This afternoon I’m meeting the likely caterer for my S’s June wedding (with S and FDIL). I’m writing down questions and having some anxiety! Yikes - so many details! The place we are meeting with has done countless weddings so I know we can count on them, but one thought leads to another - who should we call for the cake, cake? Who’s going to cut it? Cut the cake? Serve the cake? Where? Who? Do we have a knife and server utensils?!!! Haha - giving myself a little panic attack!
So thought I’d throw it out there. Those who are having weddings in 2016 - how are things going? What is the crisis or success of the month? What’s on your to-do list?
We know that CC’ers are the BEST wedding planners/advisors - so look forward to hearing EVERYONE’S comments and all!!!
Edited to add on 8/16/16 - changing the title of this thread to reflect the request of many parents who have joined in with weddings planned for their kids beyond 2016. There was a discussion and request to keep one thread as opposed to starting a new thread for each year.
My D is getting married in June in the DC area. I went with her last May to look at reception venues, and I have looked over caterer proposals she sent me, but other than that she and her fiance are doing all the planning. YAY! She’s had her caterer booked for months, also has a photographer, flowers, and DJ. We told her we would pay for the reception up to a certain amount. She is very organized and I hate almost everything about traditional weddings, so it is great not having much to do. No crises around here, she has a hotel room block reserved and is sending out save the date cards with their website info so people can reserve rooms. I got together a list of addresses for her. She still needs to register at stores if she wants gifts that she can use. Their apt is so tiny she doesn’t have room for much.
I did say I would get together a small shower in her hometown for the few relatives and friends here who may want to come. Yes, I know according to the rules I should not do that, but there isn’t anyone else with the means to throw a shower here. I will probably have it at a tea room and let them do all the work. Also need to get a dress for me. (Yuk!)
D will be a late June bride, but she has been engaged since last February. I may be in denial with regard to what needs to be done because of the long engagement or maybe I just have the luxury of letting her plan it with her Nashville wedding planner. XH is paying most of the costs, but, among other things I have paid for, I paid for the deposit on the wedding planner and it’s the best money I’ve ever spent. His fee is reasonable and he has presented enough good choices to let her feel that she has options, but not so many that she is overwhelmed. She has done some event planning in her job, so she has that experience to help make the process go smoothly as well.
We found D’s dress at first stop in under an hour and I’m having a dress made. Our biggest challenge in outfitting the bridal party has been solving the ring bearer outfit dilemma. Future SIL has 1 niece and 2 nephews. Niece will wear a simple white dress with navy sash to match bridesmaids dresses. We want the 2 nephews (ages 4 & 6) to wear sailor suits with knee length pants and it’s impossible to find them in sizes for a little boy that old. I think D & her future SIL found a woman near where the kids live to make them yesterday and to also make flower girl dress. Hooray - challenge solved!
Maybe the biggest challenge is that they have funding to have a nice wedding for 150 and we have about 180 who have received STDs. It’s terrible to say, but I’m really hoping some of those dear people can’t come:) Regardless, it’s going to be a fun year.
Mine’s got 180 on her invite list too, a number like 150 would be easier to handle in the event space. She’s inviting her 10 cousins and their families, including 14 children. Those cousins live all across the country and in Ireland and England, so I’m half hoping some won’t come or they won’t bring their kids. But they may look at a trip to DC as an educational one for the kids, so who knows?
D1 is getting married in October. She’ll become “officially” engaged in early February when she goes to Australia to visit her soon-to-be fiance. He’s already proposed & she’s accepted, but he hasn’t given her a ring yet because…well, she’s in the US and he’s in Australia. (Well, actually D1 already has the ring. It’s family heirloom that once belonged to her grandmother, was mine and is now hers. Her fiance will have the stone reset for her in Sydney. Shipping the ring to Sydney was too expensive and complicated --plus big import duties. Much easier just to ship to D1 and just have her wear it on the plane.)
Engagement won’t be official until February because he hasn’t told his family yet. And won’t until it’s “ring official”.
So there’s ring and a dress–which D1 bought last month. (A long ivory slip dress w/ silver embroidery) There’s a date and officiant. (Fiance’s BFF who was internet ordained last year to marry another one of his friends.) They’ve picked a venue–a historical inn on a organic farm but haven’t checked to see if the date is available. The inn has an excellent vegetarian restaurant onsite that will cater the reception. (Both bride & groom are vegetarian/vegan.) They have a list of alternative venues if their date isn’t available, including my backyard.
Wedding will be small and very simple. Maybe 20-25 guests total. Immediate family plus a few close friends only. No attendants other than 2 witnesses. (Maid of honor/best man.) No tuxedos. No bridesmaids in gowns.
This a 30-something professional couple. She’s a physician (medical resident) and he’s a tenured university professor. They’re paying for their own wedding.
Since the wedding will be in D1’s hometown (but not where she currently lives–which across the country), I’ve offered to so any local legwork that needs to be done. I’ll just have to see if she/they take me up on the offer.
Actually, the fact they're even having a wedding came as a bit of surprise. His plan was a visit to a local judge/justice of the peace or whatever the Australian equivalent is next month and then have 2 receptions at a later dater--one her in the southwest for her friends/family and one in the Philly/DC area for his family.
And truthfully I would not be at surprised if D1 doesn't return from Australia already married.
I’m a mom of two daughters who will be brides in 2016!! I have no stress or nerves about it. Both of my daughters and their respective fiancees are doing all their own planning, and sharing with me along the way. D2 even showed me their to-do list month by month, the contract for the venue, guest list, etc. already. I live in Boston. Both weddings are going to be in NYC…one in late May and one in late September! I guess my only stress is coming up with the funds I offered to each daughter for their weddings (never realizing both would be getting married around the same time as one another!). D1 has gotten a dress. D2 has a bridal dress appointment in NYC in early March and I am going to that with her and her two best friends. In the meantime, we have exchanged links to dresses we like at that shop. Actually, that same day, I am going to finally see the venue and we will have a tasting dinner there together. It was not available the last time I was in NYC. But all four of them are all doing all the work and planning and I’m just being supportive and happy for them. Neither are very into traditional. I may share more at another time.
S1 is getting married in August. They are doing most of the planning/arranging themselves, but it’s hard for me to stand back and let them do it all. I’ve made some suggestions, some they’ve used, others they ignored. We gave them a check and said that’s it from us other than the rehearsal dinner, our family’s clothing and hotel. We are paying for the tux and hotel for one of the groomsmen (no money and we’ve known him since middle school).
They have STD cards to send out soon, reception hall booked, cake, flowers, photographer, DJ set up. Still need an officiant (she is a lapsed Catholic and we are not religious). She has her gown and I will order bridesmaid dresses for D1 and D2 in 2 weeks. She’s thinking about table decorations, but isn’t creative and can’t make them herself. I see D1 and me making things this summer…
Biggest hurdle for me: outdoor wedding in Michigan in August. Can be very hot and humid, minimal rain plan. I’m trying hard to get them to reserve a canopy to block the sun, plus find a company to set up/take down the chairs. The wedding is on a college campus and they don’t do set up or chairs for anything outdoors.
They have 200 on the guest list, hoping for 150. Somehow they think they need to invite every friend/acquaintance whose wedding they have attended even if they aren’t in contact anymore. Plus a guest for everyone. Our list came to 36, but they won’t all come since we are spread out across the country and the single cousins won’t bring guests. I also hope to have a small shower for FDIL to meet our relatives. I know it’s not done, but my two Ds can be the “hostesses” at a small restaurant luncheon.
D was married in 2013 – she and her now H did almost all the planning, and they did a great job - monthly “to do” lists broken down into weekly sessions. Everything went smoothly, for which I credit son-in-law, a highly organized individual.
S is getting married to his high school sweetheart in June of this year. Her parents have done most of the arranging, with her making many decisions. H and I offered to handle photographer and florist, with the couple making the decisions. Mom of bride and I get along very well, enjoy getting together even independent of wedding planning.
Roughly 160 planned for this traditional church then dinner/dancing reception, although reception venue is somewhat unique and very suited to them.
D’s wedding was less conventional, and it was my S who officiated – was held in MA, where a responsible person can be approved as officiant by the state. We have a great photo of son and the couple, a close-up of the three of them, during the vows portion of the ceremony.
In contrast, S’s own ceremony will be a conventional nuptial mass officiated by a priest (who has known the couple for years).
H and I are handling the rehearsal dinner – we took the bride and her parents out for dinner at that venue early on, and all agreed it was a good choice.
Wedding for our bride in August. Both live in Europe so they will be coming home that month for a wedding to be held at our house. Only 50 attending and we are having her favorite restaurant here in LA cater it all. Both are professional musicians and most of their friends are musicians so music will be the focal point. We decided to focus on what makes a party fun for everyone involved rather than the standard traditional expectations . Good food, relaxed atmosphere and plenty of live music.
Two of you have mentioned coordinating shower, saying you know it breaks the rules. If you’ve been following the CC wedding threads over the last few years, you should know by now that the rules are meant to be broken and often are I personally hate gift parties and D is not having any from “our side”, although I’ve helped host showers for friends’ children through the years and smiled all the way through. She doesn’t want to have to open gifts in front of people and have to gush over them all. So we think it’s all good, but her future MIL has a group of friends who want to host a party in his hometown in the deep South and they are now lined up for a couples shower to be thrown by 16 hostesses and a guest list of over 100. I told her to order lots of stationary for those thank yous.
This is his mom’s chance to celebrate with all of her friends and D & future SIL have been assured that the majority of those being invited know the situation and that the wedding guest list is limited (family & attendants/plus ones seem to make up a huge percentage of the guest list). As long as everyone is okay with the rule breaking for this scenario, i.e. only wedding guests invited to parties and every guest assigned to a party, I guess it will be a fun event for them.
I’ve read so many different wedding threads here that the biggest thing I’ve learned is every region is different and there are lots of different expectations depending on where you live, cultural expectations, age of bride & groom, etc. I’m glad things have evolved to more of a whatever works philosophy, just wish that the cost of these celebrations wasn’t so exorbitant. Best wishes to everyone here!
I agree about the cost! The weddings described by WayOutWestMom and musicamusica sound great to me. We won’t be inviting anyone not invited to the wedding to the shower, and frankly I would prefer to skip it, but my D would like it so I am going along. Perhaps we can theme it somehow to keep the gift expenses down, maybe personal items for the bride is my current thinking. I did suggest several years ago (before she was even engaged) that she consider eloping. I would have loved to just go to Hawaii myself and get married, but gave in to my Mom and had a wedding I hated. I am trying to let my D have the wedding she wants. So far the reception venue she has picked (historic home) suits her well. Her fiance wants to get married in a church so they are doing that.
Everyone will need to share stories after all these unique events!
Two big items off the checklist today - DJ and Caterer. So, venue/photographer/caterer/dj all set. Bride’s dress and bridesmaid dresses bought. Mine too for that matter! Next, bartender, cake, think about flowers. FDIL has been collecting items for centerpieces - she wants to use mercury glass and some other items for centerpieces w/flowers that we will probably try and purchase ourselves. Need to figure out where to get flowers inexpensively! (like a wholesale flower market?? - any ideas???)
S will be 24, bride 25. Church wedding, unique venue (indoor- whew!). Sending out invitations for somewhere in the 100-125 range. June wedding too! We are giving them a set amount, we promised a casual rehearsal dinner (secured a place for that) and I’m paying for some little things along the way - her family can’t help much and though S (teacher) and FDIL (works at a bridal shop - great discount on the dresses!) are employed full time, they aren’t rich and won’t probably ever be!
Though they are not going overboard, I sort of wish they would keep it even more simple from the expense of it all. But, they are cutting corners where they can and I understand their desire for a few frills. Hoping that they can avoid some costs here and there (tonight we talked about the whole idea of a limo after the wedding - really? To go from the church to the venue a few miles away??) I say find someone with a large clean Suburban who is willing to drive them around between spots and call it a day!!!
I am pretty sure D’s caterer is providing the bartenders, although they are going to buy the liquor themselves.
I have been buying bird cages on sale lately as that is desired for the centerpieces. Not sure if they will be decorated with candles or flowers (or both).
Transportation is still a question mark - if there will be shuttles of some sort to the reception and back. Always an issue with Sat afternoon church weddings with a couple hour gap before the reception in another location.
The restaurant that is catering D’s wedding will provide servers and bartenders. We are keeping the drinks down to several non alcoholic choices, one mixed cocktail choice, several wine choices from vinters we know and a local craft beer. Both the ceremony and reception are here but we will provide a shuttle to local hotels for our guests if they require assistance.
My g/ f had them professionally done, but I’m sure most of us could duplicate… They included soup cans and other items that are desirable. I’ll see if I can find out. (This friend had a son in Peace corps, other such endeavors).
Can I belong without the wedding?
My DD1 decided to accelerate her wedding ( mostly and rightly because of dad’s health issues) so I missed out on showers, registries, caterers, etc. I am amazed at her maturity in changing the timing , but here on CC I can vent.
the wedding was lovely, but I still sometimes wish we were still planning.
@abasket - when I got married 31+ years ago, my parents rented a large Lincoln Town Car for the extended weekend. They used it to transport out-of-town relatives to/from the airport and my brother drove us from the church to the reception in it.
