Emcee…
Prepare an agenda for your wedding reception: Couples often spend more time picking out a wedding ring than they do thinking about how they want their wedding reception to flow. Yet the reception is usually the most memorable part of the wedding (hopefully for all the "right" reasons rather than all the wrong ones). A wedding reception that involves more than 20 guests moves into the status of a special event -- and one of the keys to the success of any special event is the creation of a solid agenda that identifies what's going to happen when and how the overall evening is going to flow. Just a movie needs a script, a wedding reception needs an agenda.
Choose a capable wedding emcee: An emcee can also make or break your wedding reception. He or she needs to fully understand what's required for the role -- and be able to preside over and take command of the event to ensure the evening unfolds as planned. While emcees can be taught the basics of how to perform in that role, it takes a person who is confident, articulate and organized to take charge of the event and lead the audience through it.
Brief your wedding toasters: It's a tremendous honor to be asked to make a wedding toast -- but unfortunately, many "toasters" fail to take the role seriously and don't do enough to properly prepare for their big moment. The bride and groom can address that by a) Lining up their toasters well in advance of the wedding (rather than the night before); b) Providing them with a copy of the agenda so they know when they fit into the program; c) Ensuring they know how many guests will be in attendance (the prospect of having to address several hundred people has a way of prompting speakers to get their act together); d) Letting their toasters know that the room in which the reception is to be held will be available for them to rehearse their toast prior to the actual reception (hint -- be prepared).
~ Tom Haibeck, "The Wedding MC: A Complete Guide to Success" and "Wedding Toasts Made Easy" available at Chapters or at WeddingToasts.com
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The most important thing to note in working with an officiant is the timing. It’s important to be aware and respectful of the fact that your Officiant likely has another wedding taking place within one-two hours of yours so starting the ceremony (or rehearsal) at the expected time is crucial (although a 10 minute delay is common and forgivable).
One way to manage the ceremony and ensure that you are able to start on time is to invite guests a ½ hour earlier than you intend the ceremony to begin. It gives everyone a bit of time to chat and take their seats without rushing and also allows the late comers to not be disruptive to a ceremony already in progress. I will rarely allow one client’s tardiness to affect the next client and so if a wedding is running late I am most often forced to cut back the length of the couple’s ceremony and sometimes exclude certain elements so that I am able to make it on time to the next event.
~ Reverend Marilyn Knipp
When working with a Justice of the Peace it is important to be aware of several facts. The first is that JPs are not paid by the hour for their work and they are not government employees. The fee associated with hiring a JP is split between the JP and the government. Travel costs and gratuity is expected to be paid on top of the flat fee. JPs are not required to meet with a couple in advance (although the good ones often do) or attend rehearsals (can be arranged for an additional charge of $30.00).
~ Anonymous Justice of the Peace (they are not permitted to advertise)
Cakes…
When looking for a cake maker, make sure you share the same vision by bringing in lots of information to your consultation such as color swatches, themes, invitation sample, photo of wedding gown, florist’s contact information, sample monograms, etc.
Ensure that you hire a qualified and experienced cake maker. They should have a proper example of past cakes presented in either a portfolio or on a website gallery. Also, pay attention to how the cake maker presents themselves. Is their work area clean and organized and are they knowledgeable and helpful and able to answer your questions? The environment in which they work says a lot about their health standards and what you can expect from them product wise.
And just because a cake maker has nice looking cakes doesn’t mean they taste good so be sure to ask for a sample or attend a tasting session unless you happen to already know through your own experience or through word of mouth that their cakes are indeed delicious. It’s beneficial to hire someone who is known in the industry as you will then be able to feel more at ease about trusting them to show up on the day, on time and with the correct cake order!
~ April Bellia, April Cakes
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