July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything!

CleverThought · August 2012

Okay, I have a question-

Videography - must have or something to cut? I'm so undecided on it!

Also, how do you exactly go about negotiating? If I do decide to do videography the cost is $2500, a little beyond budget considering I splurged on photography. So getting the cost down would make me far less hesitant to book. Advice?

butterflyjumper1 · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2013-weddings_july-12-brides-invasion-ask-us-anything?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:a322ad2c-25cd-4d52-b123-096e1e4ecda5Discussion:1e653767-d303-4542-a68f-284ac39018a5Post:cf2a75ac-3f65-4c0e-8593-c4ab828f3642">Re: July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything!</a>:
[QUOTE]Okay, I have a question- Videography - must have or something to cut? I'm so undecided on it! Also, how do you exactly go about negotiating? If I do decide to do videography the cost is $2500, a little beyond budget considering I splurged on photography. So getting the cost down would make me far less hesitant to book. Advice?
Posted by CleverThought[/QUOTE]

Although I haven't yet seen our video, I would say it is a must-have. Our videographer was amazing - he was with us from 6am for our sunrise yoga classes until 11pm when the reception ended. I just know he captured lots of little moments that can't be seen in even the most amazing photographs. Also, I didn't want to give any family member the responsibility of videotaping the ceremony. Sure, a few family members did it on their own - but that was one thing we wanted to make sure was perfect.

All you have to do when you are negotiating is say, hey, I absolutely love your work, but unfortunately, our budget for this is X and your package would cost us Y. Is there any way you could come down closer to that price? If they refuse, then see if they would be willing to come down in price if you refused some extras in the package (say, if your videographer package includes 2 videographers, say you would be happy with just 1 videographer if they came down $1000 - you never know what they might agree to!) just keep up the back and forth - if they want your business, and your budgetary requests aren't entirely unreasonable - they will make it work. I promise.

As others have said, vendors do become much more willing to negotiate when it gets closer to your wedding date. I only had a 9 month engagement, so by the time we started booking vendors about 8 months out, they were all slightly on the desperate side for business, and EVERYONE was willing to negotiate. I think if you guys wait a month or two, you will have lots of luck negotiating. good luck!

KatieK501 · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2013-weddings_july-12-brides-invasion-ask-us-anything?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:a322ad2c-25cd-4d52-b123-096e1e4ecda5Discussion:1e653767-d303-4542-a68f-284ac39018a5Post:df7f8f2c-aef5-4633-9b7f-ab7e0c04ec38">Re: July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything!</a>:
[QUOTE]What was the best part of your day? How did you deal with any stress that came up during your day?
Posted by NateandJustine[/QUOTE]

I don't know if any of the July '12 brides other than me are still creepin' on here (b/c I don't want to work...), but I'll share:

It's really hard to pick a best part of the day, but one of my favorite random things that happened has to do with the children we had at the wedding. A lot of brides seem to be wary of having kids at the wedding, but H has lots of young neices, nephews, and cousins, so we had a lot of children at ours. At random times throughout the night, the little girls, one at a time, would run up to me and hug me and always had something cute to say - whether is was how pretty I looked in my dress, or how much fun they were having, or how good the food was, or that they like this song. And they all wanted to dance with me. It was really sweet.

As for stress - just try to prepare yourself, delegate, and keep things in perspective. Every wedding I've been a bridesmaid in, something has gone wrong, from minor things to major things like the photographer being at the wrong location - in another state. I made sure to verify with vendors the week of so I knew nothing too big like that was going to happen. When things came up, they were minor in comparison to the bigger picture of the day - and other people made the call and handled it. We had made 10 peach pies for the grooms cake and ants got all in them. Before I even knew it, one of our family friends was off to buy replacement pies and someone else had cleaned up the table and redecorated it. I would have just told them we could do without pie, but the new ones did get eaten. We all put a lot of hard work into our weddings, but just remember that your wedding is really about the start of your marriage and thats the main thing. When details go wrong, you're probably the only one who notices.

KatieK501 · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2013-weddings_july-12-brides-invasion-ask-us-anything?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:a322ad2c-25cd-4d52-b123-096e1e4ecda5Discussion:1e653767-d303-4542-a68f-284ac39018a5Post:cf2a75ac-3f65-4c0e-8593-c4ab828f3642">Re: July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything!</a>:
[QUOTE]Okay, I have a question- Videography - must have or something to cut? I'm so undecided on it! Also, how do you exactly go about negotiating? If I do decide to do videography the cost is $2500, a little beyond budget considering I splurged on photography. So getting the cost down would make me far less hesitant to book. Advice?
Posted by CleverThought[/QUOTE]

As someone who didn't hire a videographer - I would say you should. The ceremony in particular goes by so quickly. I really tried to foucs on everything the pastor was saying, but now it's just a blur.

If you can't rationalize the cost, at least set up a camera on a tripod during the ceremony. It won't be the beautifully edited video that you would get from paying someone that will capture moments throughout the day, but you would at least have the ceremony. That's the part I really wish I had.

bridetobe71412 · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2013-weddings_july-12-brides-invasion-ask-us-anything?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:a322ad2c-25cd-4d52-b123-096e1e4ecda5Discussion:1e653767-d303-4542-a68f-284ac39018a5Post:cf2a75ac-3f65-4c0e-8593-c4ab828f3642">Re: July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything!</a>:
[QUOTE]Okay, I have a question- Videography - must have or something to cut? I'm so undecided on it! Also, how do you exactly go about negotiating? If I do decide to do videography the cost is $2500, a little beyond budget considering I splurged on photography. So getting the cost down would make me far less hesitant to book. Advice?
Posted by CleverThought[/QUOTE]

I have to agree with what's been said before. Videographer was initially not something we cared about, but I am absolutely ecstatic we decided to fit it in our budget.

I'll be honest, we spent so much time picking out music, readings, etc. and I can say that I LOVED our toasts/speeches, but I 100% do not remember anything about that from the day of. I don't even remember how the band sung our first dance song (Can't Help Falling in Love) - it's been covered by a bilion people and I couldn't tell you how they actually ended up playing it. Elvis? UB40? No clue. I was too focused on my husband to even hear the music. That's something I'm really looking forward to seeing in video form.

I also don't trust family members to do these sorts of things. Plus, I didn't want them to have tasks at the wedding; I just wanted them to be guests. But, if it's really not in your budget, I think you really, really should try to still have a video camera set up. It is 100% worth it and, like butterfly, I haven't even seen our video yet - but I've seen others he's done recently and they're phenomenal -- tweedweddings.com (for anyone in Philly or NY area).

Edit: HA. I just noticed you have the same song, Michael Buble version, in your siggy. Too funny.

BmoreBride311 · August 2012

What was the best part of your day?

There were so many good things, it is hard to chose one! It was literally the best day of my life, and my husband says it was for him too. I guess my favorite part was the ceremony itself. My husband and I have been together for ten years and have lived together 3 of those years, so in a lot of ways I was thinking of the wedding more as a party and celebration then of making a big commitment (just b/c I already felt so committed to him for so long). So it just surprised me how meaningful the ceremony still felt to me. It was so amazing to see all of my favorite ppl in the world gathered in one place to support my husband and I, and it was so amazing to see how happy and lucky my husband looked to be marrying me, b/c that's how I felt about him. Now that we're married, I do feel our relationship is at a new level, and I absolutely love that.

I know that sounds so ubber cheesy so apologies to those that hate that stuff haha.

How did you deal with any stress that came up during your day?
There were a few points of stress (e.g, rain when I woke up, my dress being a bit too big when I put it on, and a few issues with the caterer). I had made a promise to myself before the wedding day that I wouldn't let anything out of my control bother me, so I just kept that in mind. I live in a different country than all of my friends and family (except my husband), so just seeing them all was so special to me, I couldn't be bothered by the things that went wrong.

BmoreBride311 · August 2012

As others have said, DEFINITELY get a videographer if you can at all justify the cost. I remember reading advice from the July '11 girls on this topic last year and one of them said, "I've heard so many brides say they regretted not getting a videographer, but I've never heard one say they regretted getting one." So basically, if you are even slightly considering one, make it happen! You won't regret it.

The only caveat is make sure you get one that you're comfortable with. I was a BMs at a friend's wedding two years ago and one of the only details we remember about her wedding now is how annoying her videographer was. He was always getting in the guests' way so he could get his perfect shots and he had huge bright annoying lights. When my husband and I started looking at videographers, we agreed we'd only sign with one if we were both comfortable he understood that we wanted him to just document the day, not try to pose us or get in anyone's way. Luckily, we found one who totally got that and we couldn't be happier. So many guests have said to us now that they didn't even realize we had a videographer. In my opinion, that's exactly what you want!

bridetobe71412 · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2013-weddings_july-12-brides-invasion-ask-us-anything?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:a322ad2c-25cd-4d52-b123-096e1e4ecda5Discussion:1e653767-d303-4542-a68f-284ac39018a5Post:723752e2-22ad-48d9-90b2-4f3b8ba39b46">Re: July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything!</a>:
[QUOTE]I don't know if there was a particular best part of the day. It was all pretty great. The day itself wasn't that stressful for us. Everything was planned in advance and we rolled with the bumps. We didn't pay for a videographer, but we did videotape the ceremony ourselves with a good camera and a tripod. I think we'll relaly want to have that in the future. I remember only about half of the ceremony and, though we have pro photos of it, we'll probably want to watch it. For negotiations, you have to have something they want. Be willing to walk away from either them or a service if you don't get the price, and be willing to adjust your price. <strong>butterfly knows her ish, though, so definitely go with what she says on negotiating :)
</strong>Posted by Schatzi13[/QUOTE]

Um, AHEM. J/k. :) love you.

bridetobe71412 · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2013-weddings_july-12-brides-invasion-ask-us-anything?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:a322ad2c-25cd-4d52-b123-096e1e4ecda5Discussion:1e653767-d303-4542-a68f-284ac39018a5Post:4dcf57ea-5c74-4a92-bb9e-c5343aebe2e2">Re: July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything!</a>:
[QUOTE]As others have said, DEFINITELY get a videographer if you can at all justify the cost. I remember reading advice from the July '11 girls on this topic last year and one of them said, "I've heard so many brides say they regretted not getting a videographer, but I've never heard one say they regretted getting one." So basically, if you are even slightly considering one, make it happen! You won't regret it. <strong>The only caveat is make sure you get one that you're comfortable with. I was a BMs at a friend's wedding two years ago and one of the only details we remember about her wedding now is how annoying her videographer was. He was always getting in the guests' way so he could get his perfect shots and he had huge bright annoying lights. When my husband and I started looking at videographers, we agreed we'd only sign with one if we were both comfortable he understood that we wanted him to just document the day, not try to pose us or get in anyone's way. Luckily, we found one who totally got that and we couldn't be happier. So many guests have said to us now that they didn't even realize we had a videographer. In my opinion, that's exactly what you want!
</strong>Posted by BmoreBride311[/QUOTE]

All of this. We went to a friend's wedding last year and her videographer was HORRENDOUS. My husband referred to him as the "drone" following people on the dancefloor. It was so awkward that people stopped dancing because the light on them was so weird. He was also always blocking everything. Horrible.

Thankfully, our videographers were amazing/stealthy and I didn't even notice either of them. I can't wait to see the video!

Knottie1450123632 · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2013-weddings_july-12-brides-invasion-ask-us-anything?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:a322ad2c-25cd-4d52-b123-096e1e4ecda5Discussion:1e653767-d303-4542-a68f-284ac39018a5Post:a3017198-8d47-4c75-98c5-3862bc4f2426">Re: July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything!</a>:
[QUOTE]Heres one (yes im bored at work and need a chuckle) What's the oddest/ strangest "wtfrig" comment you recieved about your dress/decor/ ceremony/ reception and how did you respond?
Posted by Getting2Vowels[/QUOTE]

lol my daughter saying i hate green but for you i will wear it. at least its not blue or orange lol

penny12986 · August 2012

Did you actually enjoy the wedding planning process or was it annoying? Right now I'm finding myself thinking it's a bit boring. Maybe once the date gets closer I'll start to feel differently. I don't know anyone who enjoys researching vendor after vendor. (Trying on dresses was super fun though!)

It was a lot of fun but I kept it in moderation. I also found the research to be fun because it helped minimize the stress later down the line. Also, I didn’t want to meet face-to-face with anyone if I knew for certain that they weren’t going to be what we wanted.

When you found your dress how did you react?

I didn’t have that magical reaction either. I just really liked my dress. I liked it more when it finally came in but ended up going with a 2^nd dress for the reception which was much more comfortable.

How much did your gown preservation cost? How about alterations? Did you get your dress altered at the bridal salon or elsewhere? What would you recommend in regards to alterations (in house/private seamstress/dry cleaners)?

Not preserving. Hoping to sell them. I have no use for them.

Once you picked out your dress how on EARTH did you keep yourself from showing your fiance? I have my dress choice narrowed down to three and will be making my final selection next week and I had to make my FI swear up and down that no matter how much I wanted to show him my dress he was NOT to agree to look at ANY dress pictures I showed him. (Yeah, I have poor self control when it comes to things I am super excited about!)

I showed my husband pictures of them from the website. It wasn’t a big deal to us and most men have no idea how the whole look will be put together so they will never remember all of the details that we notice. Videography worth the cost? In my opinion, I think hiring a professional is not necessary and having someone set up a camera is just as good. This is what we did and we love it. All the montages and stuff that a pro will put together will not really mean that much in 10 years so just making sure you film the important parts is the best thing.

emineminem · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2013-weddings_july-12-brides-invasion-ask-us-anything?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:a322ad2c-25cd-4d52-b123-096e1e4ecda5Discussion:1e653767-d303-4542-a68f-284ac39018a5Post:7067c24d-3ee3-468e-bceb-2d7629f0179d">Re: July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything!</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything! : I don't know if any of the July '12 brides other than me are still creepin' on here (b/c I don't want to work...), but I'll share: It's really hard to pick a best part of the day, but one of my favorite random things that happened has to do with the children we had at the wedding. A lot of brides seem to be wary of having kids at the wedding, but H has lots of young neices, nephews, and cousins, so we had a lot of children at ours. At random times throughout the night, the little girls, one at a time, would run up to me and hug me and always had something cute to say - whether is was how pretty I looked in my dress, or how much fun they were having, or how good the food was, or that they like this song. And they all wanted to dance with me. It was really sweet. As for stress - just try to prepare yourself, delegate, and keep things in perspective. main thing. .
Posted by KatieK501[/QUOTE]

thanks for saying this. I want kids at the wedding, but I've definitely been nervous about it, and FI thinks it would be weird. our venue actually has a little playroom attached to the main reception area, so maybe I'll end up utilizing that space after all!

and I hope you guys are not done lurking!! feel free to keep sharing your experiences!! I'm totally in the wedding porn phase, so I'm really enjoying hearing about everyone's stories!

bridetobe71412 · August 2012

I will keep coming back if you guys keep asking questions!

KatieK501 · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2013-weddings_july-12-brides-invasion-ask-us-anything?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:a322ad2c-25cd-4d52-b123-096e1e4ecda5Discussion:1e653767-d303-4542-a68f-284ac39018a5Post:3334a0c5-e947-4e48-a898-d73388beb2d8">Re: July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything!</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything! : thanks for saying this. I want kids at the wedding, but I've definitely been nervous about it, and FI thinks it would be weird. our venue actually has a little playroom attached to the main reception area, so maybe I'll end up utilizing that space after all! and I hope you guys are not done lurking!! feel free to keep sharing your experiences!! I'm totally in the wedding porn phase, so I'm really enjoying hearing about everyone's stories!
Posted by missquela[/QUOTE]

I honestly loved having them there and couldn't imagine it without them. I think you do need to expect a few little things to go differently when kids are there...like a few of the kids started dancing to the dinner music before we were finished greeting everyone at tables, but when we got ready to do our first dance, they knew that they needed to get off the dance floor. I didn't hear anything out of any of the kids during the ceremony. I loved dancing with them - all the girls just look at you like you're a princess and who doesn't want to feel that way on their wedding day. The kids were the ones who were really excited to try to catch the bouquet and garter. I had fun making custom activity books for the reception too....which some of the adults enjoyed as well; that was probably the first diy project I finished.

LilTexasGal · August 2012

I guess this is more about the WP more so than B&G, but I think y'all could give some good insight. How did +1s of groomsmen/bridesmaids fair throughout the evening? More than likely all of FI's groomsmen will be bringing their SOs as a +1 and while I know most, it is likely that at least one +1 will know no one at the wedding other than her date. How did you all handle the +1s of the WP? Did they hang around before the wedding started, during pictures after the wedding, etc? How/where did you seat them?

bridetobe71412 · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2013-weddings_july-12-brides-invasion-ask-us-anything?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:a322ad2c-25cd-4d52-b123-096e1e4ecda5Discussion:1e653767-d303-4542-a68f-284ac39018a5Post:f5ec66c3-813e-48ea-abfc-30adcd495770">Re: July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything!</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything! : KBC: knotting before coffee. Can I add not doing this to my advice? I'm so guilty ALL THE TIME :P Isn't butterfly a lawyer, too? (Maybe I shouldn't knot after coffee, either.)
Posted by Schatzi13[/QUOTE]

bahahaha. Yes, we both are. I was just joking. My advice is usually not lawyerly - it's usually "AH DO THIS BECAUSE IT'S PRETTY!" rather than logical.

emineminem · August 2012

I have more!!

Did any of you have a separate dress for the reception? How were the logistics and timing of changing into it?

Cocktail hour - did you get to enjoy it at all, or were you getting photos taken the whole time?

bridetobe71412 · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2013-weddings_july-12-brides-invasion-ask-us-anything?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:a322ad2c-25cd-4d52-b123-096e1e4ecda5Discussion:1e653767-d303-4542-a68f-284ac39018a5Post:360db17d-64f0-4701-89a2-6ec9f84c65fd">Re: July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything!</a>:
[QUOTE]I guess this is more about the WP more so than B&G, but I think y'all could give some good insight. How did +1s of groomsmen/bridesmaids fair throughout the evening? More than likely all of FI's groomsmen will be bringing their SOs as a +1 and while I know most, it is likely that at least one +1 will know no one at the wedding other than her date. How did you all handle the +1s of the WP? Did they hang around before the wedding started, during pictures after the wedding, etc? How/where did you seat them?
Posted by LilTexasGal[/QUOTE]

I wasn't too concerned with them, honestly. I know that sounds bad, but I think many people understand when they accept the BP invitation that their SO is going to be kind of bored/lonely during the day while the BP member attends to their BP-related obligations (photos, helping B&G set up, whatever else). In fact, one of my BM's had her husband stay in CA and not come to the wedding because he wouldn't know anyone else at the wedding (besides me and my husband) and knew that she'd be occupied during the day.

A few of the +1s (wives/husbands/fiances/gf/bf) of our 16 bridal party members did not know anyone else at the wedding, and I think they were still ok. We didn't seat them with the bridal party, but they were in close proximity. We did not have them hang out with us ahead of time because we were already a rather large group and that would have been hard, logistically.

Some people choose to do a Sweetheart Table so at least the SOs can sit with the BP members during dinner (meaning, B&G sit by themselves, bridal party sits like other guests at tables with their SO). I've been to wedding both ways - where I sat with my SO and where I didn't - and it didn't make that much of a difference to me. If I could do it over again, I would do it the same way. I loved being surrounded by my BP while we ate dinner (well, while we sat there briefly and scarfed some food before greeting the tables).

bridetobe71412 · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2013-weddings_july-12-brides-invasion-ask-us-anything?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:a322ad2c-25cd-4d52-b123-096e1e4ecda5Discussion:1e653767-d303-4542-a68f-284ac39018a5Post:d2806c9a-67a5-447d-8083-85516b984d9d">Re: July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything!</a>:
[QUOTE]I have more!! Did any of you have a separate dress for the reception? How were the logistics and timing of changing into it? Cocktail hour - did you get to enjoy it at all, or were you getting photos taken the whole time?
Posted by missquela[/QUOTE]

1) No separate dress, but I did bring one just in case something happened to my dress and I needed a backup. I know most people who did have a second dress changed into it post-ceremony and pre-reception.

2) We got to the venue at the beginning of cocktail hour and had to get a bunch of family photos and BP photos, which ended up taking about 45 min. Our church only let us do photos for about 20 min before we were kicked out (they had a mass starting) otherwise we would have tried to do this earlier. Our caterer did appoint a woman to stand there and feed me apps while I was being bustled, which was nice, but in sum, no we did not really get to enjoy it. Kind of sucks, but our guests said it was awesome, which is all I really cared about.

KatieK501 · August 2012

Did any of you have a separate dress for the reception? How were the logistics and timing of changing into it?

I did not. I wanted to wear my dress as long as possible. But for logistics - one of my friends who was married recently stayed in her dress until after the first dance, so she was in the wedding dress for all the important pictures, then changed, and came back and joined the dancing.

Cocktail hour - did you get to enjoy it at all, or were you getting photos taken the whole time?

We didn't have a cocktail hour, but we did take all our pictures before the ceremony so that we could get to the reception and enjoy all of it. We were one of the first people there, so we started the buffet line.

WP SO question: I wasn't too worried about them. Some of them were there for the pictures and some weren't. One of my BM's husdbands didn't know too many people, but he seemed fine. I guess it would be different if you're getting a limo for the wedding party and wanting them to sit at a head table without their SO, but like PP said, I think you know should know what to expect when you're the date of someone in the wedding...IMO.

butterflyjumper1 · August 2012

Did any of you have a separate dress for the reception? How were the logistics and timing of changing into it?

nope. i was OBSESSED with my dress and couldn't imagine ever changing. the look of the dress changed entirely when I bustled it. I also had a superfun party dress (that was white and lacy and kind of like a mini-wedding dress) that I wore for the rehearsal, so it kind of felt like I had more than one dress.

Cocktail hour - did you get to enjoy it at all, or were you getting photos taken the whole time?

we got back from pictures about 10-15 minutes into the cocktail hour. we sent bridal party out to do some mingling, but decided not to talk to guests until we had been announced. we REALLY, REALLY needed some down time....husband and I were absolutely exhausted at 5pm (we also got up at 6 to do sunrise yoga classes). We sat in a private bridal party room that my wedding planner had set up with lots of flavored water and hor deurves and alcoholic beverages. for us, the down time was absolutely necessary. Also, i was in the hall and going to the bathroom during cocktail hour, and ran into a few of my friends, and they absolutely swarmed me. it was nice to see people, but, doing it at cocktail hour wouldn't have worked out for us - it was better to just mingle during the reception.

basically, we crashed after the ceremony + 2.5 hours of pictures, so having some quiet down time with snacks and hydration saved us, and then we were ready to party!

KatieK501 · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2013-weddings_july-12-brides-invasion-ask-us-anything?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:a322ad2c-25cd-4d52-b123-096e1e4ecda5Discussion:1e653767-d303-4542-a68f-284ac39018a5Post:7946a1f0-1ded-4a4c-83b8-8bc67883cd44">Re: July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything!</a>:
[QUOTE]Did any of you have a separate dress for the reception? How were the logistics and timing of changing into it? nope. i was OBSESSED with my dress and couldn't imagine ever changing. the look of the dress changed entirely when I bustled it. I also had a superfun party dress (that was white and lacy and kind of like a mini-wedding dress) that I wore for the rehearsal, so it kind of felt like I had more than one dress. Cocktail hour - did you get to enjoy it at all, or were you getting photos taken the whole time? we got back from pictures about 10-15 minutes into the cocktail hour. we sent bridal party out to do some mingling, but decided not to talk to guests until we had been announced. we REALLY, REALLY needed some down time....husband and I were absolutely exhausted at 5pm (we also got up at 6 to do sunrise yoga classes). We sat in a private bridal party room that my wedding planner had set up with lots of flavored water and hor deurves and alcoholic beverages. for us, the down time was absolutely necessary. Also, i was in the hall and going to the bathroom during cocktail hour, and ran into a few of my friends, and they absolutely swarmed me. it was nice to see people, but, doing it at cocktail hour wouldn't have worked out for us - it was better to just mingle during the reception. basically, we crashed after the ceremony <strong>+ 2.5 hours of pictures</strong>, so having some quiet down time with snacks and hydration saved us, and then we were ready to party!
Posted by butterflyjumper1[/QUOTE]

That's something else good to know - about how long the pictures will take. When I told the church's wedding coordinator that we wanted to do all the pictures before, she said to allow 2 hours for pictures, plus we needed to be out of the sanctuary at a certain time when guests would start arriving, so we had to get there about 3 hours before the ceremony. I was thinking the pictures would only take about an hour, but of couse, she was right.

trent13 · August 2012

Best place to Honeymoon in July?

AmJam04 · August 2012

How many seats did you set up for your ceremony? For example, if you were expecting 100 people to attend, did you set up 100 seats? More?

And how did you and your FI (now DH!!) keep from being miserably sweaty?

honeybear072012 · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2013-weddings_july-12-brides-invasion-ask-us-anything?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:a322ad2c-25cd-4d52-b123-096e1e4ecda5Discussion:1e653767-d303-4542-a68f-284ac39018a5Post:96269eb4-197e-41eb-a02b-b941eba0c8a6">Re: July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything!</a>:
[QUOTE]How many seats did you set up for your ceremony? For example, if you were expecting 100 people to attend, did you set up 100 seats? More? And how did you and your FI (now DH!!) keep from being miserably sweaty?
Posted by AmJam04[/QUOTE]

We had our ceremony at a church so we didn't have any set up. But if I had to I think I'd say one for every person and be done with it and not set up any extra. But don't take me at my word on that one!

We stayed inside a lot! haha It's something you're not going to be able to prevent if it's hot/humid so you'll have to figure out how to battle it. We had oil wipes for everyone and the church and venue was air conditioned. Also, DH had a spare shirt to change into after the ceremony and outdoor pics.

[Deleted User] · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2013-weddings_july-12-brides-invasion-ask-us-anything?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:a322ad2c-25cd-4d52-b123-096e1e4ecda5Discussion:1e653767-d303-4542-a68f-284ac39018a5Post:96269eb4-197e-41eb-a02b-b941eba0c8a6">Re: July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything!</a>:
[QUOTE]How many seats did you set up for your ceremony? For example, if you were expecting 100 people to attend, did you set up 100 seats? More? And how did you and your FI (now DH!!) keep from being miserably sweaty?
Posted by AmJam04[/QUOTE]

<div>Make sure you have a seat for everyone. I went to an outdoor wedding that only had like 20 chairs for over a hundred people and I was not happy about it. I made sure I had enough chairs at our wedding for everyone.</div><div>
</div><div>We drank a lot of water and stayed indoors when we could. If you are doing pics outdoors, you are going to get sweaty but good deodorant definitely helps. Also, if you can get cups sewn into your dress instead of a bra, it helps because it is one less piece of clothing you will have to wear.</div>

b14eeyore · August 2012

For those of you who had outdoor weddings, how did you go about hiding yourself until it was time to walk down the aisle? We are considering having our ceremony at a park and I'm trying to figure out where I would come from. I think it would be kind of weird for the bride to make a long trek with everyone looking at her before actually getting to the aisle. Anybody use a tent or something similar? Thanks

:):)

Getting2Vowels · August 2012

In Response to Re:July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything!:[QUOTE]For those of you who had outdoor weddings, how did you go about hiding yourself until it was time to walk down the aisle? nbsp;We are considering having our ceremony at a park and I'm trying to figure out where I would come from. nbsp;I think it would be kind of weird for the bride to make a long trek with everyone looking at her before actually getting to the aisle. nbsp;Anybody use a tent or something similar? nbsp;Thanks ::: Posted by b14eeyore[/QUOTE]

Are you having a limo? Can you have someone drive you when its time? That way you can hang out at home or wherever and dont have to worry about hiding.

dramaqueen91087 · August 2012

Second Dress: I didn't have one. I thought about it, but I was way to obsessed with my dress by the end. I never wanted to take it off!

Cocktail Hour: No, and I'm really sad about that. I did get some of the Hor's Devores, but we had a ton so I didn't get nearly all of them. In fact, I suggest asking your venue to bring you each a plate with one of each! I didn't think of this in time but it would have worked. I will say my head waiter heard how much I wanted the tomato soup and grilled cheese so they brought outside to where we were taking pictures!

BP SO's: We only had one. One of my BM's had her bf with her. I kind of ignored that fact. He did sit with us at the head table but that was it. He was on his own in the morning and through the cocktail hour. Oh and this is my college friend and a new bf so he didn't know any of our mutual friends. But he found them and talked to them. The only time it got wierd was during introductions and first dance. He felt like he couldnt sit down because he would have been the only one at the head table.

Seating: Please have a seat for everyone. You wouldn't want to stand. Plus, people will sit down in order of who gets there first and not move unless someone is old or obviously disabled. As someone who can not stand for long periods of time (or do stairs, or really anything with my knee), but is not obviously disabled, this often results in either lots of pain or nasty looks. I hate when that happens. You may not know all of your guests issues, so just have seats for everyone. I'm pretty sure we had extra seats just to make the rows even, but I didn't actually count so I'm not sure.

KatieK501 · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2013-weddings_july-12-brides-invasion-ask-us-anything?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:a322ad2c-25cd-4d52-b123-096e1e4ecda5Discussion:1e653767-d303-4542-a68f-284ac39018a5Post:67b5e3da-bd0c-4344-ac35-c9905ee3ed2a">Re:July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything!</a>:
[QUOTE]Best place to Honeymoon in July?
Posted by trent13[/QUOTE]

I think that all depends on you and your FI.

We went to Banff, Canada - which I had never heard of before H suggested it. It looked beautiful and it looked like something we would like - huge national park, lots of hiking - but I was still getting a little jealous when all the ladies on here started talking about getting ready for their exotic beach honeymoons because I love the beach too. But after going on the honeymoon - I couldn't imagine going to the beach. It's so hot in AR in July (I can't remember the last day our high temp was below 97) that going somewhere else warm just doesn't sound appealing. The weather in Banff never got above 75 - and at times it was cold enough to wear a fleece and enjoy the hot tub. We're both really active, so we loved that there was so much hiking and different things to do everyday. And we really enjoyed people's reactions when they asked where we were going - because I think they expected us to go to the beach in July.

So, rambling aside - don't be scared to do something different, but do something that really fits you and your FI.

July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything!

Re: July '12 Brides Invasion: Ask Us Anything!

Choose Another Board

Search Boards