do it with beautiful bowties instead of ho hum penne? A beautiful tricolor tortellini with nutmeg laced carbonara? A saute of spring veggies with a light lemon cream sauce? The possibilities are endless….and delicious!

If it is at all possible to take a couple of days off before your wedding, you’ll enjoy them easily as much as you honeymoon. The chance to finish up your last minute details with the enjoyment that time can bring is really indescribable. There are so many happy tasks that crop up without warning or expectation, that just having the time to deal with them in a gracious way is a luxury.

That being said, make yourself a “to do” timetable for the last week or so that includes as much “blank” time as possible. Assume everything you’re going to do will take longer than you think. Tell all your vendors, attendants and close family that you’ll be starting that day ON TIME, and then let yourself get to your venue early. You’ll have time to decompress, relax a bit, and enjoy the happy chaos that is unfolding around you. And when you walk down the aisle, you’ll be composed, regal, and at peace.

Why don’t you arrive or depart your wedding in some great vehicle; a motorcycle, a vintage car, a firetruck, a horse? (Keep in mind that horses need water and grace in the summer….) I’m thinking a caravan of white Mini Coopers would be just extreme!

I was just looking at some photos one of my clients sent to me; their wedding was at the end of October. It was dark, it was cold, it was raining, it was outside. The photos are just amazing; you can’t tell any of that(except for a tip of an umbrella one of the guests had, lol….)
I’m also thinking of another client who had the wedding in some of the worst fog I’ve seen. Their photographer took a photo of them tossing rose petals in the air (the only color that could be seen in a sea of black, white and grey).It was a wonderful and evocative photo.

The point is this; rain, fog, snow; none of these will ruin your photos if you work with a professional who relishes challenges to the artistic landscape. They will work with the elements and bring back great work, but that should be part of your discussion before you book them.

Thanks to Jeff for this beautiful photo; “© Photographer: Jeffrey Van daele | Agency: Dreamstime.com”

Instead of traditional favors, think about setting up a candy bar for your guests! Giant snifters or bowls of M & M’s, which you can now order in your colors), jelly beans, or retro candy can be displayed with little bags and scoops for everyone to pick their own going away treat. A great way to say a sweet goodbye!

Not only snow in mid March, which shocked some of my clients (The bride wore mukluks…). Be prepared to be shocked by excess heat, buckets of rain, traffic, lost limo drivers, and that flower dog who didn’t exactly do what you expected it to do…. Almost every occurrence has a wonderful side! One of my colleagues is doing a wedding in New York’s Central Park today, in the snow; can you imagine how beautiful that is going to be? If it’s hot; ask your caterer to add ginger lemonade and ask your minister to keep things brief (some of your readings could also be used at the reception). If it’s raining, break out the umbrellas and remember that rain is good luck (probably a superstition made up by a bride who got rained on…..) And the flower dog? Well, he’ll bring a good laugh to everyone in your group. It’s all good!

If your wedding is in the summer or fall, you may not want to be sending out invites quite yet, but a “save the date” postcard is definately a good idea. You can do something inexpensive and fun at www.Vistaprint.com or print them up yourself, but any variety will make it easier for your guests to plan on attending. (And it may help them set up other activities in the area, if you live near a cool destination like NYC….) An unexpected planning bonus is that you may find out, very far ahead of time, who can’t come and who can, so you can tweak your guest list to include those you thought you might not be able to invite.

Breaking bread, sharing bread, blessing bread! It’s all good. Bread is a spiritual catalyst in almost every organized (and disorganized!) religion. It is a symbol of sustanence, of support, of nurturing. Many of my wedding ceremonies include a “breaking and sharing of the bread” as a metaphor for two families joining and offering a precious gift; the gift of food. I will often tell a couple that their care and kindness offers each of them, “bread for the journey”; in other words, their unconditional support is sustanence of the most basic and valuable kind.

A word over the bread is also a great way to start off your wedding reception if a traditional blessing doesn’t seem authentic to you.

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