First I want to thank all the wonderful brides and grooms who came out to the Susan Southerland Secret Workshop at the Hilton Orlando this weekend for the Perfect Wedding Guide Bridal Show. We had such a great time. Our Savvy, Functional and Bewildered Brides created inspiration boards and wedding day blue prints. Our Visionary Brides worked with me on setting priorities and those whose planning was in the final stages worked with Kristin on their wedding day profile.

One very sweet couple attended my breakout session on setting priorities. They were very confused as to what type of reception site they should look into, based on the fact that they didn’t have much money to spend. So this wedding blog is inspired by them!

The couple was looking into a few options, hotels, restaurants, caterer at a facility and tenting their back yard. Their initial thought was that tenting the back yard might be cheaper because they could do the cooking. This is not necessarily so. If you think that you can save money by doing it yourself, consider the following:

• You will have to purchase or rent china, flat wear, tables, linens, chairs, glasses and serving items.
• Unless you and your families want to be stuck serving and cleaning up, you will need to hire staff.
• If the two items above don’t concern you, do you have enough room for all of your guests: enough space for the tent, tables and chairs, enough power to run everything, enough restrooms and enough parking?

Reception sites like hotels, restaurants and halls are almost always the best bargains because you don’t need to worry about renting additional equipment, or hiring staff, not to mention they have the experience to make sure that your day runs smoothly.

I hope today’s wedding blog gave you some food-for-thought! If you have any questions about planning your reception or if you have photos and ideas to share with other wedding blog readers, please post for me here or email me at susan(dot)southerland(at)pwg(dot)com.

Also become a fan on Facebook by clicking here and follow me on Twitter by clicking here.

Your partner in perfect planning,

Susan

I was feeling a bit nostalgic, so I thought I would write today’s wedding blog about a truly classic honeymoon destination: Niagara Falls. Whether you choose to stay on the American/New York side of the falls or venture over to Canada, you will have no shortage of inspiring and amazing sites to see!

Some fun tidbits for honeymooners seeking more information about this destination: the water that flows over the falls is from four of the five Great Lakes, Niagara Falls is the second largest producer of electric power in the world, and less than ten-percent of the water from the falls is on the American side. How about that?

Things to Do:

1. Embark on a voyage. Those who have heard of Niagara Falls know about the Maid of the Mist®. Operating since 1846, this famous vessel transports visitors towards an “up close and personal” view of the falls. Honeymooners shouldn’t pass up this remarkable voyage!

2. Take a chance. A famous spot on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls is the Fallsview Casino Resort. Honeymooners interesting in playing games of chance should consider stopping here. Who knows…you may go home with enough winnings to pay for the honeymoon!

3. Sit on top of the world. Okay, so maybe it isn’t exactly on top of the world, but the Top of the Falls Restaurant located on Goat Island is still an impressive place. Overlooking Terrapin Point, this restaurant offers a menu full of regional dining favorites that honeymooners everywhere are sure to enjoy.

4. Experience the falls. Another popular activity while honeymooning in Niagara Falls is taking the Cave of the Winds Tour. Also located on Goat Island (so perhaps a cave tour followed by dinner for two?), this trip takes the adventurous on a trek along a series of wooden stairs and platforms. While you can definitely expect to get wet on this tour–especially on the famous Hurricane Deck–you will also likely see an abundance of romantic rainbows in the water’s mist.

Do you have other ideas of things to do in Niagara Falls that I didn’t include in this wedding blog? What about another honeymoon destination that you would recommend sharing? I would love to hear from you with input on your preferred destination, and photos are definitely encouraged!

If you have questions on this or any other wedding related topic, please post for me here or send me an email to susan(dot)southerland(at)pwg.com. Also become a fan on Facebook by clicking here and follow me on Twitter by clicking here.

Your partner in perfect planning,
Susan