Nashville Wedding Planner | A Delightful Day Event Planning Blog

Ceremony Music- The How to's and What to choose

(image courtesy of stylemepretty)

Choosing the music for your wedding ceremony is not always the easiest part of the wedding planning process. However, it is an extremely memorable aspect of your special day; from the songs you sing along to as you're getting ready to the ballad playing as you walk down the aisle, music has the power to set the mood and heighten emotions.

Whether you have childhood favorites or love the melodies played at your friends' weddings, keep your ears perked for inspiration.  Do you and your fiance have a special song?  Think about your passions, the atmosphere you want to create, and work from there.  Do you want a string quartet? The church's organist? Some brides even opt for pre-recorded songs played over an event space stereo system, if live music isn't an option.

Weddings are generally divided into five parts:  the prelude, processional, the actual ceremony, recessional, and postlude.  The prelude is the mood-setter, usually playing for thirty to forty-five minutes as all your guests are seated.  The wedding party processional can be one song with a pause, indicating when the bride makes her ascent, but is often split into two different pieces.  For the processional, you'll need to take into consideration the site of your ceremony and the size of your wedding party; longer churches or ballrooms with larger parties will take up more time.  The most common processional song is Wagner's "Wedding March" from Lohengrin (AKA "Here Comes the Bride"), but feel free to divert from the typical if something else speaks to you.

The ceremony may incorporate music during unity candle lightings or vocal performances.  Once you've been pronounced husband and wife, you'll walk back up the aisle, followed by your wedding party.  Recessional music should be light and joyful, reflecting the celebration of the event.  The postlude continues the mood and prepares for the reception.

Make sure to clear with your officiant if you want to play secular music in a church or synagogue, as some may have restrictions against it.

 

(Image courtesy of 100 Layer Cake)
 

To sample some traditional songs, visit the following websites for 30-45 second clips:

http://myweddingmusic.com/

http://www.topweddingsites.com/wedding_ceremony_music.html

https://www.wedalert.com/songs/ceremony/index.asp

Happy Planning!

~ Kelly

A Delightful Day

How to Plan Your Rehearsal Dinner

 
 
 picture courtesy of southernweddingsblog

Planning Your Rehearsal Dinner

The rehearsal dinner is the party before The Party.  While it seems that every detail of your actual wedding has to be completely perfect, the rehearsal dinner is considerably more forgiving.  It's more intimate, a little more laidback, and allows everyone to have a good time with less pressure.  You and your dear wedding party will get the opportunity to do a trial run of the ceremony and work out the logistics, and then it's time for revelry.  It may even be the first time your and your betrothed’s families get to meet each other and spend time together!  To plan a seamlessly smooth event, follow these tips and have yourself a grand time!

What happens?

-   The Rehearsal itself is held at the ceremony site, and reviews the processional of your families and bridal party, followed by the grand entrance of the bride and an overview of how the ceremony will go.  You’ll probably opt not to go over every utterance and vow, but getting an idea of when things go will help ease your mind about the wedding.

-   Once all that is taken care of, you and your guests will gather somewhere to eat and enjoy one another’s company.  You’ll get the chance to thank your guests for making it to your special day(s) and may even use this opportunity to give your bridal party small gifts.  There are typically informal toasts or speeches in your honor (and perhaps a couple of slightly inappropriate anecdotes recalled, if your dearest friends want to spare you of some embarrassment at your actual wedding reception!).  The good thing about a rehearsal dinner is the lack of set agendas!

Who pays?

-   It is customary for the groom’s family to pay for the rehearsal dinner, but this isn’t always the case.  Especially for couples who marry later in life and can afford to take on the expenses themselves, it’s not unusual for them to foot the bill.  This also happens when the couple wants to handle the rehearsal planning on their own.

Who comes?

-   Tradition dictates that those actively involved in the ceremony must be invited to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.  It’s perfectly acceptable to invite any other guests you’d like to attend, especially out-of-town guests who made a trip out of your wedding weekend (however, you’re not obliged to do so!).  If it’s not financially feasible to invite all of them to the dinner, you could consider hosting a smaller event for them (perhaps drinks and appetizers or dessert?).  Regardless of what you decide, the guest list is ultimately up to your discretion.

Planning tips and local venue suggestions?

-   If the planning itself is up to you and your S.O., feel free to be creative and make it match your personalities!  If you both love pizza and don’t like making a fuss, why not have a pizza-and-beer dinner at Mafiaoza’s or Pie in the Sky?  If you want your rehearsal to complement your elegant wedding in design, you could rent out Margot Café & Bar in East Nashville.  Want to ensure your fun-loving family and friends have a blast?  Reserve a private room at Dave & Buster’s and spend the evening playing arcade games in between meal courses.  CJ’s Off the Square has beautiful spaces for big and small parties, for a classy affair.  There aren’t a lot of limits on what you can do, from having a get-together at someone’s house to renting out your favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurant.  Do what you love, have a marvelous time, and revel in the days-long celebration of your future marriage!

 

 picture courtesy of southernweddingsblog

Happy Planning!

Kelly

A Delightful Day

What to Do When You're Newly Engaged...

While this time of year may be somewhat dreary weather-wise, on the brighter side… it always tends to usher in a new crop of brides-to-be! If you happen to be one of those lucky newly-engaged couples, congratulations! Don’t let the stress of organizing your perfect day bring you down; to make things a little easier for you, here’s a list of things to do to help you hit the ground running. So pop open a bottle of bubbly, toast to a long, happy life with one another, and get ready to wedding-plan!

After You’ve Said “Yes!”

1. Spread the Word.  While it’s likely that you screamed, “I’M ENGAGED!” to everyone within a ten-mile radius after he slipped the ring on your finger, now it’s time to let all your loved ones know the good news.  Whether you decide to throw a huge engagement party, call everyone, or send out announcements, make sure to tell your parents first, then other family and friends.
   
2. Discuss a Date.  Right after “How did he pop the question?” you’ll probably be hearing a lot of “So when’s the big day?”  Even if you don’t have an exact date set in stone, talk to your fiancé and agree on when you’d like to be married.  Especially if you’re envisioning a June wedding on the most beautiful Saturday of the year (or a holiday or pretty much any weekend in the high-traffic wedding season), it’s important to act fast to ensure you can book your ideal venue, photographer, caterer, etc.
   
3. Come up with a Vision.  If you’re the type of bride who’s planned out her dream wedding since she was seven, it’s likely that you have specific expectations for how you want everything to be.  Or perhaps the proposal came as a shock and you really have no idea what you want.  Wherever you’re coming from, start flipping through wedding books and magazines and surfing wedding blogs to get inspired and figure out what speaks to you.  Do you and your fiancé want an enormous hotel ballroom wedding with crystal chandeliers and cream-colored orchids?  Or would you rather have a low-key afternoon affair in a garden?  If you decide to hire a wedding consultant, you’ll need to communicate you and your sweetheart’s agreed-upon vision to ensure you get your dream wedding.
   
4. Plan Your Budget.  You must figure out who’s willing to pay for what.  Once you have a baseline to work with, find out where each others’ priorities lie and allot money accordingly. (Does he have his heart set on a particular DJ, or is he an organic food snob? Would you rather invite 50 guests than skimp on reception decorations?)  Don’t forget to budget for unexpected expenses (parking, security, stamps, ice, etc).
   
5. Register for Gifts.  It will save your loved ones a lot of headaches and indecision (not to mention the hassle of potential duplicate returns) if you and your fiancé go ahead and register for the things you want and need.  To make things easier for you, aim to only register at a few places.  If registering for everything at once stresses you out, feel free to add a few items at first and go back later.

Other Tidbits:

• Don’t forget also to get your ring fitted and insured. If you have homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, you can call and have it added to your policy. You may need an official appraisal or specific paperwork in order to do so, but calling should answer your questions. If you don’t have renter’s insurance, call your broker to find your best option.
• Try to stay organized. If this isn’t your strong suit, it would probably best behoove you to look into hiring a wedding planner (she can be your living filing cabinet!). Regardless, get some sort of binder or folder to stuff all those torn-out pages of wedding magazine inspiration and the notes/contracts/contact information you’ve gathered. It’ll help to have everything wedding all in one place.
• Ask your and his parents’ for ideal guest lists. While the hard part will be paring it down, you need to communicate who everyone’s non-negotiables are and make sure you don’t leave out anyone really important. This will also help your families feel more involved in the planning process and maybe eliminate those last 20 or 30 random people your grandmother accidentally invites by word of mouth.
• ENJOY YOURSELF! You’re planning one of the most joyous days of your life! Don’t get so caught up in little things that you lose sight of the bigger picture: your future marriage. Something always inevitably goes a little awry, so just take things one day at a time, and don’t neglect to put down the wedding binder from time to time and just relax.

Happy Planning!

 

A Delightful Day