A&W's Non-Pro Brunch Wedding BAM

What went right:

The weather was absolutely perfect for our guests’ comfort and for pictures.

Our photographer was so efficient with the pictures, so we were able to get a ton of family portraits and still have enough time for pictures of just us.

The drinks were fabulous. We bought all of the alcohol and juices for the bar, and the bartenders pulled it all together seamlessly. We also didn’t run out of anything.

The food was abundant and delicious. Who doesn’t love brunch complete with a waffle bar and omelet station?

The caterers called everyone up by table number, so there were no long lines at the buffet.

We loved how our flowers and cake turned out.

The classical guitarist was the easiest vendor to work with, and his music was gorgeous.

The tables and the décor in general were so pretty, and I was thrilled with how it all came together.

We had a lot of people tell us that our ceremony was one of the most beautiful that they’d ever seen. That meant a lot to us because we worked really hard to make it personal and have it represent us as a couple. Our officiant was DH’s dad, who used to be a minister and has done a bunch of weddings. He was fantastic.

What went wrong:

I’m going to go into more detail here because I think it’s important to be honest about the less than stellar parts of our wedding both to help other brides and grooms and to show that it’s never going to be absolutely perfect.

We paid the rental company for setup for the tables, cocktail tables, and bar. We showed up for our setup time the day before the wedding, and it wasn’t nearly as set up as I thought it would be. They did fully set up the bar, but the tables were just set up in no particular order with no linens on them. I had no idea how to do linens for cocktail tables, and I didn’t expect to have to do that myself and move the tables everywhere, so that was incredibly stressful the day before we were already pushed for time. They sent me a layout plan, so I thought that meant that they would set it up like in the plan. The only reason it came together as quickly as it did is with the help of family and friends, and I’m eternally grateful for that.

A lot of out-of-town guests left early. Some stayed until the end, and all of the local guests stayed. I just didn’t expect so many to need to leave early, but it makes sense with it being a Sunday brunch wedding. I think a lot of them were trying to get home that night. It was a little disappointing, but we still had a lot of guests stay the whole time to celebrate with us.

There were a few décor items not exactly where I wanted them, but I just had to let it go.

We hired a sound technician, but there were still a few sound issues during the ceremony.

We did a wine box ceremony, but it wasn’t set up until a few minutes before the ceremony, and that was only because I asked someone to go check on it.

My MOH forgot DH’s ring, so our friend had to run inside and get it for her, so the bridesmaids’ procession was a little delayed.

I accidentally left a few names off of the seating chart. My sister was designing it, and I wanted to get her a Word document with the assignments as soon as possible, so I was working on taking the info from Excel and assigning numbers to the tables at midnight one night. That’ll teach me to do something like that late at night. I was so embarrassed, but there was nothing we could do except explain the situation to those guests and let them know what table they were assigned to.

Advice:

Take it all in. It does go by quickly, but if you stop to enjoy everything, it won’t feel like it flew by.

Hire great vendors. We were blown away by most of our vendors’ work. They made everything so easy the day of the wedding.

Do your research before you decide to do an outdoor wedding like this? The venue was really cheap because it’s government-owned, but the rentals added up quickly. It was also a lot of work having not much included with the venue because we had to get an outside vendor for everything. Then we made it even harder on ourselves by hiring even separate caterers and bartenders. I don’t regret how we did our wedding. It came together beautifully, and I love that we can go have a picnic in the spot where we got married whenever we want, but it was a ton of work.

Try to do as much planning as you can ahead of time. Life got in the way, and planning got pushed to the wayside, so I had way too much to do the month leading up to the wedding. It was so stressful, and I wish I could have done stuff earlier.

Choosing a venue that’s already beautiful makes decorating so much easier.

And now… Pictures!

Some ceremony pictures and the kiss. So glad we were able to have our ceremony in the garden!

Congrats! Love the advice. Patiently waiting for more pictures

Congrats!!!!

Congrats

Wedding party

Dad up there with us after he walked me down the aisle

Recessional

Pics with H's parents, grandparents, and siblings

Congrats!

Congratulations! I think you've given some great advice. A lot of people see the price tag for a venue like that and jump right in without thinking about what it will take to turn it into a full wedding. Your photos so far look great, can't wait to see the rest!

Reception area

Sweetheart table

My adorable nephew with the sorting hat in front of the sorting hat-themed seating chart

Congrats!!

Congratulations!

Omelet station

Pastries section. These pastries were absolutely amazing! I wish I had tried them all.

Wedding cake

Everything looks great!! Congratulations!!

Congratulations!!! That cake is so cute!!!

Candid of me and first dance pictures

Awkward cake cutting!

Aw I love it!!!

I deeply considered a brunch wedding- I think they are so awesome. I mean- who DOESN"T love waffles/omlettes and booze!!!

I'm sorry the day before was so damn stressful- but it came together- and that's awesome.

I LOVE the little geese on your cake. Absolutely adorable.

Congratulations!

With one of my bridesmaids

A group picture with my fraternity sisters

Us with my amazing sister/MOH

Congratulations!!! I love your pictures and the fact that the weather came together for you. Thanks for the advice and info.

You looked beautiful!!!