Wedding Planning Blog

I was doing my final planning meeting with one of my brides last week. At this meeting we plan our schedule of events; setup, breakdown, first dance, last dance, dinner service, bouquet toss and cake cutting time. This particular bride wanted to cut the cake late in the evening in hopes of keeping her wedding guests from leaving early. Once-upon-a-time the cake cutting served as a signal to guests who wanted to make a hasty exit, that they would not be gauche by leaving the reception.

As with most wedding etiquette, changes in times have brought changes with this tradition. One of my brides wanted her cake to have a very prominent position in the wedding reception (The couple had spent about $4000.00 on the cake. I would want it noticed too!) Rather than performing the first dance after being introduced, the couple walked to the center of the dance floor where their beautiful cake stood on a rolling table (they wanted it there so no one would miss it). Accompanied by great fanfare from the band, the couple cut the cake and fed it to each other. The servers dramatically whisked it off to the back of the house. After dinner, the sliced cake was served to the guests on beautifully decorated plates — a presentation that was only possible because we cut the cake early.

Another one of my brides wanted to make sure she had a great dance party. (You can see her photos here and her wedding story here) As soon as dinner service was over, the bride and groom cut the cake (about an hour and a half into the reception) then they led the guests upstairs to the pool deck where the dj was playing great dance music, a cigar roller was rolling cigars and a desert presentation was displayed with cookies and… the wedding cake. How did we get the cake plated and upstairs so quickly? The wedding cake on display at dinner was a dummy cake with a small corner cut out with real cake so the bride and groom could feed each other. The dessert cake was in the kitchen ready to be placed on display upstairs.

Sometimes the tradition is changed out of necessity. A few years ago one of my brides wanted a cake with white chocolate ribbons all over it. I reminded her that her wedding was in July… she still wanted that cake. I reminded her that her wedding was outside… still wanted that cake. I reminded her that we live in Central Florida! She had to have that cake. The caterer and I held off in putting the cake out on display as long as we could. Sure enough, the second the chocolate met with the July humidity, it began to sweat. Shortly thereafter, the beautiful white chocolate ribbons began to slide. The entire cake started shifting. It looked like a tire with a slow leak. We quickly had the bride and groom cut the cake and we carried it to the back of the house just in time for it to completely slide apart. Fortunately, we had servers with quick reflexes. None of the cake hit the floor and as each piece was plated, we reshaped the chocolate on top.

So back to my bride from last week… I suggested that rather than holding her guests hostage by postponing the cake cutting, that she put the cake cutting where tradition has always had it, after dinner. This will allow any guest that wants to leave to gracefully make an exit. For those who want to stay and party, they can have a yummy sugar boost prior to getting their dance on!

Hi All,

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I will be at the Perfect Wedding Guide wedding show on Sunday at the Buena Vista Palace. If you are in Orlando, come see me. I am looking forward to discussing your wedding plans with you and on my table, is my Ten Inspirational Ideas for an Out of the Ordinary Wedding idea list, to assist you in planning a memorable wedding!

I hope to see you there!

Its wedding show season once again. For those of you who have never been to one, it is quite an experience! Hundreds of brides running around, dozens and dozens of vendors vying for your business. It can be very overwhelming. Here are some tips to surviving a wedding show.

1. Wear comfortable shoes. This is no time to show off your exquisite stiletto heals. Bridal shows are big and you will be walking around for hours. You won’t be able to enjoy yourself if your feet are killing you.

2. Make a plan. You will not have enough time to have in-depth conversations with every vendor you meet. Think about what you want to accomplish at the show. Do you want to find a photographer and videographer or are you shopping for a florist? Plan on spending the most time with the vendors you need to hire. Gather business cards from other vendors that you like and plan on meeting them later.

3. Bring address labels. You are going to be asked to fill out dozens of entry and information forms. You will waste a lot of time (and get a nasty cramp in your hand) if you have to fill out each form by hand.

4. Don’t be afraid to say, “no thank you.” The vendors at the show are all there to sell you something. Once again, if you stand by and listen to every sales pitch, you wont get to meet with the vendors you really like. The vendors know they aren’t going to appeal to everyone, just politely say that you are not interested and walk away.

5. Don’t bring all of your girlfriends with you. Take your mom, your best friend, or another bride to keep you company and have fun with you, but too many opinions will get you stressed out.

6. If you have purchased your gown, skip the fashion show. The booths tend to be less busy while the fashion show is going on. All those vendors who were chasing after ten brides at once will find themselves twiddling their thumbs. This is the perfect opportunity to have a relaxed chat with one or two of them.

7. Make a note on the literature you take. You will leave the show with a bag full of business cards, brochures and magazines. If you meet someone who has an interesting product or service, be sure to mark on the brochure what struck your fancy; otherwise that vendor will just get lost in a flurry of paper.

8. Create a wedding email address. Keep in mind that after signing up with all those vendors, you will be inundated with email and snail mail advertisements. Rather than giving them your personal email address, or even worse, your work address, create an email address that you use exclusively at bridal shows. That way, you will be able to sort through wedding email at your leisure rather than having to clear things out just to find an email from your aunt.

I hope these tips will help you enjoy all the upcoming bridal shows. Keep your wits and senses of humor! Happy shopping.