How to be the Best Wedding Guest
If you are in the process of planning your own wedding – chances are, you have friends who are also planning weddings.
Or – you have friends that will get engaged while you are in the process of planning your wedding.
In fact, these friends could get engaged after you – and then get married BEFORE you!
You also might have some friends that are not even CLOSE to getting engaged, or married, and therefore think the whole process is insane and absurd.
Take a deep breath – it’s all good!
When you get engaged – all your friends will be so happy and excited for you! But as that energy and excitement wanes, the real wedding planning begins!
It is SO important that YOU are supportive of all your friends, no matter what stage they are in – and no matter how badly you sometimes want to scream out in frustration at venues or vendors or whatever else!
You may not be the only one getting married!
And therefore it shouldn’t ALWAYS be about you!
Bummer – I know.
When you are going to a friends wedding, no matter how close of a friend. It is paramount that you take the time to forget about your own future nuptials – and focus on them!
Now you might be thinking, “Uhh, duh Haley. I know this. Obviously, it’s my friend’s wedding. I will focus on them!”
But I GUARANTEE – on that special day, you will not be able to help yourself from looking around and thinking – “What do I like? Why do I like it? What can I do at MY wedding?”
ME ME ME!
A little of this is okay. A LITTLE!
But do not let it consume you! This is your friend’s special day!! And I am sure he or she would be happy to talk with you about their choices after the event is over – but during, just make a mental note and then enjoy!
Shower them with love!
Savor every moment – make their day complete!
And don’t be afraid to look around – taking a quick mental notes of things you like! Or don’t like!
After all – your friend can be a GREAT resource to tap after the wedding is over.
This past weekend I went to a GORGEOUS wedding in Boston – at the Seaport hotel. After having started my own planning process, it was awesome to see choices that someone else (who I care about) made!
For example: I have never considered having a band at my wedding – but this couple did! And the band was GREAT!! They had a male and female singer, who took turns leading each song – with flare and flash, they were able to cater to guests of all ages!
Another something that I loved was the first dance – I have seen as many elaborately choreographed first dances on YouTube as the next girl. But it’s not very often that you see subtle choreography! This couple clearly had a beautiful dance prepared – but instead of looking overdone, it just looked… well beautiful!
I don’t know about the rest of you – but I only know how to sway when it comes to slow dancing… so I definitely will need some help! I plan to ask where they took dance lessons!
High and low centerpieces are an awesome way to save some money, and add some variability to your room. This couple did a great job incorporating beautiful, high floral centerpieces – and simple low floral centerpieces. All the tables were also decorated with gorgeous candle arrangements which carried the theme throughout.
When previously considering the use of high and low centerpieces, I was worried that the tables would look disconnected. But they did not at all! So this is great to know – because I LOVE high floral centerpieces – but they can be PRICEY! WOW! I definitely plan to ask who they used as a florist.
Another unique thing that occurred at this wedding, was a parents of the bride speech – as opposed to a father of the bride speech. I thought this was a nice option to have! Perhaps your dad is not a huge fan of public speaking – or your mom just wants to be a part of it! Or maybe you only have one parent in your life – it’s your wedding and you can do what you want!
Dancing flip flops are probably one of the best wedding ideas anyone has ever come up with! I have seen this idea on pinterest before, but it really was awesome to be at a wedding where flip flops were provided. I absolutely want to know where they purchased flip flops in bulk – AND how many pairs of each size they chose to order.
I also really liked the couple’s use of simple escort cards. Personally, I have been looking at all sorts of very fancy, unique escort cards. Some incorporating a favor, others following a specific theme – the list goes on.
This couple chose to use very elegant, simple, escort cards with mini envelopes. The cards were beautifully spread out on a front table for all guests to come and easily select their own card.
Lastly, I LOVED how personal the wedding was. Each table was named after a location the couple had visited together – or felt connected to. For example: Jake and I were seated at “Napa Valley” – where the couple got engaged! Other tables included London, St. Louis, Houston, Sonoma, and more.
These are just a few examples of the wonderful ideas that I gathered from this event – seeing ideas on pinterest is one thing, but seeing them in person, functioning at an event – is a whole different experience!
