Hello future brides and grooms! I got married last Friday and had the wedding of my dreams! I work in operations and was very worried I would not be able to "turn off" my operations mindset; however, we had the best vendors and I was truly able to enjoy my day with my husband and all of our loved ones. I do not know if I can be of assistance, but please feel free to ask any questions to help prepare you for your big day! Happy to help if I can. Wishing you the very best in the wedding planning process, your beautiful wedding, and more importantly in your marriage!
Some things we did that I would suggest/loved:
1. First Look (with dad and husband) and all family photos before the ceremony; which allowed us to attend cocktail hour and thank most of our guests for coming - it eliminated some of the stress of spending a lot of time walking around the tables during dinner time to say thank you.
2. One of my friends was a bridesmaid and officiant; our ceremony worked out so well and was very personal!
3. We did a "rose ceremony" at the ceremony, where my husband and I gave a long stem rose to each of our parents to say thank you
4. No grand entrance to reception; Introductions only for bride and groom, straight into cake cutting
5. Fun Facts Cocktail Napkins at the bar
6. Audio Guestbook; not sure if everyone did it, we haven't received the messages back yet ;/ but we have received some funny feedback from our guests so far - "wait until you hear my message"
7. Wedding Band (!!!)
8. Late Night Snack
9. First Dance with Father/Daughter & Mother/Son at the same time
10. No Bouquet Toss or Garter Toss
11. Toasts: My Dad (Welcome), MOH, Best Man + Husband's Sister, and Groom/Bride (Thank You for coming)
12. No Favors
13. No grand exit
14. Got married on a Friday and had an event on Saturday at a ballgame, which allowed us to spend more time with our friends and family, especially those that do not live in the same area as us.