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Wedding Know-How: Moving Beyond the Basic
By Holly Burr
By now, you should have assessed your finances and
determined what you can realistically count on for a wedding budget. You
should also have a time and place chosen, and decided the number of attendants
and a rough estimate of guests. Now, let’s move on.
Wedding Attire—the style of dress you choose for the
wedding will set the tone for the entire ceremony. A wedding held in the late
afternoon and evening (5:00 and later) generally has a more formal theme with
full-length dresses, a long train for the bride, and tuxedos for the men.
Afternoon weddings can also accommodate a full-length wedding dress complete
with a train, but you will want to consider your site in making this decision.
If you have planned a late summer ceremony outside near a lake, you might want
to forego the heavy dress and long train that could easily get soiled.
Dark colors like black, navy, and deep reds and purples are
best at formal, evening events. Light colors and pastels are good colors for
morning and afternoon ceremonies and even work fine for evening ceremonies in
the summer.
Attention to detail will make all the difference in a
ceremony that looks unified or one that looks thrown together. Choose the
bridal gown first. Then, look for attendants’ gowns that have a similar
style—matching necklines, waistlines, and/or bodice styles. If you have
several attendants, you will need to consider all their body types when
choosing the perfect dress. Keep the attendants in mind as well when selecting
dress color. Not everyone looks good in buttercup yellow.
Décor—decorating for a wedding can be one of the most
expensive parts of the whole shindig. The cost of flowers will add up quickly
if you aren’t careful. Consider other options to flowers. Some greenhouses
rent greenery for a nominal fee. Candlelight can lend a romantic feel to a
ceremony and require less decoration in the dim lighting. Attendants don’t
have to carry large bouquets—a single, large flower like a rose or calla lily
can be quite enchanting. There are also other alternatives for attendants to
carry-a Bible or candle to name a few.
At a bare minimum, you will need a bridal bouquet, corsages
for mothers and grandmothers, and boutonnieres for the groom and groomsmen.
Refreshments—the time of the ceremony will also
determine the amount of refreshments you provide. A late morning or early
afternoon wedding may be able to get away with cake and punch. But, if you
place a ceremony smack in the middle of a mealtime you may need to consider
finger foods, buffet, or catered dinner. A reception before noon and during
the traditional lunchtime could offer finger sandwiches, cheeses, fruits and
such. A reception crowding in on dinnertime, might offer a buffet with
meatballs, buffalo wings, quiche, egg rolls, various salads, fruits, and so on.
Wedding cake is almost always an expected treat. Grooms
cake is negotiable. More about these in the next segment.
Take your time as you head into this section of planning
your wedding. The areas mentioned above will be the most visual part of the
day. Get several quotes on prices. Ask opinions from family and friends, but
ultimately do what is in your heart. It is, after all, your big day.
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