Welcome to Thursday Q+A!
“I have 9 bridesmaids, 9 groomsmen, 2 ushers, 2 flower girls and a ring bearer. How on earth do I arrange my head table”?
Today’s question has become a far more common one than in previous years. The size of most wedding parties is growing by leaps and bounds but the real dilemma comes when it is time to decide on the reception floorplan and the seating arrangements for a huge wedding party!
Never fear, there are a number of options available to you.
Firstly, we can cut down on your numbers immediately. Seat your ushers elsewhere and have your flower girls and ring bearer sit with their own families. While there are exceptions, it is most common to follow this protocol.
That leaves a mere 20 people to seat! Given that each guest should have 2 feet of space that mean you need to find 40 linear feet of space for your entire party.
This is what a table for 20 would look like and I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t recommend a 40′ long head table to anyone, let alone someone I cared about. So what DO you do?
Option #1 – Two Sided Traditional Head Table with a Twist
I’m going give you options along with the pros and cons to make you decision making a little easier.
There are couples who just want to see the traditional long table situated at the front of the room. The only way to accomplish this with such a large wedding party is by creating a 24′ long table (still huge!) with seating on both sides.
Pros: Couple still visible to the majority of guests. Wedding Party will have a more sociable experience. Takes up less linear space. Can be quite dramatic!
Cons: Some of the wedding party has their backs to guests. (Note: most guests only want to see the couple anyway!) It’s still a large table.
Option #2 – Tiered Head Table
First off I’m showing you a tiered table with all of the bridal party facing forward.
Pros: Bridal party facing forward. Can be quite dramatic. Couple is very visible to all guests placed on stage platform.
Cons: Still a huge table of about 41 feet. Requires a lot of space. Needs great natural backdrop or created one.
Option #3 – Tiered Table #2
Pros: Less space required. Couple highly visible. Dramatic presentation. Very sociable.
Cons: Bridal party has backs to guests. Still takes up 25′ of space.
Stayed tuned for Part II next week where we discuss additional options for your humongous bridal party!
If you had to choose, which setting would you select? I’d love to hear your feedback in the comment box below!
There are some very distinct wedding cake trends this year and the first to be showcased on the blog is the “Naked Cake”.
It doesn’t matter whether there are many layers, a few layers; whether they are large or small – this trend seems here to stay, at least for a little while.
This trend presents itself in many ways including shapes, flavours and finishes and I have to admit that working on this post has made me mouth-wateringly hungry, even though I finished dinner not long ago!
Imagery: Abigail Bloom / Unknown /Martha Stewart Weddings / Martha Stewart Weddings / Martha Stewart Weddings / Maggie Austin Cakes / Colin Cowie Weddings / Cake-a-Licious / Green Wedding Shoes /The Every Girl / Imgfave.com
At first I wasn’t sure that I liked cakes served without the gorgeous artistry of fancy fondant cakes, but I admit that they have grown on me.
What do you think? I’d love to hear your comments below.
Some of you may be under the impression that money buys you happiness. I don’t know how true that it, but it sure as heck beats being poor! I for one would love the opportunity to explore how limitless funds could change my life or even the world, but the reality is that for most people there is a ceiling on how much we have to spend. This includes your wedding day budget which generally bears no relationship to the grandeur your imagination can conjure up or the fun you could have!
Having unlimited funds does not equal a better wedding.
For many of you who have no idea what things cost (more on that in another blog post), how on earth do you go about setting a realistic budget and sticking to it? Frankly it’s not much different than buying a house. Sure your own gorgeous villa on Necker Island would be fantastic, but it’s no secret that Richard Branson didn’t START there. You need to decide what you can afford to spend, prioritize the most important things on your wish list and then look for options that fit the bill.
So many couples fail to sit down and really discuss the things that are most important to each of them BEFORE getting caught up in the excitement of, eek, getting married! I get that this is one of the most amazing, fantastic things ever and you should be jumping up and down with joy! I agree. Just remember to take into consideration the very things that will make your wedding day a unique reflection of you as a couple. In my experience, the most joyful, successful and memorable weddings are those that truly mirror the couple; who you are individually as well as together.
Who are you? What brought you together? What do you absolutely love to do in your free time? What common interests do you share? How do you choose to spend your money? What quirky things do you each bring to the equation? What excites you? Who has inspired you in your life and why? What’s your favourite colour? His favourite meal? What are you passionate about? Do you share time with your friends by holding boisterous casual barbecues or do you prefer fantastic meals in trendy high end restaurants with a few of your closest friends? Do you like quiet times together or spend your weekends out on the town? How close are you to your families (for some of you, it’s not always a bed of roses). What traditions have been passed down? Does your culture play an important role in your lives?
I encourage you not to make any decisions at all right now. None. Not even a teensy weensy one. Not until you have had “The Talk”. You must sit down and really talk about who you are as people. Forget the wedding during this discussion. Don’t even relate any of this to the wedding. Just write notes. Really consider what’s important to you every day of your lives. The things that won’t change even five years down the road. I’m going to tell you that you have chosen each other because of the answers to the questions I’ve asked above (and so many more). I promise you, that if you start here, your decisons from this point forward will be so much easier. And most importantly, your wedding day will be a one-of-a-kind event that will have everyone talking, and you reflecting on your day with wonder, for years to come. And that my friends, is truly priceless!
See “Shoes or Schmooze? Prioritizing Your Budget Part II
TTFN!
I have to be honest here; wedding planning isn’t all a bed of rose petals! Unless you’re flying away to a tropical destination with 12 of your closest friends, the guest list is going to be a chore that takes way more time than you think it will! In this day of social media and instant messaging, most people really don’t keep up with current phone numbers, addresses and the latest significant other. If you’re like me, remembering your own details some days can be a challenge!
The best way to tackle the monumental task it to split it up amongst your families. Any aunts, uncles, cousins or guests that your Mom or Mother-In-Law just have to invite should be their task. Your friends, co-workers and besties fall to you and the same can be said of your own over-the-moon-to-be-doing-wedding-planning partner.
Don’t sweat the details at this point. It doesn’t matter who makes it onto the guest list so don’t get into any heavy discussions or arguments at this point, there is plenty of time later to do that! View this as a preliminary step only. You can sit down and have a pow-pow about who actually gets the royal invitation once you have make some other important decisions, like how much money this will cost and who’s footing the bill. The number of guests is afterall, the most critical factor in determining what you end up spending on your special day.
Give yourself a realistic goal of at least two weeks (and know that it will almost certainly take more) and create a central location that all parties can access at will (like Google docs). To the untrained wedding planner, this seems ὔber organized; the sneaky truth is that you can spy on how much has been accomplished without nagging . . . until it’s obvious that everyone is waiting until the last minute!
There is so much more to creating your final guest list than meets the eye. But this certainly gives you some idea of what you’re up against in the initial stages. Stay tuned for more on how to break it to your second-cousin-once-removed that they aren’t invited. In the meantime, feel free to put them on the list.
