Understanding Teardown After the Wedding Reception is Over

Gifts packed in a car at the end of the reception

Now let’s talk about teardown, or break down or clean up. Whatever name you call it by, it all means the same thing. It is what happens after the party is over. It is all the cleaning up that takes place once the bride and groom have left for their honeymoon.

For planners and other vendors, teardown is when the hard work really starts. You’ve been there all day hard at work and on your feet and now you have to pack back up everything that was brought to make the day special for the bride and groom.

A lot of couples never gave a thought to this part of the day. They just assume someone will do the cleaning up. Not true. First thing you need to do is check your contract and be sure what clean up is expected by your venue and what your vendors are willing to do.

Let’s go through a typical clean up

• Bride and Groom leave.
• Guests gather up their items and leave .
• Planner or someone packs gifts, left over cake, personal items into cars for newlyweds.
• Caterer picks up china/silverware/crystal and food and starts rinsing dishes to pack them up to go back to the rental companies (make sure this is covered in the contract).
• Someone must remove flowers/centerpieces from tables, empty water, clean vases and pack and load them into transportation (usually done by the florist for a fee).
• Someone must remove tea lights, menus, extra favors, etc. that are on tables and pack up or throw away.
• Caterer/planners or design team start removing linens and napkins to pack them up for return to the rental company. Linens and napkins must be counted so correct amount is returned to the rental company.
• Tables must be taken down and chairs stacked for rental company pick up. If there are chair covers or pads, these have to be removed. (Remember, some venues require pick up to be the same night as the reception, some will allow you to schedule pick up on Monday following the wedding. Most in the Greenville area do allow for a Monday pickup.)
• Venue space is swept or vacuumed.

Still More Gifts To Go Into The Car

 You and your vendors need to know who is responsible for all of this. Read contracts, know what is covered and what is not. Don’t expect Mom and Dad to do it. They are exhausted and busy saying goodbye to guests. Don’t just assume your wedding planner does it. Friends may offer to do it, but at the end of the night they tend to forget or don’t want to stay and get dirty (it is dirty hard work). I can’t stress enough make sure you have a plan in place that has been discussed with all vendors.