A whimsical wedding theme is a unique and fun way to infuse a celebration with a sense of enchantment and creativity. This theme is perfect for couples who love bold and quirky elements, such as boho, dreaminess, fairy-tale, and wonderland. Whimsical weddings are characterized by a wide range of elements, such as color, prints, and textural appliqués. They can be paired with unique venues, DIY decorations, charm, and personal touches to create a magical atmosphere.
Whimsical weddings are perfect for couples who want to showcase their unique personalities and allow for a wide range of creativity. The key to pulling off this style is paying attention to the details. Whimsical weddings may be characterized by brightly colored, playful shapes, and unexpected surprises.
Whimsical weddings can be paired with a knit blazer, a long-sleeve crewneck shirt, chinos, dressy sneakers, or a formal, floor-length evening gown. Men should wear a tuxedo with tails and a formal white shirt. Whimsy can also mean “fanciful,” “amusing,” or “erratic.”
Whimsical weddings are characterized by vibrant florals, offbeat décor, unique styling, and out-of-the-box venues. They are perfect for couples who love quirky details, bold color choices, and non-traditional elements. Lace, floral motifs, and soft crepe fabrics can make a softer statement when worn in the woods or botanical gardens. A whimsical wedding reception is often associated with a sense of enchantment, magic, and a departure from traditional norms.
📹 This bride shocked everyone at the wedding 😱
This bride and her cousin are extremely close so before she was about to throw the bouquet at her wedding her cousin had no …
What are three words to describe a wedding?
Romantic, elegant, fun, and intimate. Bridesmaids, family, groomsmen, etiquette, traditions, guests, proposals, parties, ceremonies, receptions, honeymoons, destinations, recaps, elopements, vow renewals, engagements, 20s, 30s, 40s, encore, full figured, LGBTQ.
What is considered whimsical?
Given to whimsy or fanciful notions; capricious: a whimsical fellow. Of the nature of or proceeding from whimsy, as thoughts or actions: Her writing showed whimsical ideas about human behavior.
How to make a wedding magical?
4. Great lighting. Glimmers of light will make your wedding reception look great, especially at night. Hire a reputable lighting company to set up mood lighting. They can create amazing lighting effects. Light trails and glimmering lights are easy to add to your wedding. Directional lights can highlight decorations. Music and lights can make the bride’s entrance magical. Another way to make your wedding more magical is to add a pyrotechnics show. End the night with a fireworks show like New Year’s Eve in London.
5. Hire a wedding planner. Planning a wedding is hard work. You need experience and skill. A wedding planner can help make your dream wedding come true and create a memorable evening. A wedding planner can help with any size wedding. And don’t forget your guests. Consider your guests and their needs to make your wedding perfect. Happy guests make the evening more magical. This makes the memories more special for everyone.
What does whimsical theme mean?
Characterized by whim or caprice. Especially: lightly fanciful. Whimsical decorations.
: resulting from or characterized by whim or caprice.
: subject to erratic behavior or unpredictable change Even the origin of whimsical is whimsical: its ultimate source (by way of the noun whimsy) is the now-obscure whim-wham, a noun from the early 16th century that first referred to an ornamental object or trinket, and later to an eccentric impulse or interest—that is, to what in modern terms can be called a whim. The word “whim-wham” is a type of reduplication, where a word is repeated or a similar-sounding word is added. We don’t know what the original word was. Whimsical originally described people who are whimsical, but now it describes unusual things in a playful way.
How to define wedding style?
It’s all about the visuals, but it also affects the atmosphere. The setting, flowers, lighting, and dress or linens can all be made cohesive by choosing a wedding style. The best part about choosing your wedding style? It helps you focus and cut through wedding ideas. Once you know what style you want, you can choose the details.
It will help you communicate with your wedding vendors. If you say “rustic chic” or “classic elegance,” they’ll know what you mean. It’s refreshing when there are so many decisions to be made.
How would you describe a timeless wedding?
White flowers, green plants, light fabrics, and few decorations. These wedding details will never go out of style. If you like classic weddings, plan yours in a classic style. Your photos won’t look dated. Your wedding photos will still be beautiful decades from now. We asked wedding planners for examples of this elegant aesthetic. Read on for 17 classic wedding ideas.
“Cari wanted a classic wedding,” says Lisa Gorjestani, founder and principal event planner at Details Event Planning. Your wedding dress should be stylish but not showy.
How to have a whimsical wedding?
A great wedding style ties a celebration together. Bright balloons. Cotton candy colors. Butterfly decorations. … Unusual wedding flowers in unusual colors. Pastel tapered candles. Tendrils, fronds, and amaranth. … Winding centerpieces. Colorful wedding elements.
What does fairytale wedding mean?
What is a fairytale wedding? It should make the bride feel like a queen and the groom like a king on their special day. Today, it’s all about a big budget show for guests and spectators. Some girls and boys still believe in the myth of “happily ever after,” while others are inspired by movies. However, most people today are not interested in these fantasies. Most of these big weddings are influenced by social media or social competition.
How do you describe a lavish wedding?
What is a luxury wedding? A luxury wedding is an expensive, fancy wedding. The details, events, venues, and services make the wedding unforgettable. Luxury weddings are planned and executed meticulously, often with the help of top wedding planners, designers, and vendors. What makes a luxury wedding different from a typical wedding? A luxury wedding is different from a typical wedding. Here are some key differences:
1. Venue selection. Luxury weddings often take place in beautiful places like private estates, beach resorts, or luxury hotels. These locations offer a unique backdrop and great amenities and services, creating a grand atmosphere. Plus, they have high-end designs and staff to take care of you.
Are there different types of weddings?
Religious vs. civil weddings. There are two types of wedding ceremonies: religious and civil. A religious wedding can be in a house of worship like a church, synagogue, or mosque. Requirements vary by faith. The officiant is usually a representative of the religion and the ceremony follows a standard ritual. Some faiths require members to take classes before getting married.
A civil ceremony can use aspects of a religious ceremony, but not always. Couples can choose where and who to marry. It can be hard to find an officiant you like for the wedding. It could be a judge, justice of the peace, or other government official who can officiate weddings. Some wedding officiants are ordained clergy but also do nonreligious weddings. You can also have a friend or family member ordained online to perform weddings.
Eloping and destination weddings. Eloping is becoming more popular. They are more intimate, small, and personal. They’re also less formal than larger weddings. Elopements have fewer guests than traditional weddings.
📹 GUESTS HATE These 6 Things
* * * * * ALL THE RESOURCES Jamie APPROVED Wedding Planners HERE: http://wolferandco.com/union-network My …
Introvert here! I don’t like when I have to participate in weddings. I’m very happy and having the time of my life, on my seat. Please, don’t force people to dance, catch the bouquet, sing a song or do the conga line (true story all of them). Keep in mind there are different personalities and just because someone is on their seat, means they’re having a bad time.
One wedding where a bunch of people left early was because we were squished into a space that was too small for the number of people, and the couple barely acknowledged the majority of their guests. I was an old friend of the bride, but even her family members left early because nobody felt like the couple actually cared if we were there or not. Greet your guests!
Worst wedding I ever went to was in mid-summer and the bride, who was always cold, decided on an outdoor, non-tented wedding because she didn’t want to be in air conditioning. All the guests were melting before the ceremony was over, and she had a 2-hour gap between the ceremony and the reception and didn’t allow for snacks OR BEVERAGES in between time. 80% of the guests left before the actual reception started, and the bride was shocked when she arrived to see it.
I would add to this levels of outdoor exposure that aren’t disclosed or intuitive from the invitation. I’ve attended two winter weddings that did not specify that they were outdoors and another that did not specify that the ceremony was up long dirt road from the specified location. PLEASE give your guests the opportunity to dress appropriately for your vision in advance by specifying any conditions that need more than cocktail attire and basic cute outerwear. Guests will jump through hoops if they know in advance not to wear heels.
As a counterbalance to 5 I’d like to add that there is such a thing as too much entertainment with not enough time to socialize in between. Guests may have traveled a long way to meet people they haven’t met in years. Or two guests who have never met each other but have very much in common (such as a college friend + a colleague) may be hitting it off, and too much of a schedule can disrupt the organic unique social situation that a wedding is.
I attended a wedding recently that just felt “off” and my family and boyfriend and I later pinned it all on the DJ. Between continuing to play an entire song even when everyone exited the dance floor to the abrupt end of the wedding (“okay now for the bride and groom’s last dance” and then the lights came on). I never doubt Jamie but now I’m completely with her on the importance of a good DJ!!
Can definitely vouch for comfort level! Attended a summer wedding in the UK a couple of years ago. The reception was in a huge hall, with no windows and no AC. The sweat was literally dripping down my back. I left after their first dance, it was awful! I did apologise and give my love, but I was starting to feel sick 🥴
Great advice! As a future bride, every wedding I have gone to recently was a mental note taking session for me and I learned ALOT. And many things Jamie has preached were validated. Dry weddings, 90% of the guests left early. Freezing/hailing wedding with just a tent, 90% of guests left early. Open seating, a disaster.
As someone who has attended many weddings with a 3-4 hour gap between the ceremony and reception (big Catholic family), my recommendation for anyone attending a wedding like that is to either use the time to go home/your hotel and take a quick nap & refresh hair/makeup so you are energized for the reception. For my fellow introverts, this time to recharge your social battery has been invaluable. Or plan a pre-game at someone’s place with other guests. It’s probably because I grew up primarily attending these types of weddings & it’s what I am most used to, but I actually prefer the gap. I definitely understand maybe an awkward length of like an hour where it’s not enough time to go home is frustrating, but having multiple hours in between has always been less stressful than the weddings I’ve been to where the reception immediately following the ceremony. And having a mini-party at someone’s house in-between is always a good time to catch up with out of town friends and family, meet their new significant others, eat some snacks, and prepare for a late night of partying. I’ve even brought a change of clothes so that my wedding outfit stays fresh until the reception. (If you have kids attending the wedding, this is also great so they are not cranky throughout the whole reception!)
I would like to add that large gaps between the ceremony and reception can really suck for out of town guests. I’ve definitely spent 2 hours at a random Panera in between a ceremony and reception in dress clothes, definitely not comfortable. While this wouldn’t necessarily make people leave early, I could definitely see people skipping the ceremony entirely in that situation.
So, just went through all the comments and wanted to share something for those wondering about alternatives to dancing due to COVID restrictions… we had a family friend get married about a month ago and they had background music playing, but where the dance floor would normally be, they had a caricature artist for wedding guests to have their caricature portrait done! People really enjoyed seeing how each one turned out and it was a nice gift/favor for folks to take home with them. Thought it was a great idea.
I’ve been a wedding DJ for 27 years. You are absolutely right about a DJ making or breaking your wedding. There is another component to getting a great wedding dance floor going. That is the guests need to have a desire to want to dance. If your guests are more interested in catching up with each other then it will be difficult getting them on the dance floor.
You said if it gets below 60 degrees you need a heat source and I laughed, and then remembered you’re from California. That’s perfect weather in Michigan. 😂 Also, I have to say another thing guests hate is a long wait between the ceremony and reception. My cousin got married and there was FOUR HOURS in between where we had nothing to do, and couldn’t even go home for a break because it was out of town. My fiancé wanted to just leave but I felt too bad since we obviously RSVP’d for our seats.
I’m glad you mentioned temperature as your first item. I attended my nieces outdoor wedding. It was August 28th this year. It was 90 degrees with 50% plus humidity. And little to no breeze. Two small fans placed so no one could feel them. I stayed until I couldn’t stand it anymore. There was plenty of cold water or, I wouldn’t have stayed as long as I did. All that planning and expense right down the drain because the majority left early. And there was almost an hour drive to the wedding. So, I spent two hours on the road to be miserable. Ridiculous. Only 1 bathroom too for about 90 people.
I totally agree about the DJ! A good DJ is much more than just the music. He can MC the evening better than the brother or best friend, or he can coach/assist the MC. The DJ will read the crowd and see if they are bored, he will rotate types of music so the grand parents can dance to Sinatra and the younger crowd can dance to the top 40, and everything in between. A great wedding DJ will start working on your wedding a long time before the actual day comes!
Your advice is super helpful. You should ignore people’s negative comments. People get hurt by other people’s opinions sometimes, but there is no reason to. If they’re negative it says more about them than you. Thanks for being honest with us and taking the time to share your knowledge on this platform!
I went to a wedding last summer and it was plagued with almost every issue that Jamie has mentioned in this article! The bride refused to call off an outdoor wedding and all the guests were poured on until the call was made to move it indoors (roughly 30 minutes in the rain). Everyone was upset and had muddy shoes. Buffet dinner took too long to get to and guests needed to answer trivia in order to get food (it was the entertainment they had planned) but everyone was just hangry. The food was undercooked and not appetizing. The DJ was good until the dance floor opened; played music that nobody wanted to dance to. The real kicker was it was a completely unplugged event. Nobody had cell service and the only option was to drive 15 minutes from the venue to get access, or pay ridiculous amount of $$ to get a 15 minute wifi pass. It is truly so important for the bride/groom/planners to put themselves in the guests’ shoes to make sure everyone is comfortable and happy because a build-up of negative events will lead to an overall negative memory of the wedding from the guests.
I left a wedding early because the reception space was so small. We were packed in there like sardines. There were too many people at tables that were already so close together. I got up to go to the bathroom and it felt like I was trying to leave my seat at a school assembly, having to scoot past everyone. Needless to say, I didn’t return after I left to find the bathroom.
Yes, I have left receptions more than once because of being hungry! I’m sure there was enough good food WHEN it was finally served. To combat that problem at our reception, we made a separate card in the invitation that said Dinner Reception would begin at 5:30. (Our wedding had been earlier in the day; there was no cocktail hour.) Also, we did not get the DJ we wanted and understood we were getting. His name wasn’t specified in the contract, so we had no recourse. If you are expecting a specific person, make that name part of the written agreement. Just sayin’!
As a guest, I have experienced: 1. SO many outdoor weddings with no outdoor lighting once the sun goes down. We couldn’t even see our plates and wine glasses in front of us. Everyone was walking around with the flashlight on their phone on. 2. Food being super cold and we were the first table served (wedding party). They ended up running out of food and 6 tables didn’t even get food (my family being one of those tables). Food truck weddings are the absolute worst, it takes forever to get food, one time we still didn’t have food by 10pm. We ended up going to In N Out and then came back after.
Do not let your photographer dictated the timeline or flow of your wedding. This happened to me because he wanted to go home so he rushed everything ahead of schedule and my guests were waiting for our send off when I had paid for our band for another set. The photographer did all of this behind my back. I was pissed! Have a wedding coordinator or a printing timeline for your guests to see so they know what to expect and when.
Omg I’ve been that guest who passed out because of heat :’) too hot, no water or anything, not enough chairs so I couldnt sit down… I just fell flat on my face (in a short dress…) when the bride and groom exchanged vows. Everyone panicked because they thought the mother of the bride was having a seizure. Talk about being embarassed. Omg.
I went to a wedding last summer and it seemed the bride and groom did not care about the guests experience at all! They spent well over 2 hours getting pictures done and had all their guests mingle around in the heat for the cocktail hour(s) with not nearly enough food and barely anything to drink. The bar was not opened until after the meal, which came close to 3 1/2 hours after the ceremony and again, there wasn’t enough food. My fiancé and I had to leave before the meal was even over because we had to get our baby home for bed (couldn’t get a sitter). Frankly, we just felt neglected by the bride and groom and like they really didn’t care about our experience, which I realize might sound a little selfish. But for me personally, I can’t have a good time if my guests aren’t. Their experience is so so important!
It’s the, perusal you now on my laptop, sitting down to scarf my food down, wedding planning books all open, during a thunderstorm, and then turning on my tv and it’s the Wedding Transportation article you made on my TV too for MEE!! HAHAHA, gotta love it! Thank you so much for all of these wonderful articles and tips! 🙂
Hey Jaime, I don’t know if you will see this, but, I only just heard about the crazy winter weather in TX. I don’t know how hard you guys are getting hit, but please stay safe & warm, you and you hubs, and your kiddos, and your animals. I’ll be keeping you guys in prayer as you weather the storm! 💞💞
My fiancee and I are getting married in a couple months! Definitely on a budget, and doing some DYI! I’ve loved perusal your articles! We have a close friend who is ordained AND is a fantastic and fabulous local musician in our area, she’s handling the ceremony and live music for the reception! But must admit, the thought of live comedy is awesome!!!
My Cousin got married in summer 2019 and they had the DJ play the couples favorite music which is literally just background sounds. Nobody was dancing and i can tell you that my family is big on dancing. The only time everyone ( and i mean everyone) started dancing was when my dad hijacked the mic and sang Elvis ( he is really good). But then the bad music continued and we left at 1 am which is really early considering me, my sis and our bfs are on our early 20s and usually don’t leave that early. In Germany ( where i am from) i don’t think a Wedding without alcohol is possible…. I literally don’t think any vendor or locations would offer that. Well, Jamie i love your articles and you look stunning today!
As a mobile DJ…your comment about the DJ being the unsung hero is correct. When I DJ weddings, I don’t just show up and play music. I coordinate with the couple and make a Master Wedding Outline. No wedding goes perfect or on time (at least in my experience), but having one of those helps keep things going in a general direction. A good DJ becomes the unofficial director of the wedding by keeping the events relatively on time. That consultation also helps with the pronunciation of some people’s names. There is nothing more embarrassing than mispronouncing a name (especially if it is someone in that couple). I also get a song request list beforehand for a couple of reasons. One…so that I can make sure that I have all of the songs on their list. Two…it gives me an idea of what type of music they would like me to play. Since I’m a phenom of music history knowledge, I can be a human Pandora and play other songs based off of their requests to fill out the evening. The point I’m trying to make is to get a DJ who actually cares about making the couple have a memorable evening. Sometimes I can help with Point 5 by alieving the long gaps of time with no entertainment as well by playing some great music!
We went to an outdoor wedding once in August that the ceremony was outside but in the morning, and shaded, so not too bad. Still comfortable. For the reception however, which was indoors, there wasn’t enough seating for us inside which was air conditioned. The only available seating was literally outside on the porch area next to a window looking in on the reception room. By that time it was your typical august North Carolina weather, hot and muggy. We didn’t stick around for the food. 😣
I have 100% left a wedding to go through a Krystal’s drive through 🤣 I can’t party if I’m starving because you only had cupcakes at your reception! Also, the 2 hour photography gap between wedding and the reception is just 🥴 we just had our guests involved in the photography portion so it wasn’t a huge dragging gap between activities, AND we got some awesome keepsake photos of everyone all together which is so hard to get normally!
Once went to a wedding that didn’t have enough chairs by more than half. We all had to stand in a park pavilion in heels in Autumn it was 2 degrees Celsius out. We were cold and our feet hurt. When we went inside for “cocktail hour” it was just a folding table full of 2L pop bottles and dollar store plastic cups and then they “made a mistake with the seating plan.” So a bunch of people didn’t have anywhere to sit. We left before dinner even started. We still left our card and gift despite leaving early and never recieved a thankyou card either. Sufficed to say we don’t talk to them any more.
I agree with all. Toasts, especially. I went to a wedding recently where the speeches were not only too long but by too many people which were by the best men (2 of them), groom’s sister, bride’s father, groom’s parents, and maid of honor. I felt awful for the maid of honor because it was the bride’s sister who was last and when that happened, she had to politely ask everyone to quiet down. It was so unnecessary to have that many speeches. I’m sorry, I know your wedding day is important and those important to you want to make the speech but you just cannot do that.
I almost thought you were at one of my friend’s weddings. The toasts were super long and most of the guests couldn’t hear it, so my husband and his friends propped up a phone and watched a gam. So embarassing. However, they had LOTS of booze and it was the prettiest wedding, and we absolutely adore them, so we partied hours after the toasts! This is so helpful though, my bestie wants to do a food truck.
Umm… I love this comedy show idea! How would you make that work? like a short comedy set during dinner? so that then the DJ can take over afterwards and people can get up and start dancing? VERY interested in this idea. My fiance and I go to comedy shows a lot (pre-pandemic), and he could easily find some comedians that are up and coming. so not only would it be very us, but we’d love it!
Our wedding is happening in May and we are having a religious ceremony celebration and we opted for a violinist which will still be playing beautiful music and serenading the tables with our guest and we will have a cartoonist that would be drawing couples some entertainment for our guest as there won’t be any alcohol or dancing involved. But ultimately it will be beautiful.
All i can remember from the last wedding i went to was sitting in a hot car for two hours waiting (bridal photos at the church) to follow the brides party bus from church to reception. I was from another state and flew in and there were no restaurants around i was thirsty and hungry and then when we finally got to the reception the bride and groom we had a 1 hour cocktail and no snacks i was soo hungry three hours hungry and just waiting around cuz i had no plus 1 i didnt leave cuz i had nothing better to do from out of town. That is all i really remember from the wedding and it was an all day thing.
I’m a 24 year old male and was YouTubing honeymoon destination and she ended being next on my auto play.(second article I’m perusal) Kind of surprised how interesting these articles are 🤔 It’s like playing a big a strategy game being a wedding planner but with actual ppl as far as keeping the wedding party and the guest equally as happy and having fun and making sure all is smooth
I’ll add another one. Having a reception or ceremony that is a long distance from where you’re staying. I had one that ceremony was at some flower garden an hour outside of the city (this didn’t include driving through the city) and then the reception was 5 hours later two hours out of the city in the opposite direction of the ceremony. My dad was so unhappy having to do so much driving, and this was before gas prices went sky high. Ooh, and recorded music for the ceremony. It just doesn’t work.
I am currently planning my own wedding and I really want a “diy photobooth” where I have a designated area with a nice backdrop where guests can take their own photos and print them, stick them in our guest book but I will still have the digital copy to send to them later if they so desire and I was just wondering if you could lend some advice as I have 2 ideas about how to make this possible but I am not sure which would fit better. #1 I set up an iPad on a tripod that is connected to the Zoemini photo printer or #2 I set up the Canon Zoemini s camera on a tripod and people take selfies and the camera just prints them. With both I will have signs that instruct guest how to do it themselves. We are trying to do it this way because we are still on a lockdown and are only allowed 50 people at a wedding (servers, guests,bridal party and and other staff is included in those 50 guests) Thank you very much, any suggestions will be appreciated
My son is disabled and was best man as his father’s wedding it kind of hurt his feelings his dad didn’t include any food he could actually eat for medical reasons except basic lettuce salad with out dressing. He was 12 he was a super good sport and gave a speech and sang a song for his daddy, then we booked to get him food because he had been there 5 hours and had had ginger ale and lettuce in that time.
The worst wedding I’ve ever been to was a Catholic wedding that had an hour and a half ceremony and then we went to the reception where we were sat in a back corner with no view of the couple, the last ones to eat in a crowd of 300+ guests, and the bridal party had over 20 people in it with at least an hour of toasts. It was the most god awful boring wedding I have ever been to. We finally got our food, scarfed it down, and left before they even started playing music or cut the cake. As a planner, I keep that wedding in mind for all of the “what not to do” things on the list.
A couple things I’ve experienced as a guest that I hated and made me leave is gross or cold food and I was one of the first in line so I can’t imagine how bad it was for everyone else. And make sure your wedding party has plates set aside! My fiance has been a best man and got 0 food at the reception. Boredom is a big one as well. Glad you brought that up. Especially the too many toasts. That’s the worst. Also a major factor for the last wedding is it was an hour away or more for the majority of the guests and it ended at 10 pm. So you have people getting home pretty late unless they leave early.
1. totally happened on my wedding day, the venue had heaters but the guests biggest complaint is that they were cold during cocktail hour, even though we were assured by the venue the tent would be heated and it was poorly heated. No one left luckily, I know a few were about to go wait in their cars but by the time they were about to do that they let them in for the reception.
I have totally seen a 2-hour dinner service at a wedding and it was horrifying! ☠And as a vendor, it’s also really important that the vendors be fed at the right time. We were at a wedding just last week where the planner waited so long to feed us all (DJ, photobooth, photographers)the photographers almost missed sunset photos. It was terrible.
The last wedding I was at people left early, because the parking and lodging situation were so bad. There were rooms in which around 20 people were supposed to be sleeping (all in one room) and for these rooms, there was only one bathroom available. There was one family with a child that was only a few months old at that point and they decided instantly to not spend the night there. Problem was, everybody decided to not spend the night, hence, everybody wanted to drive back home in the evening/during the night. Since the parking situation was also extremely bad, all cars were parked densely next to each other (tetris style), some even reparked their cars throughout the day. Some of them did not want to risk a parking ticket or having to find 5 other car owners that were blocking them when they wanted to drive home, so they just drove home during the evening when their cars were standing free .. because nobody wanted to stay the night in such rooms. This wedding taught me a lot about the importance of basic needs such as parking, a proper bedroom and enough bathrooms!
Yep I’ve been one of those fed up guests. Friend invited everyone to the 6pm ceremony failed to mention on our invite that only the main party and family were disappearing off for a meal,( only found out when I saw a table plan and our names not on it) and we were not invited so had to sit in the next room drinking and waiting for them to finish and no food provided to us, their meal was over hour late, I had only planned to stay to a certain time so I had to walk in on their meal to say goodbye, way to make people feel not welcome! Also been to bad 2 evening receptions, 1st the food ran out before I was fed, a guest can’t live off bar snacks! 2nd they did serve food but it was the tinyest cone of fish and like 4 chips 🤷♀️ so for mine I have been obsessed with asking how much food will be set out at the evening buffet!? And I’ll also add surplus puddings myself and a mid afternoon snack prior. I’m finding it hard to balance keeping the guest experience the best I can but keep to plan and budget and let it not create problems for us planning. Would be great to see a article on how to plan a wedding that’s as easy and accessible for people for people to attend but at what point do you say stop and we can only do what we can do to please ourselves and the guests we can’t please everyone, it’s a hard lesson!
I went to one wedding where they only served food between (not during speeches), but the speeches (of which there were many) were like 20 min EACH and they only started after each person delivering their speech had finished their plate of food. I kid you not, it took 3h hours to get from apps to dessert. I left before dessert because I had a friend’s proposal that same night, and I have never been more happy for a good excuse to leave an event.
I was at a wedding few years ago. It was beautiful and i had a lot of fun. However, we were invited for the reception for 2 pm. Until the food was served at 7:30 pm it was just standing around during cocktail hour. I got really hungry but all of the snacks that were on big plates outside contained meat. (7 different sncks but all of them with meat) I am a vegetarin and i would have appreciated to have something little to eat while we waited to be seated
We are having an outdoor ceremony in July. It probably will be +40c /104f. My biggest concern is guests overheating. We have a tent to help block sun from shining directly on them. I have to speak with the venue about whether they will allow water bottles or if the require a server to give water. If I can bring water bottles, how much water should I plan for for 1 1/2 hours in the heat? (Assuming guests come 30 min early). I was thinking 3 bottles each with an extra 50 just in case people are extra thirsty? I’d rather have too much than too little. There is 10 stalls so people can pee a lot without waiting lol Once people get to dinner it’s completely handled by the staff so I won’t be bringing water there.
Jamie I’d love your insight in what we should do for evenings without DJ and dancing… I’m in the UK and restrictions are likely to include no loud music and group dancing/ dance floor. We ARE getting married this year, but how could we get around this restriction? How could we fill this time? Love your articles, they’ve helped a tonne through planning 💕💕
Need everyones opinions!! Was planning on wedding this New Year’s Eve Friday 8p-midnight … but now I’m wondering if pushing it one day and do New Years Day Saturday 530p-930p instead. I have to decide this weekend. What do y’all think of a 8p12a event ?? 😬 Ive started getting nervous that many guests may get tired & leave early, not making it to the countdown if we go with Friday NYE…. what do y’all think? Which is a better date? Jamie & fans HELP!!!!
Do you happen to know any wedding colleagues (planners ideally, vendor tips work too) in the midwest? I’m looking specifically at Chicago and/or Minneapolis. I have been bingeing so many of your articles after I found you through Dave @ Amari and I need somebody like your style that I can trust for my own future celebration.
Do you have any ideas for dancing alternatives? We want a small wedding, and as much as I would love dancing, his parents don’t approve and I don’t think I’m gonna get my dancing lol. BUT I want to have fun! I want to enjoy the time I have with the people who will come. But I have no clue what to do.
Can you do a article discussing a reception style where instead of a sit down dinner, you just extend cocktails with heavy hors d’oeuvre for the whole night? I can’t find much content on this l, but I’ve been to work socials that do cocktails and “heavy apps.” I find them to be way more social/fun and also fill me up.
One time my fiance and I left because of how cold and WINDY it was. Their venue, bless them, didn’t have complete walls. Like rather it had pillars so it allowed wind in and aside from it messing up all of our hair and blowing dresses up, it was blowing food plates around. It was stressful and as much as we understand, we knew when we get married we NEED a good shelter away from those kind of weather elements.
Food trucks sound fun, but take forever. At my office, we’ve had a few food truck events. They are painfully slow. I don’t understand why the trucks prepare 1 thing at a time when there is a limited menu and they could cook up a heap of meat at a time to quickly make tacos or whatever is being served. I’d be very weary of having a large group’s exclusive access to food or drinks being 1 food truck. If you really want a food truck, ask how many people they can comfortably serve in an hour. Also, if you can visit them at a location like a farmer’s market or wherever they do their normal business, time how quickly people are getting their orders.
A friend’s wedding did not have alcohol or dancing due to religious purposes. Only harp music was played. Everyone was bored and the wedding felt like you were forced to be there. My BFF and I decided to try and sneak out, we told the bride and groom that we were going to leave and the bride basically screamed at us. We were guilt-tripped into staying to the very end. She wanted a huge crowd to wave and cheer as they got into the car, with the flower petal shower as they drove off kinda movie scene. Then we were told by her mother that we had to help clean up, even though they had paid caterers and wait staff for that exact purpose. The bride and I were not even that close. I don’t talk to them anymore, for different reasons than the wedding.
my two cents from being a wedding guest… Dont do speeches before dinner, feed your guests first so theyll be comfy and have had a few drinks and then they can listen to all the emotional speeches without getting impatient. Dont have an open mic for speeches either…. thats how 30mins of speeches turns into an hour to an hour and a half and a lot of awkward cringy speeches. And hell yes to no peak summer weddings, so many friends have decided to tie the knot in peak heat it was horrendous, constant sweating and we live in NZ so our heat down here isnt just warm but its burning heat and just 10 mins in the sun and I am red like a lobster dinner.
Lol imo I’ve always said guests besides close friends and family are basically just freeloaders and go to weddings for a fancy 5 course meal and booze. 😂 I’m so glad my wedding will only be about 25-30 people that are closest to us and I’m not serving alcohol if they want it they can buy it themselves at the bar luckily none of our family members drink besides champagne toast. Great vid 👌.
I left early one wedding because the music was incredibly bad and I spent most of the time at my table perusal a football game on my phone. After a while, we left, we didn’t even wait for the cake. Another reason that bores me to death is multiple and overly long entertainment moments (such as dancers, bands/singers that one cannot dance on and are just there to put on a show, games for the bride and groom that don’t involve guests, toasts etc.)
girl, I just found your website and I’m planning a backyard summer wedding… I’ve been looking for a wedding planner and you just dropped you’re in Temecula?!?!? Girl, stalking your website for sure. Because that’s where my wedding will be. This is an awesome list of cranky-guest behaviors – thanks so much!
I totally agree with the outside weddings. I was once a day of coordinator (not much experience) for a wedding in October. We’re in NC so October can still be a pretty hot month. It was burning up this particular day and the bride and her wedding party were behind with getting ready. I had to go a bit drill sergeant and say “hey you’re guests are outside melting” it just didn’t seem to be a big concern. The reception was inside so most guests had seen the decorations and set up before the ceremony had begun because they had to step inside to get some air. The brides sister was mad about this but I’m like what did you expect these people were hot and waiting! If you’re gonna do it be on time and QUICK 🤷🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
Things I hate as a wedding guest: 1. Not enough food. I once went to a relative’s wedding in which there was not enough food for guests. It was just fish tacos and half of the guests didn’t get any! And I didn’t get any chocolates. 2. Bad food. Fish tacos were tasteless. 3. No dancing. Went to a wedding that was fun except for one thing: there’s was no dancing! I want to dance; not sit around at the table and sting forever! There was the take photos of yourself with trinkets but that wasn’t good enough because it was one of those things that renter trained you for five seconds. I want to dance! 4. Too hot/too cold. This wouldn’t be a problem if someone had air conditioner or tell me to bring a jacket. 5. No receding line. Instead of having the Bride and groom going from table to table saying awkward hellos to guests. Why couldn’t they do what my sister and brother-in-law did which was the receding line? Please have the bride and groom stand at the front door of the reception and greet every guest. It will save the couple from doing awkward hellos in a crowded room and every guest would get a chance to actually meet the bride and groom. I remember at a wedding, the groom and bride didn’t have a receding line nor did they bother saying hello to anyone except for family. I was so embarrassed when I said hello to the bride and groom, the bride accused me for being a secret lover and demanded the groom “who is she?” Have she done the receding line, she would have known who I was!
Worst wedding I attended was held in the middle of summer in a hall with no A/C most of the guests left as soon as the cake was done and no one danced because everyone was hanging outside in the shade trying to keep cool. Only reason I didn’t leave early was I was a bridesmaid. Granted the bride was such a bridezilla that just over a year later of her four bridesmaids three of us no longer talk to her….
I’m doing a comedian at my wedding who will MC and then do a set because where I live, dancing is not allowed due to COVID. My biggest fear is that COVID restrictions will make my wedding boring. Can you do a COVID-safe wedding or no dancing wedding article so we can get ideas of how to make the most of a no dancing or COVID wedding? Please 🙂 ?
Went to a wedding which during summer would have been gorgeous … But not late October. Cold off season golf course non-main clubhouse venue. Heating not turned on yet. Inadequate power supply = power outage. Old gorgeous century style home therefore seperate rooms – dining in one, dancing in another, bar in another, socializing was very difficult. It could have been the ideal wedding if properly set up for season & the intention. Freezing is not fun.
So bcoz of covid and budget and the fact that I didn’t want the big wedding, we are having a wedding in a private dining space in a restaurant. My worry is that there won’t be a first dance or a sort of “party vibe” because it’s not a typical wedding venue. Any tips on keeping that party vibe going in a small wedding? Thanks Jamie xx
Watching this after my wedding, and can 100% attest to the DJ one. I tried my best to find someone good, but this guy was terrible. No idea about what was going on on the dance floor, didn’t care that no one was dancing. Would cut off songs that people liked right in the middle. He didn’t know how to announce people and bothered me at my reception to get clarification (Even though we had a call before). As a result, I was annoyed most of the wedding, and we didn’t have many good dancing photos.
Catholic Church doesn’t require 11am wedding! That may be practice in a particular parish or diocese. Also doesn’t require ceremony to be in a Catholic Church (I was married during Lent at 8pm in university chapel outside my parish and got bishop dispensation for it) and doesn’t require bride, groom and the 2 witnesses to be Catholic.
the last few weddings I went to dinner was 2 hours long and apparently that us pretty normal 😅 with 3 to 4 courses and speeches I think an hour would be too little and reason for indigestion. I think this may be a cultural thing. Also the weddings I went to started at around 12/1pm and ended at 5am. Dinner was at 5 or 6 meaning between 1 or 2pm and 5 or 6…there was a gap and it is pretty normal to entertain yourself while you go from the ceremony to the venue for the reception. Cultural differences I suppose. Our wedding dinner will be longer simply because we have 4 courses 😅 there is nothing I can do about it because I don’t think people will be served, eat, have plates removed and new ones served in under an hour. 100% agree with the temperature and not enough food issues though! I would leave if I was freezing or melting 🤣 As for toasts and speeches, I have been to weddings with very long ones. Ou wedding planners actually said that if we have a lot of toasts and speeches to cut them up for the same reason you mention. So they actually gave us a couple of ideas on how to split it up so that people don’t sit there listening for 30 minutes. We will have one toast at the end of our cocktail hour to help also guide our guests downstairs into the hall (cocktails will be served on a terrace outside) and then one before dinner and a couple more in between courses while people are naturally waiting for food. Also then as we are getting married somewhere where the cake cutting is a big spectacle, we will have one more toast then.
So I planned a wedding in December 2021 where a comedian was performing while people were eating… it was horrible. Basically the comedian picked one guest and roasted him for 45 mins… the other guests and the bridal party were so offended and hurt that the bride demanded the comedian be asked to leave while he was still “performing”. He is actually a moderately successful stand up comedian who performs all across the US. It was disappointing and sad because other than that it was a perfect wedding.
What do you recommend for kids? I’m going to have about 8 kids between 5 – 12 at my wedding. I know that they will dance with everyone else, but they eat very quickly and I don’t want them just running around if I can help it. I want to try to have something to entertain themselves so my cousins and bestie can eat and have actual adult conversation. LOL. What would you recommend?
The alcohol and poor entertainment were huge for why we had guests leave early. My husband’s family is very religious and of both of our families, the majority of them were old, so we didn’t bother with alcohol and we didn’t put a lot of our budget into entertainment. People were just simply bored and left after dinner. Ah well.
This is all totally fair but my question is… who are you inviting to your wedding who isn’t going to stay the entire time (outside of the elderly or maybe someone with babysitting issues) and why are you inviting them? If someone isn’t willing to party with me and celebrate my entire (normal length) wedding, I’m likely not close enough with them to invite them in the first place lol
….and please take “most” (not all, but most) of your photos with your wedding party before the ceremony. I attended a ceremony where the bride made everyone wait an exceptional long time while they took pictures of her and her wedding party before myself and my husband got to make our presence known to her. I can assure you that we didn’t stay for the reception and we actually left with chatting with her. Making guests wait is tacky and rude; especially, when we bring you gifts and we came to share your day with you.
My wedding is next Saturday, and I can’t imagine thinking “if they don’t like they can go” for the things you just listed. Which is very reasonable suggestions. Some people are just so selfish… The first thing I thought of when I new I was having a wedding is, let’s have good food, music, and drinks so that our guests have a good time. I just can’t wrap my mind around selfish brides. 😡
Lets not kid ourselves, they are not toasts, they are full blown speeches. Long long boring boring speeches. The worst part of any wedding IMO! I recommend all bride and grooms to tell whoever will be giving a speech to limit it to just 5 minutes or less. No matter how much a guest smiles, they are thinking “are they ever going to shut up, I am not interested in your life story from 1st grade to now that you had with the bride or groom”. Seriously, nobody cares so make it short and sweet and get the party rolling. What makes or breaks a wedding IMO is the food and the music. If you hit it out of the park with both the wedding will be 98% successful (the other two percent you just can’t please no matter what). Food should taste good and not be served cold. Music should be good for all age groups or only the very young will be dancing while the other age groups usually are bored and leave early. Went to a wedding and the only music played was rap and jump around music. Not one young person was actually dancing but rather just jumping up and down all night long. They had a great time, but everyone else which were approx 50% of the guests were bored out of their minds.
But aren’t you the wedding planner?? Like you’re talking about how there wasn’t enough water for the guests… But isn’t that supposed to be your job to figure out?? Like how did you drop the ball on that?? You didn’t realize the venue or the season? You didn’t realize that it was going to be hot in the summer and didn’t relay this message to the bride?? You’re putting a lot of blame on the couple here, but if you weren’t assisting them with some of these basic things then what did they hire you for? I’m not trying to be rude at all, I’m just unsure of how a situation like there not being enough water is allowed to happen if there are people there like you that are supposed to be ensuring a smooth day… Do you take any blame for that?