Sweet Thank You

 

While I am in the midst of all the craziness of getting ready for today's wedding, I decide to check the mailbox.  In it, I find a reminder of why I continue this nerve racking, crazy profession.  It was a very sweet thank you from the parents of a bride we had a few weeks ago. So as stressful and crazy as the job is, it does have its wonderful moments!

What Makes a Wedding Guest Happy

 

I watched another session of Four Weddings.  The show overall is terrible; asking brides to judge each other’s weddings is just wrong.  But it is interesting to see the things they dislike as guests at weddings.  Some things are ridiculous, such as the church service was too long or too short.  That is not up to the bride or something she can, in most instances, have any say in at all.  It is after all a religious ceremony decided on by the church.

I have also noticed that almost every time, the bride that spends the most on her wedding wins.  Money may not buy happiness, but it does buy drinks, good entertainment and good food, all very important to wedding guests.  Want to make sure your wedding doesn’t win; then have a cash bar.

So what causes a wedding to not be a favorite with guests:

A cash bar

Lack of food choices, cold food or bad food.

Lack of décor and under this comes using fake flowers.  The guests will notice, pure and simple.

Lack of seating, no matter what you think guests do not want to stand for any period of time.

Rooms that are too tight. Too many guests crammed into a room does not make for a pleasant time.

Outdoor weddings that are too hot, too cold or too buggy.  Beautiful setting does not make up for uncomfortable guests.

Guests like a wedding to look like a wedding, not a dinner, and not a cocktail party.  They come to a wedding and they want to see a wedding.  They are looking for something special.

Long speeches or lots of speeches.  Two is ok, more are not.  Guests don’t really care.  Have them at the rehearsal dinner where it is just family that does care.

Don’t split the event between rooms. Cake in one area, dinner in another, dancing another, guests spread out in different rooms.  Doesn’t work, guests in outer rooms away from the wedding couple feel like lesser friends.  Not good.

So even though I don’t really approve of the show, it does teach the occasional good lesson.  So what would you like to add to the list?  What makes you happy or unhappy as a wedding guest?

Lena and Christian Get Married

This past weekend we were lucky enough to work with a great couple, Lena and Christian.  Their ceremony was held at Christ Church and the reception was at the Sawmill. 

Lena was a bride that knew exactly what she wanted.  She chose aubergine, eggplant and ivory as her colors with a theme of classic elegance.  Lena’s main request was candles, candles and more candles and boy did we have candles.  They were everywhere, in the windows, in the fireplace, on the tables, and we even had candle trees set up around the room. 

Lena had made a lot of her own personal touches throughout the wedding such as programs, signs and favors.The menu choosen by the couple and prepared by Larkins and was to die for.  Everything from the shrimp and grits to the steak was delicious. Dessert was the fabulous wedding cake and grooms cake.

At the end of the evening the couple, who will be honeymooning in London, were cheered on their way with British flags.  The favors were British tea cookies and tea bags. The getaway car was a beautiful antique Bently.

 As you can see below, the whole evening was absolutely beautiful.

 

 

Vendors:

Wedding Planner:  Willrich Bridal and Special Events
Wedding:  Christ Church
Reception: Sawmill
Floral and Design:  Memories by McMillan
Cake:  Kathy and Co.
DJ:  Pros Only Entertainment, Sam Brooks
Photographer:  Christine LeGrand Photography
Transportation:  Gene Gore

Valerie and Ryan Get Married

We had a Thursday wedding this past week.  I think it might have been the first Thursday wedding we have done.  Why Thursday, you might ask?  Well the couple wanted to be married on 10/11/12.  Isn’t that cute?  The majority of guests were from out of town so a Thursday event worked fine.

The bride, Valerie, was actually the second bride we have had from this family.  I love return customers.  It’s so much fun, because you already sort of know the family.  Right from the start, the bride and her mom knew that they wanted dark blue to be the main color. They had seen a picture of dark blue goblets on a table and they loved the look.  So that’s what we did.  Professional Party Rental brought in dark blue glasses and silver chargers for the table. These were laid on a silver table linen with silver napkins.  Dinner plates were white with a silver rim.  It was truly beautiful. 

 

The flowers were blues, bronzes and tangerines offset with ivories to pop the colors.  There was a touch of a natural element with river rock surrounding candles on the tables.

For fun there was a gorgeous candy bar that played off the dark blue crystal goblets on the table.  The bride’s mom had collected all types of dark blue containers and we filled them with silver, white and blue candies.  There were also glow necklaces and bracelets for everyone to wear during the dancing.  These were a huge hit.

 

Take a sweet couple, fun family, great vendors and what do you get?  A picture perfect wedding!

Vendors for this event are:

Ceremony- Covenant Methodist

Site – Huguenot Loft

Florist – Memories by McMillan

Photographer/Videographer/Lighting – Better Tie Productions

Cake – Couture Cakes of Greenville

Musicians- Trio 864

DJ – Life of the Party (Robert)

Limo – DL Limousine Service

Caterer- Goodlife Catering

 

 

 

 

How To Go To The Bathroom in a Wedding Dress

 

Ok for you guys out there that read my blog, you may want to turn away.  This one is strictly for the brides.  I found this picture on Pinterest and had to laugh out loud.  I have taught so many brides how to use the restroom wearing a wedding dress.  Now, I know you wouldn’t think this is something that you have to learn, but it is.  No way, can you go to the bathroom the regular way once you are dressed.  There is an art to peeing in a huge dress with a train on it.

So to accomplish this deed you will have to:

1)      Remove the panties before entering the stall.

2)      Instead of backing into the stall and over the toilet as you normally do, you are going to walk forward and straddle the seat.  This allows the dress to flow out behind you.  One note, before entering the stall make sure the floor is totally clean.

3)      Once finished hold dress up and back out.

4)      Remember to put panties back on, or not depending on how racy you feel.

Now head back to the party and have a great time!

Summer and Outdoor Weddings

If this unbearably hot summer has taught us anything, it is that a lot of the time outdoor weddings are not all they are cracked up to be.  Sure, the dream is beautiful, lovely scenery, gentle breeze, doves flying overhead, but the reality of sweltering guests, sweating grooms, fainting attendants, mosquitos and expensive makeup sliding off the face is more a nightmare than a dream. 

I caught up on Four Weddings (truly dislike that show) this week and time and time again the complaint was being outside in the heat and humidity made the guests miserable.  Is that really how you want people to remember your wedding?

So what if you just can’t live without an outdoor wedding?  Well then there are a few things to remember.

1)      Don’t have it in July and August and you might want to think about June and early September.

2)      Plan for a late afternoon/early evening ceremony.

3)      Offer guests some sort of shade, trees, tent, or umbrellas.

4)      Remember your musicians will probably require some sort of tent to shade instruments from the sun (or possible rain).

5)      Offer your guests fans and something cool to drink. Make sure these drinks are non-alcoholic.  The last thing you need is a bunch of drunken guests in the blazing sun.

6)      Realize that your flowers will wilt in the sun.  No way around it.

7)   The female guests might be cool in summer dresses but remember the guys are in suits and tuxes.  They will be miserable.

8)      ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS have a rain plan.

Check Out a Willrich Bridal Wedding in At Home Summer 2012 Issue

We were very excited to hear that we were mentioned in an article in the Summer 2012 issue of At Home Magazine.  The article entitled A Family Affair talks about a wedding we planned for Hunter Todd and Justin Lovvorn.  It truly was a beautiful wedding and I feel honored that it was chosen to be in the magazine.

For more about this wedding click here.

A Perfect Night at the Huguenot Loft in Greenville, SC

This past Saturday, we did another event at one of my favorite venues, Huguenot Mill at the Peace Center.  This was the wedding and reception of Kimberly and Mark.  You could not find a sweeter couple if you tried.  Kimberly purchased our Month of Package with some extra hours added on.  This meant that we were available to help throughout her planning process as needed and about a month out we came on board to help with pulling all the details together for a beautiful event. 

It did turn out to be just that, a beautiful event.  The colors chosen were greens and corals set off by burlap.  There was a rustic feel to the whole event with mason jars for the flower arrangements, burlap overlays and sashes on the tables, chalk board wedding program, and a wooden cake plateau.  There were lanterns hanging from the ceiling and string lights on all the poles in the reception area. The ceremony area was decorated with a wooden arch covered in flowers and grape vine. A large moss initial “B” decorated one wall. A handmade runner, a gift for the couple, was placed on the aisle.

Guests were treated to a BBQ dinner with all the trimmings.  For entertainment there was a band and a photobooth setup.  Donations were made (in place of favors) to Miracle Hill.  At the end of the evening, our Cinderella and her prince left in a horse drawn carriage.  It was the perfect ending to a perfect event.

Vendors:

Planning:        Willrich Bridal and Special Events
Ceremony and Reception:  Huguenot Loft
Florals:           Statice Floral and Memories by McMillan
Photographer: Christine LeGrand Photography
Cake:               Kathy and Company
Ceremony Music:       Don Shabkie
Reception Music:       17 South Band
Catering:                     Good Life Catering
Lighting:                     Optrics
Carriage:                     Whispering Winds Carriage Company  

All pics are by Willrich Bridal Images