Things to Consider: Ceremony Locations

When it comes to picking a location for your ceremony there are a lot of variables to consider.  You may be a bride that has known for years where you want to get married because it holds sentimental value to you.  Perhaps you want to get married in the church that your parents tied the knot in, or maybe you and your fiancé want to get hitched where you first met or he proposed.  However, you maybe the exact opposite and are looking for a location that is simple and convenient for your big day.  With that being said, the options that I will list out below are some of the more popular choices for wedding ceremonies in my region of the United States.  You may very well have other options in your region or country that aren’t listed below.  Each option will be followed by a list of pros and cons to help you narrow down which locations would be best for you and your fiancé. 

1.      Church

Pros – controlled environment (strangers won’t be able to walk through or interrupt the ceremony / the climate within the church will be controlled)

Cons – not ideal for non-religious couples / some officiants can be strict and not allow for personalization of the ceremony.

2.      Zoo

Pros – unusual and creative location

Cons – possible bad weather (storms / heat) / public area (strangers could be a distraction if they are at the zoo during the ceremony)

3.      Park

Pros – pretty scenery (trees/flowers/ponds)

Cons – possible bad weather (storms / heat) / public area (strangers could provide a distraction during the ceremony if they are using the park)

4.      Beach

Pros – pretty scenery (typical beach panorama)

Cons – possible bad weather (storms / heat) / public area (since beaches are open to the public there may be beach goers that cause a distraction during the ceremony) / smell (sometimes there is an unpleasant odor that derives from the beach)

5.      Hotel

Pros – convenient (ceremony and reception can be in one spot / guests can stay at hotel)

Cons – possibility for chaos (if the ceremony and reception are in the same room, it could lead to some juggling) / wedding crashers (hotels are most notorious for wedding crashers)

6.      Golf Course

Pros – pretty scenery (the greens/trees/ponds) / convenient (ceremony and reception can be in one location)

Cons – possible bad weather (storms / heat) / public area (the golf course may be open to golfers during the ceremony) / possibility for chaos (if the ceremony and reception are in the same room, it could lead to some juggling)

7.      Country Club

Pros – pretty scenery (trees/flowers/ponds) / convenient (ceremony and reception can be in one spot)

Cons – possible bad weather (storms / heat) / may be open to other members / expensive

8.      Destination

Pros – beautiful scenery (based on location) / unusual location

Cons – possible bad weather (storms / heat) / locals or vacationers with access to ceremony site / family and friends may not be able to attend because of distance or cost

As you can see, there are many different options for you to choose from.  My number one piece of advice to any bride when it comes to selecting your ceremony location is to pick a spot that you and your fiancé both love, and then no matter what, your wedding will be perfect in your eyes.

Feel free to leave any questions or comments you have about my post.  I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Things to Consider: Reception Venues

Hi everyone!

This blog post is the first in a series I plan on doing which will detail things to keep in mind when deciding upon important aspects of your wedding day.  As I complete my own wedding checklist, I will write up a brief (or not so brief – haha) summary regarding things that are vital to consider when you begin planning yourself.  So without further adieu, here we go!

One of the first things you should find out about any prospective venue is how many guests it can hold.  This is extremely important as it will help you to easily eliminate a venue that may be too small or too big for your wedding. 

Another vital piece of information you need to obtain is whether or not the venue provides a caterer or if you need to do the legwork to find one.  If the venue does provide a caterer, you should consider the following: what are your food options? (plated or buffet dinner / types of food available), is there a minimum food purchase? (Most venues will require a specific dollar amount in food to be served at your wedding), and finally, what does the venue do with leftovers? (Some venues will allow you to take any leftover food with you since you paid for it.  Just make sure to find out if you need to provide the containers to store the food in).

The next item to ask about is also food related: cake.  This is what some people look forward to the most when it comes to weddings!  Maybe you have a family member or friend that is a terrific baker, and you would love them to make the cake for your wedding.  However, maybe your family member or friend just bakes for fun and doesn’t work in a licensed bakery.  This may unfortunately end up being a problem as some venues require that your cake is from a licensed bakery.  Usually if a venue has specific requirements when it comes to the cake, they will tell you up front, but just to be safe, make sure to ask if you must have a cake from a licensed bakery.

Additionally, it is important to find out if your venue provides a full service bar.  Some people will opt to have a cash bar versus an open bar because of limited funds.  No matter what someone may say to you, you do not need to have an open bar at your wedding.  If you can afford it, that’s great, but do not feel like you have to.  Ask the coordinator at your venue what kind of options they have for their bar.  Many locations will offer cash, open, or a mixture of both.

You should also be sure to ask if your venue provides any decorations.  This information will come in handy when deciding what to purchase to make your event more festive and personalized.  Some venues will supply you with items to help decorate your tables (mirrors, votive candles, bubble bowls, vases, etc); by asking you will know what you will have at your disposal to work with.  Another thing you should find out is if they supply any lights and draping for the ceiling and any decorative up lighting (usually at an additional cost).  If your venue does supply the lighting and draping, you should be sure to find out if they do the set up for the decorations for you or if you will have to arrange to have that done yourself. 

One of the last things you should ask about is whether or not the venue has a DJ that they have contracted to work in their venue.  If they do, find out how much their DJ will cost.  Also, it is important to find out if they would be flexible and allow you to use your own DJ if you decided to.

Last but not least, you should be sure to find out if your venue provides security for your wedding.  If they do, this will hopefully prevent wedding crashers from entering your event.  Another benefit to having security is that they can keep an eye out for people leaving with your weddings gifts.  As crazy as that sounds, it unfortunately can and does happen.

So that wraps up my first Things to Consider blog!  If you have any questions or comments regarding my post, feel free to leave them as comments, and I will get back to you as soon as possible. 

Hopefully you found my suggestions helpful and will use them as you start looking for reception venues!

First Things First

You’re engaged, now what?  Well, first off, congratulations!  While the initial excitement of your engagement is a blast, you’ll most likely start thinking about the many things you have to accomplish before you walk down the aisle.  Wedding planning can be overwhelming, but if you tackle it one thing at a time, you’ll be able to plan all of the details of your wedding easily.  Below you will find the first things that I think every bride (and groom) should do once they start planning their big day.

One of the most common things you’ll hear from people following your engagement is “Have you set a date?”  However, before you rush into setting a date, I would recommend that you first find a reception venue you love, along with your ceremony location.  This was something I was very cautious of when I began planning.  I didn’t want to “fall in love” with a date and then find out that the reception location wasn’t available on the day of my wedding.  Instead, I wanted to find a great reception venue and set a date based on what they had available.  This worked out great in our case, especially since our church is largely an older congregation and wasn’t booked with any weddings in the month of July, and that the reception venue had a few openings remaining in the month.  After getting all the important details worked out, we were able to easily settle on July 7, 2012 as our wedding day.

Once you have set your date and booked your ceremony and reception venues, your next step should be finding a photographer.  This is an important step as many photographers book quickly.  Most photographers work alone or with one other photographer, so they won’t be able to take pictures at more than one wedding on a given day.  My advice is to research photographers in your area thoroughly and ask family and friends for any recommendations they may have.  You could also look into having the same photographer that took your senior pictures photograph your wedding, especially if you really loved their work the first time.

Your next big item to tackle is creating a rough draft of your guest list.  By doing this, you will know roughly how many people to plan for.  This could really help when determining your ceremony or reception venue.  There would be nothing worse than to having to cut important people from your guest list because your venues don’t allow for enough room.

Fear not, this won’t be the only time I discuss these topics.  I will cover all of these topics in greater depth in the future.  I just wanted to give you an idea of where to start your planning.

 Have a wonderful weekend!

Welcome to To Have and To Hold!

Thank you for stopping by my blog.  I will be using this blog to document my journey in planning my July 7, 2012 wedding.  Never fear though, I have no intention of abandoning my blog once I am married.  Instead, I plan on taking you with me on my adventures in married life.  Through this writing voyage, I hope to provide you, my readers, with helpful hints when it comes to planning your own wedding, organizational tips to ensure that you stay on top of all the important details, and any other advice I feel is vital to share.  I can’t wait embark on this exciting venture with each and every one of you!