Wedding Preparations

I remember one year when I sat across from a friend at a local restaurant, enjoying lunch together.  She had been married over 10 years and I was still waiting for Mr. Right to come along.  She would confide in me about her marriage woes and we'd joke about some of it, like having to make an appointment on the calendar with her husband, just so they could discuss what was going on in their lives.  I learned during that chat and many others with her that being married really wasn't any different from being single, except that you walked through life's difficulties with someone, and not alone.

A few years later, Mr. Right did come along and together we went through a 12 week premarital counseling session, discussing marriage topics from A to Z.  It was during that time I began to realize how much more important it was to plan for my marriage than it was to plan for my wedding.

In our eyes, our wedding was beautiful and just what we wanted. It wasn't anything fancy, in fact many may have questioned why I didn't do more with the music, since I had been the music administrator in the singles ministry at our church. I chose to keep the wedding as family oriented as possible and I had my nieces and nephews sing a song about Love (I Corinthians 13).  They were young and so out of tune!  It didn't matter to me.  It was fun and I treasured my relationship with each one of them. To this day, when my husband and I listen to the recording of our wedding day, we grin from ear to ear!  Others may have questioned the luncheon we served, versus a big meal.  Our wedding was in the late morning.  A luncheon was easy, not as expensive, and perfect for the middle of the day! I'm sure there are other things that people would have chosen so differently from what we had planned.

I learned early on that the wedding day is just ONE day.  My marriage is a LIFETIME.  I kept that in mind as I planned for my wedding.  I try to help the brides that I work with now understand this concept.  Many of them are young, fresh out of college without any idea of what marriage really entails. 

Some friends of mine shared this article on Facebook.  I thought it was so good and wanted to share it with my readers as well. Young Brides -- take heed to these words and learn to prepare for your marriage!

Happy Planning!

http://www.kyria.com/topics/marriagefamily/marriage/healthhome/visitwithbride.html

The Second Time Around

Girls think of their wedding days often.  Some start at a very young age as they engage in playtime with their dolls.  We dream big during those times.  We think our bridal party will be as large as the group of friends we have made, as we wouldn't want to leave anyone out!  We dream of what it would be to have a fancy wedding like shown in the movie, "The Wedding Planner, "  with a tall fountain cake, the limousine ride, and the hundreds of guests that would attend our outdoor festivity.  We dream of the dress we'd wear and our handsome prince, and our eyes wander off in a far a way land of color and romance.

Most recently I've been thinking about weddings for those couples that are marrying for the second time.  They've had the big fancy to do once before, in most cases,  and a repeat of that is not necessary this time around.  They've learned that their wedding day is just one day and they are no longer concerned with all that they dreamed about as a young girl.

When doing a simple wedding, whether it be your first or second, keep in mind the aspect of vision and color.  What are your guests going to see?  What will your photos reveal weeks later?The presentation of color assists in drawing your guests in to the main event!  If they don't have anything to look at, sorry to say, you may cause a few heads to drop forward...zzzzzz.  Weddings can be so beautiful with some simple touches of color that won't cost much at all.  Brides-To-Be, as you think about your weddings, keep in mind the little touches--a table cloth for your unity candle or communion table, a couple of ribbons or bows to be added to chairs to signify where your parents will be seated, a floral arrangement on the platform, etc.  I knew of one bride who had asked all her bridesmaids (all eight of them) to wear their long hair with a pony tail off to one side (the same side).  It was an added touch that made her pictures and ceremony even more attractive.  Simple, different, and no cost! 

Keep in mind the background of your pictures as well.  If the church stage presents a dark stained wood frame, you will want to be sure that enough color is presented through your flowers and attendants that your photos won't be entirely dark.  Even if the walls are white, depending upon the hue of the stain, the walls may not reflect a lot of white.  Especially if your photographer is a friend or relative that's doing your photos for you.  Unless they take pictures as a living, they have a nice camera, but will not be able to do the work on the photos that a professional photographer could do.  So your color schemes will be something to consider.  I don't mean to be dramatic and flashy.  I highly don't recommend that either.  Simply placing colors in a tie, your flowers, or even in your hair, will help your photos reveal the pleasantries of your special day!

The acronym K.I.S.S. can take on several different meanings.  In this case, Keep It Simple, Sweetie!  Choose one (or two) colors that will blend in with your black and white, and with a bit of a silver or gold lining you're good to go!  With the added simple touches you can have a beautiful and elegant, low cost wedding! 

If you're having trouble deciding--write a note in the comments section of this post.  I'll be glad to walk you through it!

Marketing Creation

Lately the creative side has been put to heavy use. I've been planning for a huge women's event at my church, which I'll refer to in a future blog. But I've also been busy with my wedding tasks.

After receiving a job to plan a wedding that is outside of the church that I'm already working with, I decided I should put together a marketing piece for brides that may be seeking additional help.

I asked one of the pastor's at the church if my marketing piece could be shared with the couple's that came in who were interested in renting the church facility. They were glad to pass my information along!

As I pondered over what I wanted this piece to say I came up with an idea that totally took on a representation of a wedding. I put together a "wedding invitation." Each couple will be handed an envelope that is "addressed, " Getting Married! On the inside of the envelope flap, it reads, But...

The top half of the invitation gives reasons as to why they may need a wedding planner's assistance, and the bottom half encourages them to contact ACO Events.

Along with the invitation is a response card. The bride is to check off the services they are interested in. Inside they leave their contact information. After I receive the card, I will have a phone call to make!

Creating is so much fun!

Under Way

Saturday, March 17th, was the day for the first wedding that I was involved in, since taking on my new position of a Facilities/Wedding Coordinator for a local church. It was an interesting weekend in many ways. The gal who had the position before me found the Friday night rehearsal a bitter sweet evening knowing it was the last wedding event she would be involved in. She told me that she really had taken the position seriously and she was afraid that the church would not find someone else who would take it as seriously as she did and all her "prep work for this position" would be crushed. Long story short--she told me she felt so much better after watching me in action. "You take it seriously. You know what you are doing. I didn't have to train you, like I've had to with others!" Her evening was left on a peaceful note. Saturday, I arrived a half hour earlier than anyone else to be sure the rooms were all set, the church temperature was good, and everything was in place for the sound man. The wedding was absolutely beautiful! The bride was glowing, as all brides do, and the groom grinned from ear to ear. I'll bet his cheeks were sore by the end of the day! We were able to squeak by from a possible fire mishap, and everything went very smoothly. The setting was very homey and comfortable. Everything was perfect! Oh--the fire mishap? Well, let's just say that extinguishing candles with an aersol can of Dust Remover is NOT a good idea, as the young gentlemen assigned to this task quickly discovered. This was not something that had been discussed with me, so I had no idea that spraying the candles out was the plan. After the first set of candles had been set ablaze the cans quickly disappeared and all other candles were blown out. Whew! (I couldn't believe it. The cans even read: Flammable, DO NOT use near fire!) I don't know whose idea it was, but I am relieved that nothing more had come of it. The vision in my mind read the next days headlines:

Wedding Coordinator Burns Down Church At Her First Wedding!

Wouldn't that have been a plus to any future jobs! Yikes! Here's a good rule to abide to for all you Brides-To-Be out there: ALL candles need to be put out with a candle snuffer!! Bring one or two along! I actually landed another wedding job, that is outside of the church that day, so it was a delightful experience all around. I'm thankful for God's blessings for that day and the many weddings to come. Here's wishing all guests and participants safe and beautiful weddings this summer!

Planning Ahead

September, 2012 another simulcast is coming to the church that I attend. I am the coordinator for the steering committee for this event. I started praying in January, that God would bring forth the individual's he wanted to serve on this committee. As of Sunday, February 26th, my prayers were answered! I have a full team anxious to prepare for this event. There are 20 of us altogether. Right now the director of the women's ministry and myself are making the final financial decisions--figuring out what ticket prices will be, etc. There are many details to consider in this budget. From the cost of the simulcast to the miscellaneous costs that may arise, we are up to our eyeballs in dollar signs! I have two more meetings scheduled in March--one with the director, and another with the individual who will be running the registration site. Meanwhile I am composing a manual for this event, for each team. Yes, there are 7 teams within the committee. Each team serves a different purpose. Design, hospitality, product, prayer, outreach, facility, registration and tech are the teams now in place. We will have our first meeting the end of April and we start digging into our tasks in May. The entire team seems to be really excited--myself included! We are going to handle some major changes from last year, and it's going to be far more beneficial for EVERYONE!

Bats In The Belfry

I received word yesterday that I have been chosen to be a Facilities Coordinator for a local church! The church is 105 years old and many couples love to rent the facility to have their wedding. I will be coordinating each wedding event, making sure the church is in good order for the bride and groom's special day. I will also be adding my skills as an event planner and administrative assistant, dealing with contracts, forms, venues, etc. During my interview for this position I was told a story of one of the earlier weddings held at the church. It was in the winter and at one point if you looked up you would see some black things hanging around. As you continued to look, you realized that there were bats flying around! Eeww! The exterminator that had been called the next day stated that the bats had made their home in the rafters for the winter--it was a warm place for them. We just happened to "wake them up" when the wedding was held that day. Fortunately, no one had screamed or made a scene about them during the wedding, and matters were taken care of quickly thereafter. I am very excited about this position, and have begun my wedding emergency list. I am putting together a kit of things that might be needed incase of an emergency, like a hem that needs to be fixed, or a wedding dress that has gotten soiled, etc. I shouldn't have to worry about any bats in the belfry, but I will be ready for other emergencies. I'll have to keep you posted of my experiences and wedding excitements in the months ahead!