Tag: wedding day

A Guide for Planning an Intimate Wedding

Published on by Bridgett King, Wedding OfficiantLeave a comment

Grand, extravagant weddings get a lot of attention on social media, but there are so many other ways to get married. Intimate weddings have become a popular choice for couples seeking a more personal and meaningful celebration. If you choose an intimate or small wedding, you will have the chance to get creative while focusing on your love and those who are closest to you. This guide has all the info you need to plan the perfect intimate wedding.

Crafting Your Vision

Because you don’t have to follow any prescribed big-wedding traditions, your vision will mean everything when planning a small wedding event. You’ll have to start with big-picture concepts that both you and your partner agree on. Do you want a rustic outdoor celebration, an elegant indoor affair, or something entirely different? Consider the season, location, and overall atmosphere that resonates with both of you. Your vision will serve as the foundation for all your wedding decisions.

Deciding on Your Guest List

Unlike larger weddings, you will need to limit your guest list if you want to achieve the perfect intimate wedding. If you have a large family with many extended branches, you’ll have to pick and choose who to invite. Alternatively, you could keep one aspect of your wedding intimate, such as the ceremony, but still hold a large-scale reception for all the other family members.

If your dream is to have a small wedding, you will need to communicate your vision and desires to the people you care about. You might find that the people who love you are a lot more understanding than you expected.

Choosing a Location

Choosing a location can help you curate your vision for an intimate wedding. If you go for a destination wedding that is far from home, you will find that fewer people choose to attend, which will automatically limit your guest list. On the other hand, you can opt for venues closer to home such as a local beach, park, or your own backyard. The venue needs to align with your vision and accommodate you and your guests comfortably. Intimate weddings often take place in smaller, more unique locations, such as a charming garden, a cozy barn, or a historic inn.

Personalizing Your Ceremony and Reception

Intimate weddings offer the perfect opportunity to infuse your personality into every aspect of the celebration. Consider having a friend or family member officiate your wedding or invite a non-denominational minister. During the ceremony, you can read your own vows and involve close friends and family in special roles. This gives you an opportunity to share your unique love story and highlight what makes your relationship special.

For the reception, you can get as involved or be as hands-off as you want. It’s not uncommon for intimate receptions to take place at a restaurant or family member’s home. These options often relieve financial and logistical stress but might feel too disconnected from your vision. In that case, exploring catering options for small groups might be the way to go.

Capturing the Moments

Every wedding is a collection of moments that tell the story of your love. With an intimate wedding, you have the advantage of spending quality time with your guests, which creates more opportunities for candid and meaningful moments. Hire a photographer and videographer who specialize in capturing the essence of small, intimate gatherings, or ask friends and family members to step in with their own devices and share the photos and videos with you online.

Organizing an intimate wedding allows you to prioritize what truly matters: your love and the people you hold dear. Embrace the intimacy of the occasion and savor each memory. Remember that your wedding day can be as unique as your love story, and it can be whatever you want it to be.

Make Sustainability Your Wedding Theme With These Ideas

Published on by Bridgett King, Wedding OfficiantLeave a comment

It is hard to deny the impact that climate change is having on the planet. While big corporations and organizations are causing the most damage to the planet through large-scale disasters that are never actually remedied, consumers tend to take on the responsibility of correcting the scales. One way average people do this is by focusing on sustainability. If you’re someone who cares about the environment, you may want to find ways to incorporate sustainable practices into your big day. Review these ideas and see how you can cultivate an eco-friendly event. 

The Invitations

The journey to a green wedding begins long before the special day arrives. You have several alternatives available to you when it comes to traditional paper invitations, for example. If you want to ditch paper altogether, consider switching to a digital method of delivery. It might seem less “polished” to send your wedding invites through email, but it is a fantastic way to reduce your wedding’s overall carbon footprint. Plus, you’re likely to receive faster and more reliable responses when you use an online portal to keep track of guests. 

If you’re beholden to the idea of traditional invitations, consider using paper alternatives. “Seed paper” is great for this. Basically, this is paper that is made with plant seeds woven throughout. After a guest receives the invite, he or she can plant it in the ground or a pot and watch as a lovely bit of greenery blooms in their space. 

The Venue

Where you host your event can also have a big impact on how eco-friendly your nuptials turn out. You should aim to use a venue that follows practices that align with your views on sustainability. For example, recycling might be very important for you. While it is a legal requirement for businesses in some areas, not all counties require companies to recycle. This means you should speak with the venue coordinator in advance and ask any questions that pertain to your core beliefs surrounding eco-friendly solutions. 

There are a number of great resources online to help you find businesses that care about the environment. One of the biggest databases can be found through the United States Government’s Library of Congress website. Their list of “Green Businesses” includes a plethora of profiles, articles, and news sources about sustainable businesses around the country.

The Decor

Another area to focus on when you’re thinking about sustainable wedding practices is decor. The flowers you pick for your wedding can play a big part in how much of an impact your event has on the planet. If you select flowers that are grown in another part of the world, then you’re putting more strain on the environment by picking plants that need to be shipped via various methods from one location to another. Instead, try to focus on flowers that are sourced locally. 

Another smart option with your flowers is to pick plants that are currently in season. Not only is this a green practice, it can save you a good chunk of change. Flowers that are in bloom are easier to source, meaning they don’t usually cost as much as flowers that grow during different times of the year. 

The Food

Think about food in the same way you think about your floral arrangements. Opt for caterers that use meat and ingredients that are sourced locally. This will reduce your carbon footprint and also help you support businesses in your area. What’s more, you tend to get more delicious and fresh meals when you follow this concept. 

The Future

There are plenty of ways to make your wedding align with your personal views about the environment. As long as you think about all of the ideas available to you, you’ll have no trouble reducing your event’s impact on the planet.

Common Misconceptions About Weddings To Help You Plan Your Big Day

Published on by Bridgett King, Wedding OfficiantLeave a comment

Getting married can be an exciting decision. Of course, it also tends to bring about a lot of stress. Even though statistics highlight that roughly 2 million people tie the knot in the United States every year, there are still a ton of misconceptions surrounding modern weddings. Review these points and gain perspective on how to best plan for your nuptials. 

Forget About Your Wedding Being the Most Important Day

Couples put a lot of pressure on themselves, their families, and their vendors when it comes to planning their weddings. This is predominantly due to the prevailing notion that a wedding is supposed to be the happiest or most important day in a person’s life. While it is definitely one of the more noteworthy events of your life, deeming it the most important is an easy way to set your expectations far too high. 

A great alternative to this mindset is to think about your wedding as the start of the next leg of your journey with your significant other. Observing this event as a transitional moment is an easy way to take some of the pressure off and allow you the flexibility to actually enjoy the experience. 

Ditch Strict Attire Guidelines 

While it is true that your wedding should be all about the wants and needs you and your partner share, you must always take your guests into consideration while planning. A great example of this can be found in the idea of the dress code. When you are strict with guidelines surrounding attire, you are often forcing your guests to jump through hoops to be in attendance. Not only is this annoying to many friends and family members, but it can cause you stress should you notice someone shows up wearing something that doesn’t match your instructions. 

Being lax with your dress code can make the event more enjoyable for everyone involved. Simply trust in the fact that the people you invite will have enough sense to wear appropriate outfits to your reception. 

Make Your Guest List Your Own

Other than you and your partner, there is no one else in your life who is required to be at your wedding. This means you should not feel obligated to invite anyone you don’t want to take part in your special day. If you have a tumultuous relationship with your parents and they refuse to give their blessing for your union, then you are allowed to refuse them invitations. Whether you’re worried about inviting a racist uncle or have a few friends who cannot control themselves around alcohol, you don’t need to include anyone you feel uncomfortable inviting to the event.

Naturally, you might need to explain your decision to those you exclude. It is also important to note that opting to not invite certain people might forever sour or break certain bonds. As long as you understand this, you are free to make whatever choices you find best regarding your guest list.

Keep Things Short

While a wedding does not need to fly by, it also should not move at a snail’s pace. One mistake many couples make is allowing certain elements of the event to drag on for far too long. This is most common with moments like the wedding party’s entrance, the speeches and toasts, and the preliminary dances between the couple and their parents. Wedding experts advise timing all of these moments in advance. If anything feels like it is going on and on, then it is in your best interest to make cuts so you can keep your guests engaged. 

Learn About Common Mistakes

Getting married might be fun, but it is far from a simple or straightforward experience. When you take time to learn about common wedding misconceptions, you can do your part to avoid committing commonplace errors.

Upcoming Wedding Trends To Consider for Your Big Day

Published on by Bridgett King, Wedding OfficiantLeave a comment

Wedding trends tend to come and go. If you’re planning your own wedding, however, you may want to be aware of the hottest and most interesting fads to see which aligns with the vision you have of your big day. Take a look at the trends that have been emerging in recent months and see if any are a good fit for your big day. 

Secret Photos

Hiring a wedding photographer is a great way to guarantee you get some excellent pictures of your guests enjoying the reception. However, one trend is pushing away from relying solely on the posed work done by professionals. Nowadays, couples are asking the people they hire to focus predominantly on taking candid shots throughout the event. A photographer who has experience in this area will be able to take hundreds of pictures without anyone ever realizing they are being photographed. 

While posed photos are nice, they often can feel forced and uncomfortable. Embracing the concept of candid wedding photography can help you uncover a plethora of phenomenal images related to your big day. You are guaranteed to get better pictures of your event when your subjects are not aware that they are being photographed. You’ll see your family members and friends caught in genuine moments of raw emotion in these pictures, which can be worth a lot more than a handful of photos where everyone is simply smiling and posing.

Little Is Big

Countless people throw large, elaborate weddings each year. Lately, there has been a popular trend moving away from big, showy events. Instead, people are embracing the concept of “less is more.” Specifically, couples are utilizing miniature versions of wedding staples. As an alternative to a giant wedding cake, for example, couples are offering cupcakes or other small desserts. Everything from the bridal bouquet to the favors can be miniaturized, so it is easy to get creative with this concept.

Cold and Bold

Once upon a time, ice sculptures were viewed as the pinnacle of elegance at high-end events. While the trend went out of style for a few decades, it seems to be making a reappearance in many modern weddings. Technology has come a long way in recent years, allowing sculptures to be crafted into specific, intricate designs. The choice does not have to be primarily cosmetic, either. Plenty of people functionally use their ice sculptures, such as using it as the base for a raw bar.

Another angle to consider with an ice sculpture is an ice luge. This is a structure that is kept at the bar and used as a way for guests to enjoy chilled shots. If the luge features more than one “path” for the alcohol to travel, guests can drink together and make the experience into a friendly competition of “who will the liquor reach first?”

Surprises Abound

Though your wedding day is all about you and your partner, you likely have an urge to “give back” to your guests in some capacity. While favors are the traditional way to achieve this, one current trend has couples embracing the idea of really astounding their friends and family. Little surprises can go a long way when it comes to making your big day memorable for all. 

Do you think your guests will be hungry at the end of the night? Hire a food truck to sit outside the venue and hand out hot meals to the crowd before they depart. Want to entertain your guests creatively? Utilize the services of a magician or performance artist and give your loved ones a show they won’t soon forget. 

Make the Day Memorable

No matter the vision you have in your mind for your big day, there are sure to be many interesting wedding trends that will appeal to your needs. Explore the current fads that couples are raving about to see how you can enhance your event and make it one to truly remember.