By Benjamin Charles

As you walk into the reception hall, have a 3 part display board… on one side, show pictures of the groom alone as a baby, child, teen, young adult, etc… on the other side, do the same for the bride… in the middle, have pictures of the couple together (engagement photos, etc.).

Will there be young children at your wedding reception? Create a kids table with wedding related coloring books and washable markers. This gives the parents a little time to breath and also gives the kids something to do.

Bouquet-tossing can be scary for the shy single girls at a wedding, so a sweet alternative is to have each married couple get on the dance floor, and start by calling the couples who have been married 5 years or less off the floor, then up to 10 years, then 15, 20 and so on. When the last couple is standing (the longest married couple) you give them the bouquet as a celebration of their long lasting love.

Have guests ring bells as bride and groom leave church, instead of throwing rice or bubbles that may spill.

To make your special day more memorable and breathtaking, dedicate a special song to the bridal party. You can also dedicate special songs to parents, grandparents and other special friends or relatives at your reception.

Have guests sign a table cloth (of your choosing) with permanent markers, instead of the book and the feathered pen. You can always pull it out once a year and use it for your anniversary table.

Have the lyrics of your wedding song displayed in a frame near or next to the entrance of the reception room for your guests’ viewing pleasure.

Put disposable cameras on the guest tables and collect them at the end of the reception. This will give you more precious pictures to put into your Wedding Photo Album.

Put baskets in the bathrooms at the reception hall. A basket stocked with hair spray, clear nail polish, extra pairs of stockings, trial size lipstick & perfumes for the Ladies Room… combs, hair gel, mouthwash and trial size colognes for the Men.

Buy a large umbrella and a package of fine tipped permanent markers in various colors. Have guests sign the umbrella with their thoughts at the reception. This made a great keepsake from our wedding! Now every time it rains we think of our special day.

Wedding rule of thumb number one: “if it can be handled early in the planning, rather than later, do it.” The final three weeks before the wedding are bound to be the busiest, so don’t wait. It may seem like a long time to you, but reception halls are often booked one year in advance and it’s not uncommon for DJ’s and bands to be booked eight to ten months in advance. Think if it this way; the more tasks you can handle of now, the less stressful those final weeks will be.

One major component of staying organized is having the luxury of time. If you only allow three months to plan a big or even a medium-sized wedding, you will be pressed for time.

Wedding rule of thumb number two: firming up every detail will take longer than you expect. What should take one week, takes three weeks; what should take two phone calls ends up taking five phone calls, and so it goes with planning any major event. Truly organized people, bless their souls, take into account that snags and hitches happen. You can’t avoid them, but you can pad your time so you can work around the problems.

Wedding rule of thumb number three: if handled properly, delegating tasks will make you more organized, not-to-mention reduce your stress. Being in total control of the wedding planning is no guarantee you’ll be organized, probably just the opposite. Often calm, rational people become absolute control freaks, when it comes to wedding plans. Ease up and accept help from others!

Let your mother or his mother make some preliminary phone calls and collect information. Select people you trust and give them well-defined instructions. If time is an issue, suggest a deadline as well.

About The Author

Benjamin Charles is a caring, thoughtful and articulate wedding and event coordinator. He currently resides at one of the Hawaiian Islands’ most premier wedding sites. Come celebrate in The Gardens on your special day and enjoy the Maui Wedding of your dreams.

Tags: For Weddings