Alexander Event blog, Wedding Fort Lauderdale, Wedding West Palm Beach, Wellington Caterers, Catering Miami specialist

Posts Tagged ‘Special Events’

Your Almost-Comprehensive Guide to Planning a Wedding

Getting married? The first order of business is… congratulations, of course! But next comes a little piece of advice: hold on tight. Because it’s going to be a wild and bumpy ride.

Planning a wedding is a little like marriage itself. Just when you think things are going as smooth as fresh-whipped cream, everything gets… well… as bumpy as cottage cheese. There’s so much to do that, unless you have tons of money to spend on an expensive wedding planner, it’s practically impossible to make everything turn out perfectly. So before you set even one little plan down on paper, put down your pen, take a deep breath, and repeat after me: “It’s my wedding and it’ll be a beautiful, magical day– even if it’s not perfect.”

All done? Good. Grab that pen, print out this guide to planning a wedding, and let’s get started.

Wedding Pre-Planning

1. Your vision. Before doing any real planning, you need to sit down with hubby-to-be and discuss what you want from your wedding. Are you both dreaming of an intimate ceremony with just family and friends? Or does your 200-guest dream wedding clash with his idea of a “no stress” ceremony?

 2. Your budget. It may be unromantic and ordinary, but it’s a necessity– you have to have money to plan a wedding. Calculate a budget and do your best to stick to it.

Planning the Ceremony

 1. Date, Time, and Venue. These are the big ones. While you probably have a time of year in mind for the ceremony, the exact date you choose will generally be dependant on the availability of the ceremony and reception venue(s). Tour several venues to decide which you like best, and book your favorite early.

 2. Your wedding party. As a madly planning bride, it can be easy to lose track of what a wedding is about: the people. Discuss with your fiancé who each of you want as part of the wedding party, and ask them to take part. Bridesmaids can be a big help in the planning process– get them helping early on.

 3. Your gown. This is the fun part! You’ll want to start shopping for your wedding dress early. Find one you love? Ask the botique’s advice on when is the best time to order. Start thinking about tuxes and bridemaid’s dresses, as well.

 4. Your guestlist. Especially if you’re planning a small wedding, you’ll be amazed at the way the guestlist tends to… bloat. This one may take a long time to finalize, so you want to get started early.

 5. Save the date and invitations. As soon as venue, date, and time for your wedding are firm, send “save the date” cards out to guests– especially those from out of town. Also start planning your invitations, but don’t rush. Invitations don’t need to go out until 6-8 weeks before the wedding.

 6. Book ceremony services.

•  Photographer. Great photographers book up quickly, so be sure to shop for the one you like best early. Keep in mind that budget is a big concern here–photography can be one of your most expensive items.

•  Florist. Florists also get booked early– if you find a florist who can meet both your tastes and your budget, book her right away. Doing the flowers yourself? Start looking into wholesale flower services.

•  Officiant. If you’re getting married in a church, the officiant probably comes with the venue. If not, you’ll generally have to book a religious or civil officiant for the ceremony.

•  Music. You may want a band or instrumentalist to play at the beginning or end of the ceremony. Start shopping now.

 
7. Rehearsal dinner. Start planning the guestlist, venue, and menu for the rehearsal dinner.

8. Your vows. You want to leave time to both write and memorize your vows. Don’t plan on writing your own? Sit down with hubby to be and go over your options, deciding what kind of vows you tend to like best.

Planning the Reception

 1. Your food and drink. Here comes one of the most expensive parts of planning a wedding… feeding your guests! While a full-course dinner and terrific open bar are ideal, sometimes they don’t fit in the budget. Calculate what you can spend, and begin shopping for:

• Catering
• Bar services
• Tableware and place settings
• The wedding cake

 Book a caterer early and start discussing the menu ASAP– it’ll have a huge impact on your budget.

 2. The music. First, decide if you want a band or a DJ. Then start checking out your options. There are tons of wedding bands and DJs out there, and they may not all be to your taste. Find one you like? Book him before he’s taken.

 3. The tables. Unless you’re doing open-plan seating, you’ll need to decide where everybody is sitting. This can be a big job, so get started early! You’ll also need to create and decide on:

•  Place settings
• Place cards
• A seating chart
• Table centerpieces

 4. The transportation. If you’re using a limousine service (especially a specialty limousine service) to take you to and from the ceremony and reception, you’ll want to book them early.

 5. The favors. Decide on wedding favors for your guests. Design them around a theme and get started early if you’re making them yourself.

 Planning for After the Wedding

 1. Your honeymoon. After all the stress of planning a wedding, you’re going to need this! So get planning your honeymoon early. Trying to get Dad to pay for the honeymoon as a wedding gift? Get schmoozing right away.

 2. Your name change. If you plan on taking your hubby-to-be’s name after the ceremony, start looking into the paperwork you’ll need beforehand.

 3. Thank you notes. The best time to order thank you cards for your wedding is when you order invitations. Get them addressed and ready to go beforehand, and try to send them out two weeks to one month after the wedding.

 The Married Life

 Congratulations on your engagement! While planning a wedding can be a crazily stressful experience, it’s also a really rewarding one– after all, you’re marrying the man of your dreams. So when you’re feeling a little daunted or a lot overwhelmed, sit down with your hubby to be, have a glass of wine, and relax. If you don’t let yourself get carried away with the details, the stress of planning won’t carry you away.

 Good luck!

Make Your Wedding Day Easy

Weddings are a handful and if you haven’t yet considered hiring catering options, it could easily turn to a disaster. Imagine the stress of feeding a mob of hungry people with the limited time available compounded by the emotional drama in wedding events, why it’s a time bomb ready to blow anytime! I’m sure you’ll have a hell of a day.

Still haven’t decided? Maybe you’re still weighting the cost disadvantages it will create on your wallet? Well if you are a concerned parent, a distant relative, a close friend or maybe the groom or bride, here are some tips that would certainly set your priorities straight and justify your catering decision on your wedding day or any eating event for that matter.

Consider the time element.
Wouldn’t you rather spend your time preparing yourself for other wedding essentials than getting stuck with lists of food preparations in your kitchen with your mom? Whereas you can have it delegated to people far better than you and can do a better job at it! Spend your time instead on memorizing your vows, have your hair and nails done, and do a perfect makeup job. Better to have wedding memories for these sorts of things than memories of how poorly the chicken was cooked, right? Catering will buy you time.

It may not be as costly as you may think it was.
Caterers usually offer package deals which give you a heads up on the cost per plate. This way you can allocate a budget for your guests ahead of time. Ask if they offer discounts. It won’t hurt asking. If budget is still a concern, then lessen the names in your guest list. Prioritize and cut it down to a more manageable size you can handle financially. It’s not a party after all.

It offers you menu choices that suit you and your guests.
The beauty about catered food is it offers a variety of food fit for most types of guests. You have meats, veggies, fish, fruits and dessert. Some caterers even have food themes like having Spanish menus or maybe even Mediterranean. If you have food specifications like food for vegans, food for certain religious beliefs and food for heath buffs, they will gladly adjust their food preparations accordingly. Try inquiring which menus they have that work best for weddings. I’m sure they have a lot to offer on their plate.

They are flexible to work around your choice of location.
They come in and come out prepared. Forget about concerns regarding table arrangements and order. They got it down to a science. Not only that but from the china to the forks and knives down to the glass and table details, these guys will make sure your guests are taken cared of and provided for. That’s a plus for you again.

You are sure they will offer you the best service they can offer.
Think about it. It’s a business that thrives on both quality food service and repeat business. They long to have sustained businesses with their loyal clients as well as create new ones within the guests in the event itself. So you are sure they will put their best foot forward for you. They will surely dress to impress.
No dirty dishes to wash. Need I say more?

A great wedding is always accompanied by a sumptuous wedding feast that adds to the total joy of an auspicious event. As a wedding is an one time event, no shortcomings in event management and care should be allowed and with food catering being one of the most critical juncture of a wedding function, care must be taken to ensure that the your guests are not left disappointed with the meals and drinks at store after all the formalities are completed. Unfortunately, wedding caterings can get pretty expensive if left astray and great care must be taken to ensure that you deliver a flawless meal without any shortcomings even if you are on a budget. Always keep in mind that even a rather humble meal course can be turned into a great success if delivered with modestly, class and love.

        Keeping Fort Lauderdale Caterers in mind, let us review certain ideas that will help you cut down on your catering budget without comprising on quality or taste.

            A buffet system for a wedding can always turn out to be much more cost effective than a sit down due to the lesser number of staff involved. Besides, a buffet based wedding in a decent location makes the event even more fun filled and classy. If the marriage is to be held in late morning, serving a good quintet of salads makes great sense. You can serve a wide array of wide array of salad dressings and fruits. Simillary if the wedding is to be held in the evenings, you can insist your Fort Lauderdale catering service provider to arrange a wide selection of deserts and with beverages like coffee and tea. You can also arrange for food items such as oysters, chicken wings and egg rolls. In addition, you can always serve your guests cake if the event is not held during meal times.

              One of the biggest follies of any wedding party is serving an overdose of wine and alcohol. This can often shoot your budget a great deal and often mess up your entire wedding plans. In this regard, you can ask your Fort Lauderdale caterer to stock only a limited supply of wine or even cut out alcoholic drinks from the overall menu so that you do not have to overpay and also avoid the risk of someone getting hung up and ruining the party.

              One of the biggest worries for any wedding event is that you may not have the total number of guests for whom you have reserved the meals. As a rule of the thumb, keep in mind that nearly 5-10% people fail to turn up for the event and a careful planning with this regard can save quite a lot of money which you spend elsewhere. Always appoint someone to keep a count of the total number of confirmed guests for the party so that you have a clear idea of who all will be missing out the event. Once you come up with a final number, talk to your Fort Lauderdale Caterer about the situation at hand and he/she can always alter the total number of plates to be served so that you end up saving more. One of the best ways to make a wedding a grand success is to ensure that you appoint those Fort Lauderdale Catering services that have a fine track record in serving with humbleness and modesty. Remember that good serving and a neat ambience counts for a lot in the end. A good choice of crockery will also help you as it makes the overall eating experience a royal one without burning a hole in your pocket.

             A wedding is that one time when you can forget all bitterness and ravel in the spirit of eternal union. While it is the marriage itself that holds primary importance, it should be noted that much of the fun and merry making takes place at the buffet or sit down’s . Unlike most other functions, a wedding catering service is not tied down by huge time constraints and you can always add to the taste to the food courses offered with your gentle and modest approach. With the above given ideas in mind, ensure that you communicate well with your Fort Lauderdale catering service provider properly before coming upon a final decision so that you get the bets of both worlds i.e. a great party without much expenses on your Fort Lauderdale caterers.