It's Never Too Early to Renew Your Wedding Vows

It's Never Too Early to Renew Your Wedding Vows
By Chris Simeral

When you think about couples who renew their wedding vows, chances are you're not picturing anyone under the age of 50. But the truth is that it's never too early to renew your vows - especially if you didn't get to do exactly what you wanted the first time around. I'm talking about those couples that really wanted to write their own vows, but that got talked out of doing it by family, friends (or even themselves) for a whole host of reasons that "sounded good" at the time.

Does This Sound Like You?

Rick and Holly were recently married, and as much as their day was truly memorable, there was one aspect that really bothered them -- their wedding vows. Like many modern-day engaged couples, they wished to write their own vows to make their exchange of love more romantic and personal. However, they were talked out of the idea by Holly's mother and her maid of honor, Karen.

Holly's mother believed that writing their own wedding vows was going against tradition, which would be frowned upon by many of the guests attending the ceremony, while Karen felt that writing personal wedding vows was tacky and likely to be longwinded.

Holly carefully considered the opinion of each woman, both of whom she respected and loved very much, as they had been wonderful and exceptionally helpful during the planning of her wedding. She discussed the situation with Rick and found out that he, too, was having mixed feelings about writing their own vows. It seemed his brother Jim and sister-in law Deborah also expressed their distaste concerning the idea.

With a heavy sigh, both Rick and Holly decided that it would probably be best not write their own wedding vows. They tossed away brainstorming ideas, and although neither of them would admit it to the other, they were equally feeling miserable about abandoning their original plan to create their own vows.

Now, here they were, happily married, and yet feeling cheated out of the wedding they had always wanted. Why had they listened to others instead of their own hearts?

Why Not Renew Your Vows on Your Honeymoon? (Yes, Your Honeymoon!)

That is when Rick had a clever idea: what if they renewed their wedding vows on their honeymoon? Holly brightened at this thought, and after a moment of consideration it was settled. Both of them carefully composed personal thoughts that they wished to share with the other, and set the day when they would renew their vows.

Afterwards, Rick and Holly were able to ignore the regret they once felt, as they now had new memories born from the second chance of being able to express the everlasting words of love they had always wanted to share in the presence of others.

If you are one of the unfortunate victims who have listened to others and went with traditional wedding vows instead of your original plan of writing out your own, you can stop regretting and start renewing. That's right; you can have the wedding you originally wanted by simply renewing your wedding vows.

You will discover that renewing your wedding vows is not a difficult process, and could be even more romantic than the first time you were married. A renewal of vows is a beautiful decision, because it is like saying to your spouse, "I love you even more than the day we were married, and if I had the choice, I would marry you all over again because I can't imagine my life without you in it. You are the only one for me, and I want the whole world to know."

If this sounds like something you're interested in, try searching on the Internet for places that cater to "destination weddings." After all, you want this to be a special moment - just as special as the day you were originally married.

And in terms of getting down to the business of actually personalizing the words you're going to say, products like The Ultimate Wedding Vow Toolkit (which I created - more info at http://www.weddingvowtoolkit.com) will walk you through the process step by step.

Good luck...and this time, don't let anyone talk you out of what you truly want to do!

Chris Simeral is the creator of The Ultimate Wedding Vow Toolkit, a downloadable, step-by-step manual for couples personalizing (or renewing) their wedding vows. Sign up for the free wedding vow mini-course at http://www.WeddingVowToolkit.com.

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Idealna sala weselna The perfect wedding hall

Idealna sala weselna

Autorem artykułu jest Ślubny Raj




Obecnie na rynku jest mnóstwo lokali oferujących możliwość zorganizowania wesela. Jednak nie łatwo podjąć decyzję, gdzie zorganizować  przyjęcie weselne, zwłaszcza przy tak szerokim wyborze sal. Jakimi kryteriami powinniśmy się  kierować by wybrać najlepiej?
Po pierwsze:
Tradycyjne przyjęcie weselne czy obiad dla gości?
Największym ograniczeniem przy wyborze sali są często koszty. Aby je zmniejszyć wiele par decyduje się na zaproszenie gości na obiad do restauracji. Jednak większość z par marzy o tradycyjnym weselu i decyduje się na całonocne przyjęcie w domu weselnym.
Decydującą różnicą są  z pewnością koszty. Przy przyjęciu w restauracji zapłacimy nawet 40-50% mniej. Ale z drugiej strony - rezygnujemy z tradycyjnych zabaw, tańców. Coś za coś.

Po drugie:
Odległość?
Należy zadać sobie pytanie - co bardziej się kalkuluje - znalezienie sali blisko kościoła i miejsca zamieszkania czy znalezienia tańszej Sali weselnej, za to w znacznej odległości (wtedy musimy zapewnić gościom dojazd w miejsce wesela).

Porównując ceny w dużym miastach, często opłaca się znaleźć lokal na obrzeżach i zapewnić  dodatkowy transport niż płacić za przyjęcie w centrum miasta.

Pozostaje jeszcze kwestia ulokowania gości. Zwłaszcza jeśli znaczna ich część przyjeżdża z innych części kraju. Wtedy musimy zapewnić im nocleg. Najczęściej opłaca się w takiej sytuacji znaleźć lokal, który oferuje także miejsca noclegowe - często oferując korzystne zniżki przy wynajęciu pokoi. 
Po trzecie:
Wystrój?
Gusta są różne. Ale szeroki wybór pozwoli nam znaleźć salę, która sprosta naszym oczekiwaniom.
Sale w stylu pałacowym, lokale w stylu swojskim, hotele – każdy znajdzie coś dla siebie.
Oglądając salę, zwróćmy uwagę  na klimatyzację. Jest to z pewnością element niezbędny.
Istotne jest również swobodne wyjście na zewnątrz, np. na teren ogrodu. Świetne rozwiązanie zwłaszcza w okresie wiosenno-letnim.
Warto umówić się na oglądanie już przygotowanej Sali, np. przed organizowanym przyjęciem. Zobaczymy wtedy dekorację, jedzenie. Pomoże nam to ocenić, czy jest to właśnie to czego szukamy.

Po czwarte:
Formalności?
Jeśli już wybraliśmy idealna salę, przed podpisaniem umowy warto dopytać się właściciela o wszelkie szczegóły. Mimo tego że lokal nam odpowiada, często zdarza się że załatwianie spraw organizacyjnych z właścicielem pozostawia wiele do życzenia.
Warto wybrać miejsce, które odpowiada nam nie tylko pod względem estetycznym, ale również organizatorzy budzą zaufanie – mamy wtedy pewność, że nie spotkają nas z ich strony żadne niemiłe niespodzianki.
www.slubnyraj.pl
---
Ślubny Raj - najwiekszy katalog branży ślubnej

Ślub, wesele, forum ślubne, ciekawe artykuły, porady,


Artykuł pochodzi z serwisu www.Artelis.pl

The perfect wedding hall
The author of this article is Paradise Wedding

Currently the market is a lot of venues that offer the possibility to organize weddings. But it is not easy to decide where to organize a wedding, especially with such a wide choice of rooms. What criteria should be guided to choose the best? First: Traditional wedding reception or dinner for the guests? The major limitation in the choice of the room is often the cost. To reduce the number of couples are choosing to invite the guest to dine in the restaurant. However, the majority of couples dreaming of a traditional wedding and decides to adopt an all-night wedding party at home. The decisive difference is certainly cost. On admission, the restaurant will pay as much as 40-50% less. But on the other side - giving up the traditional games, dances.Something for something.
Second: Distance? Ask yourself - what more you calculate - to find a room near the church and place of residence or finding a cheaper wedding hall, but at a considerable distance (if we need to provide visitors with access in place of wedding).
Comparing prices in large cities, often pays to find a place on the edge and provide additional transportation than to pay for the adoption of the city center.
There remains the question of locating the hotel. Especially if a substantial portion coming from other parts of the country. Then we provide them with accommodation.Most pay in such circumstances to find a unit, which also offers accommodations - often with favorable discounts for renting rooms. Thirdly: The decor? Tastes are different. But a wide selection will allow us to find a room that will exceed our expectations. Meeting in a palatial style, familiar style apartments, hotels - everyone will find something for everyone. Watching the room, notice the air conditioning. This is certainly an essential element. It is also important freely go outside, for example, into the garden. A great solution especially during spring and summer. It is worth watching to make an already prepared the hall, for example, organized the reception. We'll see if the decoration, the food. This will help us to assess whether it is just what you're looking for.
Fourth: Formalities? If you have already chosen the perfect room, before signing the agreement we find out the owner of all the details. Despite the fact that local suits us, it often happens that the settlement with the owner of the organizational issues leaves much to be desired. Choose a place that suits us, not only aesthetically, but also the organizers of inspiring confidence - then we have confidence that we did not meet their part no surprises.

Writing Your Wedding Vows the Way Poets Do

Writing Your Wedding Vows the Way Poets Do
By Chris Simeral

Let's face it, not many of us have the kind of skills or experience to write truly poetic wedding vows. Or do we? Here's the truth: Even if you don't know Dylan Thomas from Bob Dylan, and you're pretty sure T.S. Elliot was that guy who wrote the words to Andrew Lloyd Weber's "Cats," all is not lost! In fact, there are ways to learn to write the words you want. With four simple steps, you can take what you feel in your heart and make it come out as sweetly as any Shakespearian sonnet.

Step 1: Decide on a theme

Finding a theme should arguably be the easiest part of writing poetry for your wedding vows. But you don't want to be stuck with something trite or cliché, even though the theme of romantic love is probably the oldest known for poetry. There are lots of ways to avoid writing the same old "roses are red, violets are blue" type of poem. One trick the pros use is to envision what a newspaper article about your relationship would say. Would it discuss how and where you met? How your relationship has stayed strong, even during the hard times? What your love has meant to one another? Since newspaper articles get right to the point, this exercise can help you pick out an overriding theme for your vows.

Step 2: Allow time for reverie

No, not "revelry" (hopefully that will be what your wedding day is all about), but reverie - a quiet time devoted to a kind of dreamy meditation. Try some tricks for allowing yourself time to truly think about your poem -- and not just those things that allow you to "act like a poet." Go for a walk alone, listen to instrumental music, or simply shut the door to a room in your house and ask not to be disturbed. The most important thing to remember with any of these methods is that you don't let other people interrupt your time.

Step 3: Choose your topic

Theme, as discussed above, is the driving idea behind your poem. The topic, however, is the specific vehicle you use to express the theme. While finding the theme should be the easiest part of writing a poem for your wedding, finding a topic that isn't hackneyed and trite can be a challenge. For instance, love is your theme, but the beauty of your betrothed's eyes may be the topic. You are using the example of her eyes as the symbol for your love. The key is to find something new. There's something that makes your chosen one special, be it appearance, wit, or style. That's the topic you want to choose. Poets use tools like automatic writing, journals, or "dream work" to come up with topics for their prose. (These tools are all discussed in detail in the home-study course I put together for couples personalizing their wedding vows - visit http://www.WeddingVowToolkit.com for more info.) But anything that allows you to spark your creativity can suffice if you're short on time.

Step 4: Pick Your Style

As many different poems as there are, there are almost an equal number of styles in which they are written. There are traditional forms, modern, post modern, and many more. You can work on fitting your rough draft poem into one of these many forms, or you can go with no form at all. The benefit of working on an art form is that there are no hard and fast rules on what the end product must look like. Perhaps you'd like to try your hand at penning your vows in the form of a Shakespearean sonnet. Or, to go a completely different route, maybe "experimental" is right up your alley. No matter what you choose, just make sure it fits your style. After all, personalizing your wedding vows means just that - they should be personal, not forced to fit into a style that just isn't "you."

Chris Simeral is the creator of The Ultimate Wedding Vow Toolkit, the wedding-coordinator-approved home-study course for couples personalizing or renewing their wedding vows. Learn more at http://www.WeddingVowToolkit.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Simeral
http://EzineArticles.com/?Writing-Your-Wedding-Vows-the-Way-Poets-Do&id=8160

Terrific Advice Concerning Destination Weddings As Shared By Two Gurus On The Topic

Terrific Advice Concerning Destination Weddings As Shared By Two Gurus On The Topic
By Norm Goldman

Today Norm Goldman, Editor of Sketchandtravel.com & Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as a guest, Denise and Alan Fields, authors of BRIDAL BARGAINS and the BRIDAL PASSPORT WEDDING PLANNER. Both are in bookstores nationwide or you can order online at WINDSORPEAK.COM.

The Fields have been featured on the TODAY SHOW, OPRAH and DATELINE NBC.

Thanks Denise and Alan for accepting our invitation to be interviewed.

Norm:

Please tell our readers how you started writing about weddings and why did you want to write about this subject matter?

Denise and Alan:

We began writing in 1989 as we were planning our own wedding; yep, we are still married today. As two starving college students in Austin, Texas, we quickly realized planning a wedding was a darn expensive endeavour. We wanted to know how to save money but still have a nice wedding without getting ripped off. We heard the horror stories from our friends and decided the world needed a consumer's guide to tying the knot. Bridal Bargains, our first wedding book, was the result of that effort it was first published in 1990 and now is in its 7th edition, with 500,000 copies sold. Our latest book, the Bridal Passport wedding planner (the Dollars & Sense Guide to Planning a Wedding) was published in December 2004.

Norm:

What in your opinion makes for a wonderful and unique wedding experience, where everyone would be left with fond memories? As a follow up, do you have to spend a great deal of money to have such a memorable experience?

Denise and Alan:

Think about the best weddings you have ever attended and what made them so memorable? Chances are it was a FUN event first and foremost. That might have been a combination of several factors, a unique setting, a great band, and so on. Focus on those factors when planning your own wedding. Conversely, realize there are many parts of a wedding that are expensive, but contribute little to the fun aspect of a wedding flowers, for example.

No, you don't have to go bankrupt to plan a memorable wedding! Yes, you may have to make a series of trade-offs to pull it off, but you can save and still have a fantastic wedding. Example: instead of a fancy downtown hotel, you can rent a historic home that lets you bring in your own caterer. That enables you to hold the total cost down, way under what the hotel would charge. The key: you save money in ways your guests don't see. A bottle of house wine from a hotel might be $50; that same bottle from a wholesale club like Sam's or Costco would run $10. Do you guests know the difference? No.

A destination wedding is another great way to save and you have a special setting for your wedding, without all the cost of a domestic affair.

Norm:

What tips would you have for destination brides who plan to bring along a wedding party? It's a growing trend for destination weddings to now have a fairly sizeable wedding party sometimes about 50, so it would be great to get their tips on group airline discounts, hotel blocks.

Denise and Alan:

Good news: the travel biz has awakened to the destination-wedding trend. As a result, many airlines and resorts have special discount packages for those planning a wedding. Airlines, for example, are courting destination weddings with special group discounts. Many resorts now have on-staff wedding planners to ease planning; and special discount rates for blocks of rooms.

The best advice: work with the airlines group booking department and/or the resort's meeting planners. And always double check to make sure any special rate you get is really a deal and simply price the same stay or fare on a travel web site. Most travel companies honestly offer groups a better deal than regular travelers; but it always makes sense to double check.

Norm:

Could you tell us something about the advantages and disadvantages pertaining to different unique venue weddings as: beach, park, museum, mountain ski lodge, tent, train, yacht, and other sometimes off- the- wall sites? (Perhaps you can add a few of your own.)

Denise and Alan:

Name a destination and you can get married there---ski buffs can take their vows on a mountain top in Telluride, beach fans on the white sands of Aruba and so on. The key advantage of a destination wedding: you are already in the place where you will honeymoon. That cuts down on the travel, as you just travel once to both the wedding and honeymoon.

With all unique venues and destination weddings, the biggest trade-off is control. You will have to trust a wedding planner at the venue to help coordinate the details. And that means not being a control freak. Many tropical venues may offer a stunning setting, but slim pickings when it comes to finding a photographer (there may just be one or two on an island). Ditto for other remote locales, like a ski resort.

Norm:

If you had to choose 5 ideal geographic wedding destinations from the point of view of ambiance, costs, etc, which ones would you chose and why?

Denise and Alan:

Hawaii is probably the best combo of both ambience and ease of use and no changing dollars into a foreign currency, a very developed tourist biz and so on. Specifically, we would recommend the north shore of Kauai in the summer; Maui or the Big Island in the winter.

Mexico offers the best value for the dollar. A falling dollar has made foreign travel pricey just about everywhere, but the peso remains a relative bargain for Americans. Resorts like Cabo, Cancun and Puerto Vallarta offer that beach wedding (and Caribbean water) at a discount price. Top pick: Cozumel, for its excellent snorkelling.

Telluride is our favorite mountain resort to tie the knot, summer or winter. Winter lets you enjoy a world-class ski mountain; summer is hiking, white water rafting. A selection of the top restaurants makes this a winner year around.

Orlando is among the best bargains going and most airlines offer deals on air/hotel packages here and the raft of entertainment options is second to none. And its more than just Disney . . . you will find Universal, Sea World and a plethora of water parks.

Norm:

Do you have any tips as to how couples can get the best value for their dollar when they are honeymooning?

Denise and Alan:

Two words: shoulder season. The shoulder season is the space between high and low seasons. No, you probably don't want to go to a tropical isle in August. How about April? In the Caribbean, you can find great deals in the shoulder season after Easter but before summer vacation times.

Hawaii is cheapest rate after New Year's until mid March, when spring break crowds end deals. Deals also abound in Hawaii in the fall, from Labor Day until just before Christmas. Hence, November would be a great time to go for a honeymoon.

Fall is also a great time to visit the wine country of California or the Rocky Mountains on a honeymoon.

Norm:

What are the 5 most important factors, cost-wise, a future bride and groom should bear in mind when planning their wedding and why?

Denise and Alan:

Location, guest count, time of day and wedding style are the most important budget factors. Some thoughts:

Location: Where do you envision the wedding? Reception? The location will drive much of the cost. A hotel reception is much more expensive than a home wedding, for example.

Guest count. A no brainer this clearly impacts the budget!

Time of day. A 2pm wedding is much less expensive than an evening affair, Why? Guests already have had lunch and are not expecting dinner! Brunch or lunch reception are also less expensive than dinner.

Wedding style: Do you have envision a garden wedding? A beach-side ceremony? Or a formal Catholic mass? The style of your wedding is a major driver of costs.

Norm:

How does one go about finding out about the different marriage regulations around the world? Is there a web site that we can click on et voilà we have the answer?

Denise and Alan:

Wish there was! Unfortunately, it takes a bit of surfing. Start by identifying which countries you are interested in: then Google their official tourism site. Most tourism bureaus now have wedding links on their front page . . . in a few clicks, you can find out the marriage requirements. Another idea: ask the concierge of the hotel or resort you are considering to be married at. Many now have wedding planners on staff.

Norm:

How does one go about checking on the reliability of a hotel or resort when it pertains to service, food, etc especially if the hotel or resort is located in another state, province or country?

Denise and Alan:

The web! Most wedding sites (including ours, bridalbargiansbook.com) have online message boards. You can chat with other brides and find other couples who have been married where you are considering . . . yes, that is possible! Of course, you can always ask for references from the resort, but this can be unreliable. Sites like tripadvisor.com have detailed reviews of resorts by travellers and that can be very helpful.

Best wishes,

Alan & Denise

For over thirty- five years, Norm practiced as a Title Attorney and Civil Law Notary in Montreal, Canada. After his retirement from the legal profession, Norm pursued two of his passions - book reviewing and travel writing, implementing many of his research skills he had been practicing for 35 years.

Norm and his wife Lily are a unique husband and wife team, writer and water colorist, who write and paint about romantic destinations and wedding destinations.

Basically, they meld art and words in order to create an unusual travel story, which generates interest, particularly because of the fact that each painting appears to have been �custom-made� for the story-original story and original art. Combining the watercolors with travel writing provides a softer, more romantic look at the places they visit.

As they specialize in web-based content, their articles and water- colors are featured on their own site, Sketchandtravel.Com, as well as several other sites.

You can learn more about Norm and Lily by visiting their site: http://www.sketchandtravel.com

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Common Format Of A Wedding Reception

Common Format Of A Wedding Reception
By Matt Campbell

The following article can be copied but you must keep about the author section.

Common format of a wedding reception:

· Arrival of guests at hall

· Introduction of wedding party

· Introduction of bride and groom

· Blessing

· Meal

· Cake Cutting

· Toasts

· Bride & Groom's First Dance

· Father & Daughter's Dance

· Mother & Groom's Dance

· Special Dances

· Bouquet and Garter Toss

· Dancing and Fun

Arrival of guests at reception site

Typically, a wedding lasts about 15 minutes. However, some guests do arrive early to the reception. Therefore, be sure all reception to-dos are complete by the start time of the wedding. Also, all wedding vendors should be wearing proper attire for early arriving and late staying guests. All tables should be set-up including cake table, entertainment's table, sign-in table, food tables, and tables with chairs for all guests. If you have a seating arrangement, all seating lists should be at the reception with everyone's name with where they are sitting.

Introduction of wedding party

This step is not mandatory, but it is nice for everyone to know who the wedding party is as many have not met before your wedding. Create a "Reception Planning Guide" and give this to your master of ceremonies prior to your wedding. This details, among other things, the order of entrance into the reception site with their names and titles. The order of entrance is as follows: parents of the bride, parents of the groom, ushers with bridesmaids, flower girl and ring bearer, special guests, best man, maid/matron of honor, bride and groom. In addition, review the pronunciations of the wedding party's names with the master of ceremonies.

Introduction of bride and groom

This is always the last of the introductions. Everyone should stand before the bride and groom enter. In addition, a special song can be arranged with the music entertainment and a special announcement made to punctuate a true grand entrance. Also, inform the master of ceremonies how you would like to be introduced: Mr. and Mrs. Smith or John and Jane Doe.

Blessing

This is another step that is not mandatory, but for the religious couples makes a nice setting. If you invite the person who performed the marriage ceremony to the reception, I would recommend having them conduct the blessing. If they are not able to attend, a parent or family friend is a good idea. Lastly, the master of ceremonies could give the meal blessing. Be sure to communicate with whomever is giving the blessing in advance so they are prepared to give a personal touch.

Meal

It's time to eat! Bride and Groom, be sure to stop and take a moment to eat. This may be your only chance in the day. In addition, it is customary for the bride and groom to start the food line. Most guests know to wait until the bride and groom start the food line. So don't be late!

Cake Cutting

This is the traditional bride and groom making the first cut on their wedding cake. Then, the bride feeds half of the piece of cake to the groom and the groom feeds the remaining half to the bride. The cutting of the cake is a ceremony intended to symbolize the caring and sharing for one another. Forks may be used as they make the image very attractive for the photographer. Forks may also minimize the possibility of someone being hurt with the more playful squashing that sometimes happens.

Toasts

The toast is when the bride and groom toast each other then interlock arms and drink. Immediately following, the best man and maid/matron of honor make toasts to the bridal couple. Be prepared for other family and friends to follow with their toasts too.

Bride & Groom's First Dance

The Bride & Groom's Dance is the first dance between a bride and groom as a married couple. The dance is also commonly known as the "First Dance". The timing of the bride groom dance can vary in the evening based on your preferences. The first dance can be done immediately following the grand entrance with the wedding party circling the dance.

Father & Daughter's Dance

The Father & Daughter's Dance or the Father Bride Dance is the dance between the father(s) of the bride and the bride. Brides, if you have more than one father in your life, one can tap the other on the shoulder in the middle of the dance so you can dance with both of them. If you do not have a father, a common substitute is a father figure or even your brother would make a very nice gesture.

Mother & Groom's Dance

The Mother & Groom's dance is the dance between the mother(s) of the groom and the groom. Grooms, if you have more than one mother in your life, one can tap the other on the shoulder in the middle of the dance so you can dance with both of them. If you do not have a mother, a common substitute is a mother figure or even your sister would make a very nice gesture.

Special Dances

There may be songs in your life that mean dear to your heart. You can ask the music entertainment to play these songs during the night or immediately following the formal dances. An example would be: If someone dear to you passed recently, you may ask the music entertainment to play Angels Among Us by Alabama.

Bouquet and Garter Toss

The traditional tossing of the bouquet is when the bride tosses the bridal bouquet to all single women in attendance. Immediately following the bouquet tossing, a chair is set in the middle of the dance floor. The chair is for the bride to sit and the groom to remove the bride's garter from her leg. The traditional tossing of the garter is when the groom tosses the bride's garter to all the single men in attendance. The people whom catch the garter and bouquet are said to be the next one to marry.

Dancing and Fun

This is what you pay the music entertainment to do...get people to dance and have a good time. Give the music entertainment music examples and limitations of what type of music you want but don't give them a list of 100 songs they need to play.

� Matt Campbell is the owner and webmaster for Weddingmuseum.com. Weddingmuseum.com is a place to plan, book and rate your wedding day. You can email him at matt@weddingmuseum.com or visit WeddingMuseum.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_Campbell
http://EzineArticles.com/?Common-Format-Of-A-Wedding-Reception&id=8349

5 Tips To Select The Best Wedding Reception Location

5 Tips To Select The Best Wedding Reception Location
By Tim Smith

Being disc jockeys, we get the opportunity to evaluate many reception facilities while having little or no bias to "sell" one location over another. Most Brides and Grooms know where they will be holding the ceremony before they decide where to have the reception, so we have compiled five observations that can help you when selecting your venue.

Distance - If people have to drive a long way to get from the ceremony to the reception, some will get distracted or decide to do something else. Try to keep the reception within a 15 to 30 minute drive of your ceremony. If it is not possible to get a reception hall close to your ceremony, make a caravan. Have the Bride and Groom lead the parade, and people will follow you to your reception.

Time - Time is just like the distance issue. If your reception is several hours after the ceremony, people will get busy doing other things and not show up for the reception. Try to start the reception within an hour or two of the ceremony. If you don't want to start your wedding dance at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, have a Meet and Greet mixer before your reception. Serve some punch and get people to mingle. This will be one of the few times that both families will be together. Encourage family members to share stories about your childhoods.

Size - People like their personal space, and they have most likely spent an hour packed into a church for your ceremony. If you let them spread out, they will enjoy themselves more. Make sure your reception hall has plenty of room for your guests. The people renting the location might tell you it holds 200 people, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will hold 200 people comfortably! Make sure to visit the venue before booking.

Climate Control - Having a summer wedding? Is your reception hall air conditioned? If people sweat while just sitting, they won't dance. On the flip side, if they are cold they won't dance either (who wants to dance in a parka?). Also make sure you know who has control of the thermostat so the temperature can be adjusted if needed. Chances are your reception will be warm and stuffy while all the guest are there, but as they trickle out during the night the room will begin to cool down.

Smoking - This is a hot button issue, but if your reception hall is non-smoking, you can fully expect smoker's to leave your reception for 15-30 minutes every hour. If enough of them leave the reception area, you may find a large percentage of your guest just hanging out in the smoking area. This can be a big problem if you have many smokers in your wedding party. You don't have to allow smoking, but it is something you should consider, especially if anyone has any health problems like asthma or allergies that could be triggered by smoke. If you decide not to allow smoking in the reception area, how close is the nearest place for a smoker to go? Is it close enough that you will be able to get needed wedding party members during events like the bouquet toss or garter auction?

Facility coordinators will no doubt bring up several other factors for you to consider when you interview them for your booking, but these are often missed items, especially if they don't favor the potential venue. If you keep the overall picture in mind and work with your wedding planner or event coordinator on the decorating ideas, you will no doubt have an enjoyable and memorable wedding reception.

Tim Smith operates FM Brides [http://www.fmbrides.com], a wedding planning resource for couples in Fargo, North Dakota.

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