What to wear on your wedding day

Sure, wedding magazines are filled with pictures of brides in taffeta and lace and grooms in tuxes; but what if that’s not your style? What if you want your wedding day attire to reflect a little more of you? Remember, while the traditional white wedding gown seems like a must today, it’s a relatively new idea. Brides used to simply get married in their best dress and grooms in their best clothes. Why not express your individuality in more than just your centerpieces and wedding favors?  You may need to do some explaining to your extended family why it’s ok to wear something unusual, but if the two of you are happy with what you’re wearing, that’s all that matters!

From mild to wild, here are some great ideas:

Brides

Mild: If you still picture yourself in a white wedding dress, but want to add a little fun, why not add a pop of color? Our favorites include using your wedding colors in a sash, on buttons, as a petticoat, or even on your shoes!

Medium: For a casual beach wedding, why not a white sundress? You’ll be more comfortable and will be able to get around easier on the beach.

Wild: Why not dress in costume for a themed wedding or wear your favorite green gown? It’s up to you!

Who says you can't wear a green dress? 

Grooms

Mild: You can have fun with color, too! Maybe some bright socks, a festive tie or fantastic shoes that coordinate with the rest of the wedding colors.

Medium: Instead of a full tux, many men are choosing to wear just a vest over shirtsleeves. It’s still a polished look, but isn’t as formal.

Wild: You, too, can enjoy a costume for a themed wedding, or an over-the-top bespoke suit that fits your personality!

Keep yourself healthy while in the middle of wedding planning

Any major change in your life is sure to cause you some stress – even something as happy as planning your wedding! You’re trying to balance how the two of you see your big day with what your families and friends want; and possibly planning the biggest party you’ve ever thrown. It’s easy to let the wedding planning overshadow other parts of your life, but don’t neglect taking care of yourself!

Take breaks. Sure, you’re on a deadline and you feel like you have no time to spare. But if all you’re doing is wedding planning 24/7, you’re going to get burned out! Take time for the two of you to have a “wedding free” night, even if it’s just dinner. Go out with your best friend for brunch or a mani-pedi. Whatever it is, take time for you.

Check on each other. A marriage is a partnership – wedding planning should be one, too! If your other half seems really stressed out or overwhelmed, ask to help. If you’re the one feeling frazzled, don’t be afraid to ask for help!

Don't let planning for the big day take its toll on your health!

Be careful with weight loss. Everyone wants to look their best on their wedding day – but if you try to lose too much weight too quickly, you could make yourself sick. Check with your doctor before starting ANY weight loss plan. Remember, your sweetie fell in love with you exactly how you are – you don’t need to change it now.

But don’t neglect exercise. Getting up and moving around is the best recipe for relieving stress, even if it’s just a walk around the block with your dog. If you’ve got a regular workout routine, try to stick to it as much as you can. It’ll do wonders for your state of mind (and it’ll be good for the dog, too!).

Help your guests find their seats

Once you’ve figured out your seating chart, you need a way to help your guests find their seats – the escort or table card. At its simplest, it’s a card with your guest’s name and table number, possibly with a notation for their dinner choice. But, as with most things wedding-related, you have many ways of personalizing them!

Follow your theme. An elegant wedding needs an elegant escort card set-up, while a casual beach wedding should have a similar feel. You can work with your printer to create cards that match your invitation suite, or you can use objects like wine corks or seashells to DIY your cards.

Set aside some space. As you plan your reception set-up, make sure you have adequate room for your table cards. Most couples prefer to display the cards near the guestbook, so guests have everything in one place.

Limoncello bottles double as escort cards and wedding favors! 

More than just cards. Many couples like to have escort cards pull double duty as a wedding favor. Using small picture frames, mini liquor bottles or votive candle holders is an easy way to have a lovely gift for your guests as well as a way for them to find their seats.  

Your imagination is the only limit! 

Tips for the “Parent of the….”

Your son or daughter comes to you with the great news – they’re engaged! You’re ecstatic, and then it occurs to you that you have a lot of work ahead of you for the next year or so! And in addition, the “rules” for wedding planning have changed so much, you don’t even know where to begin.

First, acknowledge your own emotions. No matter how much you love your son or daughter’s significant other, this can be a bittersweet time. Just like your child’s first steps, first day of school, driver’s license or graduation day, this is a milestone for both of you. It’s ok to be a little sad as well as happy – just try not to let that influence how you help the happy couple!

Make sure you have the money talk. This is never easy, but you need to make sure everyone is on the same page with the wedding budget. Is the newly-engaged couple expecting you to help pay for expenses? How much can you afford? If you have this talk early in the engagement, it will ease a lot of tension later. Be honest and be clear.

Have the “who’s planning this thing” talk. This can also be awkward, especially if you and the couple have a very different vision of what you want the wedding to be! If you’re paying for the wedding, how much influence does that give you?  If you’re expecting a big religious wedding, while they’re thinking of a destination beach wedding, you have some negotiating to do!

Just like we tell brides and grooms – pick your battles. Figure out what is important to you, and explain why it’s important. Everything else is negotiable!

Be agreeable. Meet your child’s significant other’s family, if you haven’t already. Follow your son or daughter’s lead on what to wear on the wedding day itself. Offer to help, offer your advice, but be prepared for it not to be taken!

And most importantly, enjoy the day. Again, just like we tell brides and grooms, try to take a step back and enjoy the wedding itself.

Plan ahead to make that outdoor wedding shine

As we approach summer wedding season, we know many couples are planning to hold some or all of their wedding outdoors. While having the sun shine down on the happy couple as they exchange vows is always beautiful, outdoor weddings have their own potential problems.

Most of all, have a backup plan. Whether you want all or part of your wedding outdoors, you need some sort of backup plan if the weather turns ugly on you. Here at the Heritage, we host many ceremonies outside in our Stone Garden. But we also have the ability to move that ceremony inside at a moment’s notice! Make sure you have some sort of option for your guests in case of bad weather – it could be as simple as umbrellas or as complex as a tented area.

The Stone Garden at the Heritage Hotel offers an outdoor venue with a built-in weather backup!

Watch the temperature. Even in June, the temperatures can spike quickly. Be sure you have plenty of water on hand for guests to stay hydrated. Many couples who plan to have a printed wedding program have them printed on a fan so guests can keep themselves cool during the ceremony. Also, if you are planning to have your reception outdoors as well, make sure your caterer has planned keeping cold food safe!

Help your guests plan ahead as well by letting them know ahead of time that your wedding is planned to be outdoors. Guests will be sure to dress appropriately for the weather, as long as they know ahead of time. A survival kit of things your guests may have forgotten like sunscreen or bug spray will come in handy!

What to do when your significant other isn’t “into” wedding planning

You’re all excited – your wedding day is fast approaching, and you’ve got wedding planning fever. You know exactly down to the tiniest detail exactly how things are going to be. But your partner isn’t showing the same level of excitement you are. When you ask about color swatches, uplighting, or food choices he or she just doesn’t seem to be as interested.

First, don’t panic! Just because your partner isn’t interested in the tiny details doesn’t mean they don’t want to be married. It just means they aren’t into party planning.

But make sure their voices are being heard. If your partner doesn’t seem to care about one element of the planning, like color swatches, don’t assume they don’t have an opinion about something else, like food. Check in regularly to make sure you’re not steamrolling over all of their decisions.

Take a little time for each other. Sure, you’re planning possibly the biggest event you’ve ever planned, and you want it to be just right. But when you make every conversation about the wedding, you risk overloading your partner. Take some time for a regular date night, and promise “no wedding talk.” You’ll both be refreshed and ready to tackle the next wedding planning challenge.

Ask for help. It may sound like a great thing, being able to make all the decisions for your wedding day, but sometimes you need help. Let your significant other know you need help making some decisions. If you need more help than that, ask a trusted member of the wedding party or a family member. You don’t have to do it alone!

Tips for making your wedding accessible

Whether it’s for you, your partner or a family member or friend, planning a wheelchair or other accessible wedding has its own challenges.

Keep accessibility needs in mind as you scout wedding locations. Depending on who needs the accessibility, you may need to have different options. If it’s a member of the wedding party, make sure your location has a plan for wheelchair access to the ceremony spot. If it’s for a guest, you may only need to be sure there is an accessible spot for them in the congregation where they can see the ceremony comfortably. During the reception, ensure tables are the correct height and that there will be no issues at the buffet.

Outdoor locations have their own requirements. Check for things like uneven pavement or rocky or marshy ground. Will you have a raised floor under a tent? You may need to add some ramps to help your guests onto the floor.

If you have sight-impaired guests, consider printing a few copies of your program in large print or braille.

You may want to ask a trusted member of the wedding party or family member to keep an eye out for potential trouble spots during the wedding. While you don’t want any of your guests to feel singled out, you will have a lot of things going on during the ceremony and reception. Having a second person whose job it is to keep accessibility issues running smoothly will be a help!

Work with your wedding venue to alert them of any accessibility issues ahead of time. They know their venue best and will be able to anticipate many of your needs before you do!