Pre Wedding Reception Activities

There are so many little details to worry about when planning a wedding some might get forgotten. One tiny detail that often gets overlooked is how to keep guests entertained before the wedding reception "officially" begins.

There is no requirement that brides entertain their guests at all. After all, they have already attended your wedding ceremony (which was surely engaging and entertaining, right?) and they will soon get music, food and drink. What more could they want? It turns out, a lot. While the bride and groom are off having pictures taken, the guests are left to their own devices, chatting with other guests and wondering when the buffet will open.

In that light, it's worth at least considering some pre-reception options for keeping wedding guests entertained until the reception begins. Here are a few options, some tradition, some not so, but still fun.

First, you can do the traditional thing and provide guests with drinks and perhaps some light snacks. If the wedding is in the summertime, how about providing lemonade and iced tea? Or if it's the winter, coffee and hot tea or even hot cocoa depending on the style of your wedding. Providing a light snack isn't a bad idea, either, and that can be some appetizer-type food or just nuts, especially if the meal will be heavy.

Now, if you want to stray from tradition, there are many options. Some brides opt for entertaining the guests in the truest sense of the word. Clowns, anyone? How about live music?

If you want to venture into the fun and funky, consult the party planning pages of a local children's or parent's magazine. Here, you can find people who will entertain your children at their birthday parties, but many of them will happily take on wedding jobs. You can hire a clown to make balloon animals for the kids (and adults) in attendance, or to juggle a few things. Some clowns are true entertainers and will happily get the crowd involved by fetching items out of women's purses and juggling them.

Other non-traditional options for entertaining your guests include hiring a band to play music beforehand. If you plan to have classical music at your wedding, you can have a band come and play covers of current pop songs, or you can simply have your hired band arrive a bit early to entertain guests waiting for the full reception to begin.

If there are many children at the wedding, it's not too expensive to hire a children's band to sing and entertain the children for a bit. Then if the kids are a bit bored at the reception, they'll still have the memory of the earlier entertainment with them. In addition, while the children are being entertained, the adults can have a chance to chat and they will surely thank the bride for thinking of them in that way.

Some other options for entertaining your restless crowd before the festivities begin are to include them in the reception before it begins. This is a great time to ask people to sign the guest book and write something meaningful, since they will have more time than they would usually have as they file into the reception hall.

If the reception and the wedding ceremony take place in the same location, but the bride and groom are off having pictures taken, it may not seem as if there's this dilemma of how to keep the guests entertained, but there in fact, is.

In this case, you can have servers circulate with appetizer trays or you can do something more elaborate, such as some of the suggestions above. One popular option doesn't involve entertaining the guests at all. Say the wedding is being held at a historic house or mansion. During the lull before the reception, guests can be given a tour of the property. If the wedding and reception are both being held at the couple's new home, a tour of the property might be in order (assuming the guest list is fairly small).

How To Bust A Wedding Crasher

The tradition typically associated with weddings is often shaken in movies. The recent hit, "The Wedding Crashers" portrayed an aspect of the ceremony in a unique light. The movie features mediators who have a routine of crashing wedding parties. The movie has experienced a huge amount of success and exposes an issue of wedding planning that many couples overlook: how to handle a wedding crasher.


Create a Lookout Plan
You may think it a silly idea to assign people to look for a wedding crasher, but you will be too caught up in the moment to worry about these issues, and you shouldn't. There is no need to go out and hire secret service men. All you need is to commission a couple of people to be able to identify that everyone attending your wedding ceremony was invited. One way to verify that someone is not a wedding crasher is to check that everyone who arrives has an invitation. If you feel uncomfortable with this idea, you can conceal your motives and exchange the wedding invitation for a special gift as your guests arrive. Having guests sign in as they arrive is another way to keep a wedding crasher out of your ceremony. Whichever way you choose to handle it, the idea is try and stop a wedding crasher at the door.

Beyond the Front Door
So, what do you do if a wedding crasher makes it into your wedding celebration? First of all, don't panic. Many people who attend wedding parties uninvited do so for harmless reasons. Most are just interested in obtaining a free meal. It might be the case that a wedding crasher arrived with someone who was actually invited. If it is the wedding ceremony that the wedding crasher is attempting to attend, give them an obscure seat, such as in the back. If it is the reception that the wedding crasher has snuck into, it is often the case that caters provide additional food for such occasions. Of course, not everyone has good intentions. An ex-lover, for example, may have intentions of creating a scene to disrupt your celebration. In this case you will just have to get rid of the wedding crasher quickly and with the least amount of attention. If your ceremony features a live band, have them crank up the volume to drown out yelling or other disrupting noises that may occur as you send the wedding crasher to the nearest exit.

Security Measures
It is rare that a wedding crasher will pose any danger to you or your guests. However, it is wiser to be prepared for such an occurrence. Having a uniformed security officer in the area is often enough to ward off a wedding crasher with ill intent. Installing a security camera and having someone watch for a wedding crasher is another measure you may want to consider. To keep a wedding crasher from being tempted to steal your gifts, it is a good idea to allow your guests to place the gifts in one specific area.

Another Great Pittsburgh, PA Bridal Show on 01/10/2010!

On January 10, 2010, Wedding Clickers will be hosting another great bridal show. 
Hours: 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM


209 Mall Boulevard
Monroeville, PA, 15146
Map / Driving Directions
Register for this Show!


****Register Online****
Special VIP Entrance and 10:00 am Fashion Show

VIP Entrance Opens 9:30 in the South Entrance Only
Fashion Shows
$7.00 / Person Admission Fee

For more information about Wedding Clickers and other Bridal Shows in the Pittsburgh Area, click here.

Getting Your Wedding Stationary Organized

Of all the stuff you require to do, purchase and put in order in groundwork for your wedding, wedding stationery is something that must be designed in advance. After all, you have to let your guests know well in advance of your approaching big day. Your wedding invites and accompaniments lay down the tone for your special day definitely setting up your trend, theme, and feel. It is the first formal note about your wedding ceremony which a guest will be given from you so, make it unique. If wedding etiquette is essential to you, then make a start with your wedding stationery.

Customized Stationery

Every bride wants her wedding to be as exceptional as can be. A good place to make a start is with custom wedding stationery. A big benefit with custom stationery is that you can write your own wordings; select the font, text size and color. It does not matter what theme you have set for your wedding, you will for sure be able to make specially your stationery to go along with the tone. Wedding invites and accompaniments can be bought in a choice of styles such as contemporary, classic, floral, layered, embossed and religious.

Choose a Topic
The subject matter of your stationery should match with the by and large theme of your wedding. For instance, if you are having a garden wedding then you may prefer to have a flower pattern print on your stationery items. There are many accompaniment bits and pieces on hand to assist you attach your stationery in with the theme of your wedding. For instance, rings, hearts, ribbons, white doves etc. The same stands for the color of your invites. This is on the whole decided upon by the color of your bridesmaids’ dresses.

Stationery Bits and Pieces
You would be taken aback at how many wedding stationery things there are. While your wedding invite is mainly the major piece of stationery, you can find complimentary stationery accompaniments to go with your wedding invites:

• Wedding Invitations
• Wedding Programs
• Announcements
• Engagement Announcements & Invitations
• Save-the-Date Cards
• Rehearsal Dinner Invitations
• Bridal Shower Invitations
• Wedding Accompaniments such as menu cards, thank you notes etc.

Plan in advance
Your wedding invitation is the first formal note about your wedding and your guests have to know about their invite in ample time. Here is a check list to help you out to plan in advance and be prepared:

• If you are sending Save-the-Dates, prepare to mail this any where from one year to nine months in advance. 
• Be in no doubt that the language in your invitation is proper. Ask a friend or family member to as well look through the invite for you for spelling or grammer mistakes.
• Arrange for your invitations the moment your date, time and place have been set. Three to six months before the service is when most professional planners advise mailling your invitations.  **Remember to add an addition 2 weeks for your stationary to arrive! 
• To work out the number of invites to arrange for keep in mind to count up one invitation per single guest, couple and family (dont accidentally order one for each guest -- that can be a costly mistake.)
• After working out the number of invites add around 25 invitations to your order - 10 to 12 extra for mementos, plus extras for the last minute guests. Also, based on how big your order is, add 25 to 50 extra envelopes in case of errors in addressing.
• A lot of well known wedding planners have the same opinion that you should prepare to mail your invitations six weeks ahead of the wedding. This gives the guest a lot of time to act in response.
• Take care that you have one fully assembled invitation weighed up at the post office to find out the exact postage.

Wedding invitations lay down the tone for your wedding and lets your guests know what sort of approach and setting you have selected for your wedding, so have fun and let some personality shine through!!

 Once Upon A Timeless Bride's  Top Choices for Online Stationary Providers:

Minted
I love their Yearline(TM) Save the Date cards & they offer a great selection of bridal shower invitations, wedding invitations, thank you cards, and menu cards!

Invitation Consultants
The Invitation Consultants offer a beautiful selection of every possible stationary needed to make your wedding a success.  Find Engagement, Save the Dates, Bridal Shower, Bachelorette Party, Rehearsal Dinner, Post Wedding Brunch, Travel or Accommodation Cards, Map or Direction Cards, Menu Cards, Place Cards, Wedding Favors, Wedding Programs, and finally Party Favors all at Invitation Consultants!


Wedding Paper Divas

What sets Wedding Paper Divas apart is the current Free Wedding Website Promotion!  I love it!  I used it to set up my own Wedding Website.  They also offer a unique variety of wedding stationary for everything from engagement parties to wedding favor gift tags!

Stationary Style

Stationary Style made my list not only because of their stationary but because of Style Central.  Here they give great advice on the perfect wording, the latest trends, and they even have stationary consultants to assist you!

Always Remember: You're Bridesmaids Are Your Friends! Be Nice!

When it comes to a marriage ceremony, your girlfriends help you hold it together. Do not allow wedding planning to mess up your friendships.
You are making arrangements for a wedding, and sentiments are high. Successes, disappointments, smiles, tears, mirth, and worries – the roller coaster of sentiments will for sure go full force, as you get ready for the big day.

And so they are by your side – your bridesmaids, that is to say – giving you courage and comfort along the way to make sure of an easy ride on your journey towards being “man and wife.” Over the years they have done a lot for you, these exceptional women in your life. They have dried your tears through that hard breakup, rooted for you when you got that big promotion and approved you when you made the impulsive choice to move across the country on a craze in your early twenties.
In reality, your best girlfriends may well have been the most essential people in your life – up until now. Now you are preparing for a wedding, and they are not. And one way or another, you are no longer in the same place – no longer somewhat like a group. After the first laudatory shouts fall down, anguish can appear on the friendship front. From complaints about bridesmaids’ dresses and wedding planning analysis, to deeper problems of anxiety and resentment, even the best support systems can give way under the stress.

It is simple when enfolded up in the excitement of wedding planning to mislay the force that binds women together in that exceptionally female thick bond of friendship. Do not let that happen. If you are feeling the intimacy slipping away in between your wedding planning – do something about it. These are the people who have been by your side in the course of all of life’s most immense changeovers. You required them then – you require them now.

Communication
It is the catchphrase for strong relations. You have heard that you must keep up open communication with your fiancé and future husband so as to make your marriage work. The same applies for relationships with your girlfriends. Keep the lines of communication open, and stay away from the affinity for anxiety and splitting up when “one of the girls” gets engaged.

With the presence of email, there actually is no justification for losing touch with your friends. Obviously, phone calls and face to face get-togethers are for all time better, but brides-to-be pressed to the scheduling threshold can always send a friendly email. And no – every email cannot merely be a wedding fill in – ask them about their lives too. You do bear in mind how to be a friend, don’t you?

Girls’ Night Out
Put together a girls’ night – and have a good time with them for a change. You most likely are not doing much wedding planning on a Friday night in any case, so try to gather together your girls for a night out on the town. Do not worry – you do not have to arrange anything. Just write an email to your gal pals with a time and place to get together for a happy hour, movie or dinner. Your friends are occupied too, so even if everybody cannot make it, your friends will be pleased about your effort to get in touch with them.
Engage Them in Your Plans
A number of of your wedding plans can be a collective attempt. Put in a bottle of wine, a bit of cheese and crackers, and you have got yourself a fun little get together. No – they are not your servants – and you should not insist on your friends to spend hours filling envelopes. But if they ask to help – get them up on it. Make it enjoyable and have a chat about non-wedding topics while you work.

So yes, at the same time, as it is YOUR day, do not fail to remember to take care of your relationships with your bridesmaids. They are by your side to give encouragement and friendship, so make certain you do the same for them.

The Perfect Wedding Dance

One of the greatest things about your wedding is that it is your celebration. You are consequently the king or queen of the occasion so you get the crown and the first dance. It is the moment in time to get down.

By tradition, you will be doing the two-step. On the whole that means pick and choose a song that you can move back and forth to and take two steps to as you position yourself on the floor. This can be actually sweet but if truth were told... you can do that at some old time.

If you have the slightest capability to dance and you are eager to have a bit of enjoyable time, find out how to dance one very exclusive number. Take into service a choreographer if you require one. Show off your skill to move to the music.

If you have only done modern dances, you will come across that ballroom dances are beyond doubt a combination of the skills of two people. You need to work with your partner’s strong points and grab hold of the tempo as one. It may perhaps take a lot of rehearsals so that you move about and seem to be stunning together. After all, dancing should be striking to look at as well as to perform.

Out of most ballroom dances, it is the waltz, which is preferred most at weddings. The waltz is enjoyable and simple to become skilled at. You will also find it easy to dance the waltz in a wedding dress. Traditional music selections include the Skater's Waltz or the Blue Danube Waltz.

If you desire to use more contemporary music, variations have been made of fairly a number of songs as well, which may consist of your most wanted love song. The Way You Look Tonight and Moon River are just two of the songs used as options.

The Foxtrot is one more well-appreciated dance for weddings. Couples can sway fast to the melody of Cheek to Cheek or more slowly to Someone to Watch Over Me. The foxtrot is a much more energetic dance compared to the waltz but it retains the same romantic and dreamy feel.

Of course if you in reality dance nicely with each other, do not be timid about it. Why not go for the performance of a tango and warm up the floor. Make it totally sizzling!

Whatever dance you opt for, just have fun and enjoy yourself. Let yourselves be Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire and enjoy your dance to the hilt. Practice a lot and do not overlook to keep the dresses in mind. Get the celebration in progress the right way... with you having a great time.

If you are thinking about taking lessons or need to brush up on some of your moves, I recommend First Dance Fabulous by Mary Pinizzotto - the Wedding Dance Expert. It's fun and easy to follow.  You'll be up on your feet, impressing your guests in no time!

Will A Destination Wedding Be Right From You

This snowy time of year makes me think of packing up my bags and heading to the beach. A destination wedding could be "escape" you need from the weather!

What is the precise meaning of a ‘destination wedding’? Well, this is the expression used for a wedding ceremony that takes place in a preferred locality, which is far off from the bride and grooms’ native town. The wedding service and function is held in a locality where everybody including all guests has to take a trip to get to the wedding.

Selecting a locale for your wedding is in all probability the most significant wedding planning choice you will have to make. After all, the locality of your wedding will control many features of your wedding, as well as the cost. For example, many people are now deciding on for a more tropical and out of the ordinary locality to get married, and if you feel like taking a trip to the opposite side of the globe to reach the wedding destination of your dreams, then it can be a lot pricey.

Destination weddings are for sure rising in status. Of course there still are many couples who follow the conventional route of a church wedding, with a reception held in a large banquet hall, destination weddings are undoubtedly an upcoming and new style with many couples wishing to tie the knot.

Why are destination weddings so in style?

Well, one good explanation is that they stand for a holiday for everyone caught up in the wedding and not just a honeymoon for the bride and groom. Some people like to keep it quiet and small and are content with just close friends and family, while there are other couples who prefer a large wedding party traveling along – it is all based on what you want. A destination wedding is also in style with people getting wedded for the second or even third time. They do not want all the bother and regulation of a conventional marriage, they simply want to ‘get away’ and get married.
Things to think about when planning a destination wedding:

• If wanting a tropical wedding, bear in mind that it will be very hot and humid and you and your partner could feel very distressing in your wedding attire

• Do you want only immediate family and friends to come with you, or a bigger wedding party?

• Can all of your guests manage to pay for the traveling costs?

• Can you manage to pay for all your guests who travel with you?

• Do you want to give a second reception back home for friends and family who could not travel with you?

• Is privacy essential to you? Your guests will enclose you for the whole period of your wedding and honeymoon.

Don’t forget that you would be inviting your guests to take the trip with you. However, it’s most probable that your guests will be paying their own way and are basically planning their complete holiday around your wedding. As a result, you will have to give substantial thinking in what both you and your guests want to do prior to and subsequent to the wedding.

To sum it up, destination weddings are getting to be very much in style and because of this there are many travel agents who now concentrate in these types of weddings. Make a choice on how big a traveling party you want and also if the guests can manage to pay for it. Be certain to make some arrangement with your guests if you want a few days of time and space to yourself and your spouse.