Now that you have reserved your ceremony and reception venues, the next step is to consider vendors: food, entertainment, decorating, and recording. These four industries are the typical staples of wedding days. Again, take into careful consideration what time of year you are planning your day so that you can find and reserve your vendors before someone else does.
When searching for caterers, think about what kind of dinner you would like you and your guests to have at the reception: served or buffet style. Typically, caterers would have you choose two main dishes out of four or five, a few side dishes out of several, and whether you would like to have hors d’oeuvres.
Once you have decided what dishes you would like prepared and how you would like them served, next is to decide on dessert: would you like to have someone make you a cake or would you like a more nontraditional approach. Typically, traditional wedding cakes are elaborate works of art but may lack in flavor and taste. My fiancé and I are planning something less traditional; we are taking into consideration our family and friends and the many food allergies that afflict most these days. Taking a more familial approach, we will be asking family members to help take part in the dessert making, asking some to make their sweet specialties such as pies and cookies, as well as making a few desserts specifically for those with food allergies so that everyone may have something sweet that they can eat on our special day.
Music can make or break an event if it’s not done right. When considering a deejay for your reception, make sure that their collection of music is one that can speak to all generations, but have the latest, hottest hits on the radio to really get the party started and keep it going all night long. You may even consider having a band play; our celebration will be a weekend-long event, so we will have a band play at night while having a cookout-style meal for family and friends to mingle and meet. Make sure your deejay has had some wedding experience so that he or she can keep the reception going smoothly, transitioning from the dinner to dancing to the cake cutting and whatever else you may have planned.
Decorations are a big part of any wedding day. Most couples prefer to have a theme or at least a color scheme, so a florist is a necessity. You want to make sure to find someone who can accommodate your needs, whether they are real flowers, fake flowers, or a mixture of both. Also, think about the favors you will have to offer your guests. I feel that most wedding guests may leave their favors at the venue because they won’t really serve a purpose once they take them home. Because of this, my favors will be organic: I plan on having tiny pots of herbs that people (or their children) can continue growing at home and use in their meals.
Lastly, you want to do plenty of research when it comes to a photographer. You want to make sure that your photographer is well experienced in taking candid family shots, not one who is only used to shooting community events. Most photographers I have researched have packages starting around $1,000; this is another indication that they have the experience you may be looking for. If you are interested in having your ceremony recorded, look for photographers who also do videography. You will be paying more for this added option, but if you want your day captured in motion it will be well worth it.
Getting your vendors lined up early takes more stress off of your shoulders, helping you to plan your day with ease while still writing papers, taking exams, and writing posts for your full course load. If you start feeling yourself getting overwhelmed, just stop, take a deep breath, and lay off the planning for the night. There’s always tomorrow.
