No matter what wedding professional you meet, most will all say they are the most important and memorable part of your wedding. The thing your guests will all remember. So what are guests REALLY going to notice and remember?
We all try our hardest to not critique what couples plan for their wedding. You know things like, “oh I’m glad we did it our way or why did they pick those colors, the ceremony was too long or too short, I liked our DJ better.” So, let’s break it all down with a little help to keep the critics lips zipped!
When you say yes to the dress you will realize “YES” will become a major part of your vocabulary along with “Hmm, well maybe”, “I don’t know” and “where are we going to come up with money for that?”
In many areas of a wedding many of you have never purchased some, if not most of these items or services, so it will all be new. So let’s get started to avoid the critics.
The dress seems to be the very first thing a bride does when the engagement ring is on the finger. What your guests will remember is, did she have a veil, what your hair looked like and if the dress looks like something you would wear. In other words, do you look like yourself or someone they don’t recognize. As our friend Randi Fenoli from Say Yes to The Dressputs it, “if you feel beautiful in the gown, then it’s the gown for you!”
Bridesmaid gowns sure have come a long, but still not sure you can potentially cut it short or wear it again – Whoever came up with that and why? Years ago you may see them as a retrofitted shower curtain in a bathroom. No Lie! What guests will notice is if the gown is fitting right. Is it too long or too short; Is it too big or too tight or all of the above. One we, including your guests, can agree upon is strapless gowns are not for everyone.
Oh Guys! We can’t forget them, please don’t consider them as an accessory. Whether it’s a suit or a tuxedo, guests remember are the jackets too big or too small, is the shirt too tight, are the trousers too long or too short, is the tie too loose or too tight. So guys, line up for inspection and remember the one thing that says the most about a man is his shoes.
Flowers are all about creativity and design so guests will look to see if you are carrying something unique – oh say a floral boa for instance. Is the bouquet so large you are covering yourself up? The poor men and their boutonnieres, they should not be the size of a corsage, we leave those for the Mothers. The men should wear a very small boutonniere which is pinned on the left lapel with the flower facing up and the stems facing down. Same thing for a corsage – unless it’s a wrist corsage, of course. Reception centerpieces that are tall seem to bother people so they can’t see who they are talking to across the table. So in the end they will take them down and place them on the floor. That’s just RUDE! No one can hear you 72” away when dinner music is playing and 150 people are in conversation with each other. This is why I say tables of eight are better than a table of ten guests if you can swing it.
Since the boom of the BRAVO Network’s Top Chef everyone today is a foodie – so beware. Here is what they will remember – is there enough food; is the hot food hot and the cold food cold? Is there open bar or cash bar and will wine be served with dinner and in the end, is the cake dry! I know crazy right! For some guests it’s simply a matter of does it just taste good? That’s what people will remember. It’s true, I do have to admit it, at the end of the meal, was the food good? Will you have champagne for a toast and will they fill it to the top – sorry guests they only pour four ounces for a toast. Yup, it’s a trip to the cash bar for that guest, we told you it was for a toast and not to drink it yet.
And when we have filled our stomach and mixed our drinks, moving from champagne to wine, to beer to cocktails, when we absolutely know we shouldn’t. Guess what? Now it’s time for those well-choreographed dance moves to take center stage for the first dance. So make sure your gown is bustled and you can remember the instructions.
The dance music whether it’s selected by you, the DJ or a combination of both it’s time to rock the party and your guests will remember a few things. For the more experienced wedding goers, they’ll be in tune to whether the music way too loud so they can’t hear Aunt Flo? Did you have a genre of music played so everyone can dance? Did the professional DJ keep the party going with people not wanting to hear, “this is the last song so everyone on the dance floor.”
Well no matter what your guests think, their comfort is important as they are your guests after all. We all have our own tastes and style and that’s what makes weddings so unique as they tell the story of the couple as the wedding event unfolds. It’s a time for celebration with family, relatives, friends and co-workers. So don’t worry about the critics because just remember for the single or other engaged critics at the wedding, their day is coming soon and then they can think about all the things their guests will think about their wedding.
Touché!
