Guests

Bad Weather Backup Plans – A Wedding Essential

 in Ceremony / Guests / Wedding Ceremony / Wedding Party / Wedding planning  tagged bad weather venue / wedding / wedding backup plans / wedding ceremony by

Bad weather backup plans are essential for Minnesota weddings. The variability of our weather makes an indoor ceremony plan necessary for anyone planning an outdoor ceremony.

Most people think of rain as the weather problem requiring a move to an indoor ceremony space, but our current hot weather demonstrates that there are more weather conditions to consider. Extreme heat is uncomfortable for everyone, but can be deadly for senior citizens like grandparents, and for guests with underlying health conditions. And don’t forget about yourselves and your wedding party. Tuxedos and suits are not normal daily wear for many of the men in your wedding party, and long dresses made of synthetic fabrics can cause your women to melt in the heat. Hair and makeup is not going to be optimal following photo sessions before the ceremony. Who wants to look wilted on their wedding day?

Over the years I’ve encountered other weather conditions that wreak havoc with outdoor ceremonies, too. The Rochester area is known to often be breezy, but there are many days when winds top 25 miles per hour. If it is a temperate day this might not be a problem, but consider a 50 degree late September day when the wind has a definite bite to it. Not pleasant conditions for guests or the wedding party. And the same can be true of early spring ceremonies.

Given the variety of weather we experience here in Minnesota, well considered bad weather backup plans are needed to address this critical but uncontrollable element of your wedding day. Knowing that there is a viable indoor space available, ideally at the same venue as your outdoor ceremony space, will allow for a graceful shift in plans if the weather requires it.

No one wants to consider that weather will adversely impact their ceremony plans, but the reality is that it can and too often does. Having bad weather backup plans in your back pocket can save the day and keep the celebration on track.

3 Tips to Smooth Your Ceremony Experience

 in Ceremony / Guests / Wedding planning / Weddings  tagged wedding ceremony / wedding guests / wedding planning / weddings by

Follow these 3 tips to smooth your ceremony experience. While not an integral part of your wedding ceremony, they help your guests feel welcome. These 3 tips will allow your guests to have a comfortable, memorable experience. Following the ceremony they’ll be ready to move on to the rest of your celebration.

  1. Help your guests find the ceremony space. This can begin with a map on your wedding website to assist guests from outside the area. But you can do more. Have signs on the roadside near the final turnoff to guide your guests to the ceremony site. Perhaps you need another sign pointing them to parking, and yet another one directing them to the actual ceremony space. If your ceremony space isn’t visible from the parking area, designate an usher to stand near the parking lot and direct people as needed.

2. Let your guests know where you want them to sit. Many couples are opting for more casual seating at their ceremony. The days of ushers escorting every guest to their seat are mostly gone. But your guests don’t know what your preferences are, so post an usher near the back of the chairs to greet guests and clue them in. A sign can be helpful here, too, letting people know to choose their seat without observing traditional “bride’s side” and “groom’s side” rules.

Don’t forget about reserved space in the front for immediate family members. Guests will tend to seat themselves close to the back to avoid rows meant for family. This can result in a gulf of empty chairs between family and friends when everyone could be closer to the action. Hanging a few “Reserved” signs as needed can keep the needed space open and let guests know where they are welcome to sit.

3. Tell your guests what comes next. A receiving line, where the couple and their parents greet all the guests is the most traditional activity immediately following the ceremony. But if you’re taking pictures right away, or want your guests to move directly to social hour make sure you tell them. Otherwise your guests will sit awkwardly in the ceremony space wondering if they should stay or go. A simple announcement near the end of your ceremony works well, or you can have ushers release guests from their rows and invite them to proceed as you wish.

There are literally hundreds of details that go into planning your wedding day, and each one needs to be considered if you want to have a smooth celebration. Ignoring details like these can result in delays and confusion. You have a vision for your day and with the help of these 3 tips to smooth your ceremony experience it can become a reality. Happy planning!

Connecting Elements of Your Wedding Day

 in Celebration / Ceremony / Decor / Guests / Personalization / Rituals / Unity Rituals / Weddings  tagged wedding / wedding ceremony / wedding guests / wedding rituals / wedding theme / wedding venues / weddings by

Connecting elements of your wedding day together is a great way to tie your ceremony, your social hour, your dinner and your reception into a cohesive unit. Better yet if you connect the elements in a way that is meaningful to you as a couple. You can use thoughtfulness and creativity to accomplish a truly memorable experience by connecting elements of your wedding day in a meaningful way.

Begin by choosing a venue that represents a shared interest or has significance to you. Perhaps you enjoy wine. Choosing a vineyard or winery as your venue is a great start. Or for the railroad enthusiasts among you, perhaps renting a train for your wedding day is the way to go. Let’s create connections using those two examples.

The vineyard/winery venue offers a ceremony venue among the vines, with wine barrels in place of tables for the unity ritual or program distribution at the ceremony. Include a wine sharing or love letters and wine box ritual in the ceremony, and you’re on a roll. The social hour can feature your favorite wines which can follow through to dinner with wines selected for each course of your meal. Perhaps your cake is decorated in the colors of wine (reds, blushes, and creamy whites) or has a wine themed cake topper. Consider a takeaway for the guests of a wine glass or even a bottle of wine, and you’ve succeeded in connecting elements of your wedding day from start to finish.

For the railroad enthusiasts, you can hand out train whistles to your guests to serenade you as you share your first married kiss at the end of your ceremony. Those whistles can be used at the reception to call on you to kiss, and then be the guest takeaways at the end of the night. You might have a model train running around the cake table or the buffet table, and even choose a train themed song for your first dance.

Many of the ideas for connecting elements of your wedding day are not expensive, but require a bit of time and creativity. They serve to personalize your day and share a part of who you are with your guests. Each couple is unique, so celebrate who you are on your wedding day!

Advantages of Intimate Wedding Ceremonies

 in Ceremony / COVID-19 / Guests / Personalization / Weddings  tagged ceremony / COVID-19 / intimate ceremonies / wedding ceremony / wedding guests / weddings by

The advantages of intimate wedding ceremonies are significant. With a smaller guest list options exist for all aspects of the ceremony. You might be opting for a smaller number of ceremony guests due to safety and health restrictions, or just because the idea appeals to you.

Either way, consider some of these options and advantages of intimate wedding ceremonies:

  • Choose a circle or semi-circle ceremony space layout. These connect you to your guests in a visual and emotional way.
  • Opt to forego a wedding party, simplifying planning and expenses and keeping the focus on you as a couple during the ceremony.
  • Invite guests to participate: identify someone to hold your bouquet and someone else to hold the rings.
  • Leverage skills and interests of your guests as readers, musicians or DJ for the ceremony, and even as photographer if you’re lucky enough to have a talented family member or friend.
  • Include spontaneous moments. Perhaps you want to speak to your families and express appreciation for their assistance and support. Or near the end of the ceremony you can invite them to voice their wishes for you going forward.

It’s not uncommon for couples to express concern about being the center of attention with all eyes on them during the ceremony. But smaller guest lists offer less of a “show” feeling to the ceremony and offer you less stress and more connection with your guests. Your ceremony can also be more intimate, sharing inside stories that family and close friends will understand. You can be more open and vulnerable to each other in front of a small group of close family and friends.

While large ceremonies have their own beauty, the advantages of intimate wedding ceremonies make them a great option for many couples. Whether it is to keep you and your guests safe in the time of COVID-19, or to best fit your personal style, make sure you discuss an intimate ceremony option with your wedding celebrant when planning your wedding day.

Our Responsibilities Going Forward

 in Ceremony / COVID-19 / Guests / Memorial services / Weddings  tagged COVID-19 / funerals / Masks / memorial service / Social distancing / wedding ceremony / weddings by

Our responsibilities going forward continue as states begin to ease restrictions on gatherings including weddings and funerals/memorials. As our country and state continue to deal with COVID-19, many areas are beginning to lift or ease limitations on wedding ceremonies and memorial services. In almost all cases there are still restrictions in place, and we owe it to ourselves and our loved ones to honor them.

The number of people allowed to gather for ceremonies varies depending on whether it is taking place outdoors or indoors, and depending on the capacity of indoor spaces. But in all cases we are being asked to observe social distancing and to wear masks. Social distancing by household will require different seating plans (and in some places chairs are not being allowed at all). While masks hardly make a fashion statement as part of guests’ attire, the long incubation period of the virus makes them essential.

Masks are not worn to protect the wearer, but to help ensure that the wearer is not unknowingly transmitting the virus. Anywhere between two and 14 days can elapse between the time you are infected and the time you begin to show symptoms. If you attend a gathering during that time, feeling perfectly well and not knowing that you’ve been exposed, you can infect dozens of other people without knowing it.

A number of COVID-19 outbreaks have been traced back to funerals and other gatherings. That’s in part because it is so difficult to keep our distance when we want to show our support and to mourn together. We get too close without even thinking about it. And it doesn’t take long for the virus to spread.

Have you ever attended a wedding where you didn’t want to hug the happy couple, or the relatives you haven’t seen in awhile, or the school friends you’ve lost touch with through the years? We do it without thinking, and might well not know that we are giving or receiving the virus with those happy hugs. Our responsibilities going forward are to care for ourselves and others as COVID-19 continues to be an issue.

It may not be fun, but our responsibilities going forward include continuing to practice social distancing and to wear masks. It may be your own life you save, or the life of a relative or friend. None of us would knowingly put others at risk, and unfortunately, masks and social distancing are the best tools we have at this time to keep each other safe. So let’s be happy that restrictions are easing, but be cautious and diligent going forward, so we are part of the solution to this virus, and not part of the problem.