I’m not sure if it is a result of doing
wedding blogs for Michelle for the last 5 months, but weddings and all things
related have suddenly been falling into
my lap. Just recently I was asked to
be a bridesmaid for the first time in my
adult life and I am now finding myself attending the weddings of a number
of girls and guys that graduated in my
high school class, so this combined
with knowledge I’ve gained blogging for
Water Cooler Weddings has given me
a slight sense of expertise on the matter. Having gone to a Louisiana high school
located in a town where you can’t
throw a rock without hitting someone
you know, I suppose 22 is quite a
normal age to jump the broom…with
your high school sweetheart of course.
From Februaruy through July of this
year I have been to 5 weddings, which
has given me enough field experience
to know what to look forward to and
what to dread.
What to do:
-A dress code for guests. This seems
small, maybe even a bit pretentious,
but if I have been running the streets
all day like a chicken with its head cut
off, looking for the right dress/heel
combo to wear to your wedding I don’t
want to see a girl with a cotton
sundress and rubber flipflops.
-Buffet style dinner. A sit down dinner
that is served to you seems like a nice
idea but can turn sour quickly, and
there is nothing worse than being so
hungry you’re tempted to make a run
for it to Wendy’s and return before
anyone knows you’re gone. Buffet
dinner means eat when you’re hungry
and trust me your guests will thank you.
-Designated parking. This may be out
of some brides’ control due to location,
but if you are able to, please have
enough parking for the guests you’ve
invited.
Note: paved roads/cement=good. Mud/dirt/trekking=bad.
What not to do:
-Outdoor wedding in July…in Southern Louisiana.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news
because some women are just outdoor
girls, especially in the South, but it is
hard to concentrate on a beautiful
ceremony when all i can feel are the
individual streams of sweat rolling
down my back. Outdoors may have
seemed like a good idea when you
were planning back in November and
you may never hear this since nobody
wants to tell the bride her location
sucks, but to all you Annie Oakleys
out there a little AC goes a long way.
-Compensate for not enough chairs
with a “standing area”.
You know how many people you’ve
invited, you know how many people
can sit at the location you chose,
all I ask is that these numbers look alike.
So there you have it, may not be
the most refined list and I’m sure over
time these rules or even my feelings on
them may change but I gaurantee
there is truth to these words.
Until next time, happy marrying!
-Rachel J Smith, Water Cooler Weddings
and Events blogger