Tips for your Wedding Day by Reverend Michael Taylor At
Your Service Weddings
Italian:
verb mangiare: to eat.
Spanish: Es
necesario que usted coma
It is
necessary for you to eat (that you eat)
How
would you say "let's eat" in french?
'mangeons'
je suppose?
No matter
how you say it or in what language, the importance of a healthy start on your
wedding day with a calm and nutritious meal is the key element to your mood and
energy for your big day. A quickly gobbled sugar topped roll washed down with
three cups of coffee is NOT what you should do! Be good to yourself. Your body
will be burning up calories at a pace you might treasure on any other day, but
not on your wedding day. If you run out of fuel, or are overdosed with sugar
and caffeine, you are making yourself vulnerable to an emotional meltdown or
even fainting. And of course too much alcohol too soon on an empty stomach also
speaks disaster! Like warming up at the gym before a rigorous workout, starting
your big day off serenely will most certainly help give you the experience of
joy instead of anxiety.
The early Bride catches the “Dream Day” - start getting
ready early
After waking and having a wholesome meal it is time to get
in gear. Even if you have an
afternoon ceremony, I can assure you that never has a day flown by so quickly
for you as your wedding day will.
Every small delay will snowball as the day goes by. Even
slight delays will be add up-ultimately resulting in a shorter time for you to
be at the reception (if the ceremony is delayed the reception will then be
delayed!)
Confirm with your vendors their arrival time. For hair and
make-up artists be certain to convey to them you expect them to be prompt. Have
the same expectations of your bridal party-I have seen many weddings delayed because
the Bride and/or her ladies were not ready.
Be organized and use check lists especially if you have not hired a professional coordinator
(which I highly recommend you do if you can). If you are relying on family
members, give them clear and written
instructions on what tasks they are being asked to do. For example, I have
waited many times for a family member to show up prior to the ceremony to
deliver the sand blending kit, only to discover no one really knew who was
supposed to do that, where the items were, etc.
Work with your peeps, Communicate Please!
Whether you are running late or ready to go, keep your
wedding day team (Coordinator- Officiant-Photographer-DJ) in the know. Your
professionals can fill if you need extra time, or we can ask the guests to be
seated so we can proceed. The worst case is for your family and guests to be
wondering what’s going on, when is this ceremony starting? As an experienced Officiant I can
reassure the guests all is well and we will just be another few minutes before
we begin. I also suggest you give your cell number to your key vendors as a way
to communicate from your dressing room or wherever you are located. If after
the ceremony the photo session is running overtime you should have a way to
contact the DJ or Venue Coordinator to alert the kitchen how long to hold the
meal.
At your
reception put first things first!
Establish when your reception caterer will be ready to serve
the meal. As I suggested previously, when having your photo session following the
ceremony this timing must mesh up with the food service. You will be spending a
large portion of your wedding budget on food. If the hot food has been sitting
in steamers for too long the appearance and taste quality will be lessened.
Have a clear time on when your caterer will be ready to serve your meal and how
long the photographer needs to get the shots you want. Make sure there is a
realistic connection between these two times. And stick to it …if the
photographer does need more time see if the meal can be held back, otherwise
finish some extra photos after the meal while the guests are enjoying wedding
cake and coffee.
Advice for the Future starts with the Present….
Start with some good advice for the wedding that will carry
over as the years fly by:
- Do
not spend more than you have.
Determine how much you can comfortably afford to spend on your wedding.
Whether you can afford an elaborate wedding or need to keep it simple, the
main thing is to keep it from becoming a worrisome burden later. The
number one common theme with troubled marriages is economic. This leads to
stress, which leads to lack of love life, which leads to… so start from a
foundation of communicating with each other what is important to each of
you to have at the wedding.
What can we be comfortable with after the wedding so that we will
not be paying off that debt for a long time to come. Planning your wedding
can be a great foundation on how you will mutually make decisions in your
future together.
- Laugh
together as much as possible. Have
date nights (with each other) let each of you have their space, but have
mutual interests and activities as well. Celebrate life together, have a
renewal of vows and anniversary parties over the years.
- For
young parents don’t lose the romance after the kids. Love and devote yourselves to your children of
course, but remember to be Husband and Wife and Lovers, as well as being
Parents. Keep a balance between all the various aspects of career,
marriage partners, parental duties. Play fair, nuture your romance and be
happy!
