Cristian and Jessica originally hired two2wed with an a la carte option of making their boutonnieres & corsages. Ordered were five corsages made with white roses, white chrysanthemums, baby’s breath, and matching blue ribbon from the Bride's bouquet, as well as 10 boutonnieres. The groomsmen, fathers, and uncles were all given single white roses with baby’s breath accents; and the Groom’s boutonniere included a single white rose, a small white chrysanthemum, baby’s breath, and a rose leaf at the back of the arrangement.
Upon arrival to drop of these wearable floral designs, I realized
some supervision and know how were needed to make Cristian & Jessica’s big
day a success. Without hesitation I stepped
in to take direction of their ceremony and reception which were held at a private residence in Yorba Linda, Ca.
It was clear that the number one priority of
the day was that these two love birds get married. Everything else was
simply a bonus. Lots of friends and family members contributed to their wedding
in various different ways. A good friend offered to be their photographer. The
Bride’s mother made their wedding cake. The best man’s sister
volunteered to oversee the procession of the ceremony. The DJ was a co-worker &
friend of the Groom’s father. The venue itself was loaned to the couple for
their special day by the Groom’s best man and his wife. And the mother of the
Groom oversaw all the food, decorations, and rental equipment pieces. Individually,
each of these contributions was truly generous and obviously offered from the heart.
However, not having someone to oversee and pull it all together, lead to no one running the big day. Each person
was so dedicated & focused on their own task that it was overlooked how much work was
actually needed to manage and coordinate the entire wedding day. Here’s where
two2wed came in. As I mentioned before, I went to deliver the floral
arrangements on the evening prior to their wedding day.
I arrived at about the same time that Bridal party was walking through their
rehearsal. I quickly jumped in the mix of things and was climbing up on ladders and
tables and began assisting with hanging decorations through out the tent. I counted and ensured 10
chairs were placed at each table, and that enough tables were set up to accommodate the number of guests.I began delegating tasks to all family and friends available during rehearsal. The direction and effectiveness of all of us working as a team was evident in the overall success of their wedding day.
It became clear the next morning when I arrived that this event was still
short a couple of tables. But not to worry. Quick decision making and a little rearranging came into play. We consolidated the guestbook and
gift table into one. The smallest table was placed in the center where the
two tents intersected to serve as the cake/dessert table. The original layout
included four tables for food, but I managed to reposition the food tray layout
and get away with two tables for food and a third table placed horizontally
against it (to make an L shape) to hold the plates, cutlery, and eventually the
warm coffee/tea drinks.
Another issue that we encountered
before any of the festivities began was the
wedding cake melting. As both a blessing and a curse on this day, the weather was
almost 80 degrees on a mid-winter southern California afternoon, and we also
had the heat of the oven & body heat from activity in the kitchen to contend with as well. The wedding cake
began to melt and tilt. Have no fear, two2wed to the rescue! I removed the
third tier of the originally four layered cake, repositioned the ribbon and
décor and quickly moved it outside to the cake table to reduce one heat source.
Thank goodness the table was at the back of the tent and in solid shade the
entire day. Further crisis averted!
After our Bride and
Groom and all of their guests had finished posed pictures and lunch, I
approached the happy couple about what their agenda was for the rest of the
afternoon, but was met with a collective “ahhhhh???”. I ran inside and grabbed a pen and paper and went
back to their sweetheart table to troubleshoot the rest of the afternoon. The
three of us created a schedule that they approved the flow of and I took it
over to the DJ. I went over the schedule line by line, and gave the associated
time to each activity. He agreed with the agenda, noting that the first activity
would be cutting the cake. I positioned our Bride
& Groom and asked the DJ to announce that they were getting ready to cut the cake.
He obliged, but left a quicker tempo, elevated volume song playing on the
speakers. After seeing to it that Cris and Jessica were ready, I returned to
his booth to only then find him missing. I attempted to turn the equipment down
myself, but I was looking at it upside down and all that fancy technology with
the knobs and buttons just confuses me anyway! So sadly to say, the cake
cutting was done with a techno beat playing in the background.
Up next was the Bride and Groom’s
first dance. Followed immediately by the dance of the Groom and his mother. The
dance floor was then supposed to be opened to all the guests, with the idea that
Cristian and Jessica could visit with their guests for a little while and walk
around from table to table to greet everyone. However, that is not how their DJ
played it. Always flexible though, we went from first dances straight into the dollar dance. But when
the DJ made the announcement, he spoke too closely to the microphone and no one
could understand what he was saying. I was still serving cake at this point,
but quickly stopped what I was doing and started walking around clapping and
cheering and asking everyone to get up and go dance with the Bride and Groom.
Oh! And don’t forget your dollars...
After the dance floor had been
opened for a while and guests began to wean off and return to their seats, we
seized the opportunity to have the Bride toss her bouquet and the Groom toss
the garter. It always amazes me how shy all the single people at weddings
become when the announcement to join the dance floor for this tradition is
called! But lots of laughs were had and some good photo opportunities were
caught, and no matter what - two women always have a cat fight to the finish to
take home the bouquet and this wedding was no exception.
A short time later toasts and
speeches were made. I felt that winding down the afternoon of celebration this
way for this couple was the most appropriate way to send their guests off. Both
the Bride and Groom are heartfelt conversationalist, so after everyone toasted
them, they each gave a very personal, gratitude filled, sentimental speech back to their guests. It was obvious that they genuinely cared that each of their guests had been able to attend and acknowledged each group and family as such.
What I took from stepping into
this wedding, is to always encourage the Bride & Groom to have a
game plan. Don’t expect others to make it happen for you. Know exactly what
people offer you. If someone offers to coordinate your wedding, confirm if they
mean they’ll be there the entire day-or just the ceremony. Always ask lots of questions, and be flexible with the answers you get. If you decide to hire someone or graciously accept contributions to help you on
your wedding day, be sure expectations are clear from both
parties and a strong understanding of those expectations are agreed upon to make for a smoother execution on the day of your event.
If someone offers to participate in your big day by either making
your cake, preparing your floral arrangements, or any other offer that will directly involve your event-
be sure it’s what you want. I like to suggest that if a family member or friend
offers to make your wedding cake (which is a great way to save a little money),
make sure they’ve practice and attempted the style of cake you want. Preferably
more than once. A great way for the three of you to spend time
together during this hectic-ness of planning your wedding, is to get together and discuss what you'd like for a wedding cake & what they are capable of producing. Perhaps you as the couple
could purchase all the ingredients your generous chef will need, and the
three of you play with different fillings, décor, and frosting on your trial
run together. This allows you as the Bride and Groom to see what you liked
about the final product, and allows you to offer specific suggestions on how you would
like certain things to be done differently for the cake that is being brought in on
your wedding day.
A final thought regarding venues: wedding are expensive. There are few ways around that. Especially if the Bride, Groom, or both of you have
very specific items that you want for your big day. And it doesn't matter if your budget is $1000 or $100,000. But with a little compromise it can be done. Perhaps to have your event at the venue you
want, you have to balance by having less expensive chairs or linens, or even
eliminating certain catering styles or other services all together. But I recommend never,
ever sacrificing for safety. As beautiful as this location was, there were parts
of the yard that were still under construction. Several people tripped, bruised body parts on exposed pipes, and
aesthetically was not as appealing on the eyes as it could have been with a
little extra effort and insight. If you are determined to use a venue that is
getting a face lift or under remodeling, hide pipes or dirt by incorporating potted
plants of various heights to make it appear like a garden or flower bed. Move any
construction equipment in the shades of bright yellow or red away from areas that could be
used as a photo backdrop. If your venue has chain link fencing and your event
is outside, consider an inexpensive fix by scalloping tulle along the front
side of it, or if at all possible, take it down and remove it for the day.
These simple fixes will enhance your pictures and allow for your guests to have
a more enjoyable time.
From the bottom of our hearts here at two2wed, we wish
Cristian and Jessica a long and happy life together!!!
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