Went to a wedding last night ...

Yep...... (although I'd never wait for a reader.....) in the end, they're married and that is really all that counts.

Still, it's good research for those of you planning a wedding. While there is very little that ruins a wedding (well, except for a bar brawl.....)there is definitely a lot to be learned from what worked and what didn't.

Standing? No big deal (except for the elders, and they were taken care of...)

Bees? Nothing you can really do, except NOT wear yellow.....

Lateness? I would have rearranged the ceremony, put the reader at the end and if she wasn't there, I'd have done it myself, picked someone else, or had them read at the reception. (As most of you know, I'm a late freak because that time has to come from somewhere, and too often it's stolen from the reception; not to mention that these people have now been sitting there for a half hour which is never a good start.....)

I wish there is a like button, !

There are so many little details that fall into the category of, "Geez, I didn't think of that", and hearing the comments here can often be helpful. (For example, I recently did a wedding in the garden of a reception site. The ceremony ended at 6:00; the cocktail hour, in the same place, started at 7:00 so they could take pix. The guests were sort of abandoned for an hour, which I thought was kinda weird. Maybe offer a big crudite and wine/soda before the cocktail hour, but they were just stranded....did it ruin the wedding? No, but it was awkward....)

Having come from a long catering/event planning background, I very often see things that I would have planned/executed differently, and while I might talk about it on a vendor board or here, I'd never say anything to the couple unless they specifically asked me, after the fact, about a certain vendor or situation. That day, nothing really matters more than their happiness.

Celia- My point is there are numerous threads about standing up being "tacky" or complaining bc they had to wait longer on a ceremony. I'm just saying how things don't always go as planned and the things that some make a big deal about- isn't really that serious. Obviously, I was being sarcastic about how we stood up, reader being late and the bee part because normally bride to bes to be would put that on their "Things that went wrong" list ...

Well sounds like your friends wedding was really really nice. I see what you're saying.... about brides coming on here and spilling the beans about others weddings....but it can help others who go.. Hm..didnt think about that hour in between..WHAT ARE MY GUESTS going to do??? and then they will come up with a plan...sometimes ppl have a lot on their plate and forget the small details...so i think they help. I enjoy reading aout pretty weddings and fun stuff and maybe the "what not to dos". Im glad your friends day was awesome, bee's aside, but like ya said.. NOTHING you can do... Things can and will go wrong, ppl gotta roll with the punches. However, poor planning on the part of a bride, can really make it uncomfortable for guests. Luckily that wasnt your case...Congrats to your friend.. i bet she was SO excited!!!

YAY!!! Glad you had such a wonderful timem. And I am one of those brides about asking if it's ok for guests to stand... Whoohoo makes me feel better that it wasn't a big deal. Thanks for the post!

Thank you! I do get sick of coming on here and reading all these negative comments about other peoples weddings, it makes me more nervous than I already am. I'm glad you had fun, and best wishes to the new couple!

I agree 100%.

I concur! Congratulations to your friend =)

I have long maintained that the biggest secret to having a great wedding is to invite only those people who care about you and your happiness. Someone who is just looking for lots of free booze so they can get drunk will be critical of every glitch, while those who care about you will be happy even if lots of things go wrong.

I agree. Every wedding is different. Your friend probably thought her wedding was perfect. To her it is. That is all that matters. Things never go right but that doesn't matter.

This time of year, those were most likely yellow jackets, not bees. So, they are aggressive. This is why I never attend outdoor events....I am highly allergic to stings.

Anyway, sounds like, in the end, it all turned out great.

Congrats to your friend! I always say, if your wedding results in a marriage, it was a success no matter what

The way I look at those people who give positive and negative feedback about weddings they go to:

-If they are posting it as a learning experience to help other brides out, I see that as helpful because some folks may have never thought of it.

-If they are posting it for laughs or just to be rude, well, that's just inappropriate. That type of behavior is used against those they don't care about....why did they even go to the wedding??

I agree with your point of people nick picking and not being there for the right reason. Though I often learn valuable things from the posts about weddings. Its always nice here to here a guests perspective.

However unless the wedding was starting exactly on time no matter what and the ceremony was 10 minutes I wouldn't have people standing. @ those considering having people stand at your wedding.

Although I get your point that posting negative reviews about weddings just to rant on the negatives is not a good thing, I do think that they can help brides who might be planning things thinking they were a good idea but realize after reading the reviews that they are not.

But...I do think you need to have chairs for everyone. For instance, I broke my foot on my wedding day. Turns out the ankle is shattered as well. I had to have surgery. I could not stand an hour waiting for a wedding to begin. And yes, it would be an hour because I am an early bird. I would have gotten to the ceremony a half hour ahead of time. Then if this wedding started a half our late, that's an hour for the guests to wait. That's just not cool.