Each wedding and couple is very different, but for us, our routine and wedding day tasks don't vary much. We have a list of things to do for each wedding, so we divide and conquer. Read on to get an inside look at what our wedding day routines look like!
Unlock the venue and turn on the heat/AC - we allow our couples to get into the venue around 7 or 7:30 on wedding days. We have to make sure that the air is running, the door is unlocked and the alarm is off in time for their arrival. Luckily, those 3 things can be done from an app in our phones (technology is my enemy, but I couldn't live without it!). We, and by "we" I mean Bryant, then go up to the venue to unlock the airstream, turn on the lights and air in there, and turn on the air in the bridal suite. We want our couples and their friends to be as comfortable as they can be while getting ready and spending their mornings with their friends.
Blow off the patios, sidewalks and possibly the ceremony site - during the Fall especially, there are a ton of leaves covering the ceremony site, the grass surrounding the patios and any concrete surface. While getting the wedding suites ready at the venue, he blows off the leaves from the patios and sidewalks, and sometimes from the ceremony site. Now, some couples really like the look of the leaves on the property, so he gets to skip blowing off the ceremony site and grass sometimes. We take the wins where we can!
Get the bar set up! When couples decide to have an open bar at their wedding, we purchase and provide the alcohol. This means no work for our couples! The morning of the wedding, Bryant likes to get what he can set up at the bar ahead of time. He will get the coolers packed with the alcohol, and stage what he can for the bar. That way, right before the ceremony he can throw the ice on top of the drinks and everything is ready to go once the bar opens.
Set out the ceremony benches and backdrop - sometimes, this will happen the day before, but we try to avoid letting the benches sit on the ceremony grass longer than they have to, so if Bryant can wait until the wedding day to get these out, he will. He has this down to a very efficient process - practice makes perfect and that's about where he's at - perfection. Depending on the ceremony backdrop chosen, I may have to come help with this part. Some of our backdrops are really big, and just cumbersome to carry alone, so I help him carry it and put it together. He can do it alone, but we can knock it out quicker together.
Mimosas for the bridal suite - I usually try to have this ready the night before. Some of our brides come to our venue earlier than 7 to do hair and makeup, and honestly, even 7 is too early for me...so if I can have this ready for my bride the day before so that it's waiting on them for wedding morning, then I will. I'm sorry, but I am just not a morning person!
After that, we usually get to go home and spend the remainder of the morning and afternoon at home. The "usual" ceremony time is between 4 or 5, so that frees up our day until about an hour before the ceremony. We get to go home, make breakfast for the family and just hang out with the kids until we have to be back at the venue later that afternoon.
Take out bathroom trash and restock bathrooms - about an hour before ceremony, I return to the venue. I immediately take my stuff in my office and then go check on the bathrooms. At this point, people have been in and out of the bathrooms from getting ready and just family and friends hanging out with the bride and groom. I'll empty the bathroom trash, restock toilet paper and paper towels, check on the soap and make sure the toilets still look ok. I can't say the toilets is my favorite part, but, it's a part of the job - someones gotta do it!
Set up DJ equipment - this year, we've brought DJ services in-house and Bryant does an awesome job with this, while having a lot of fun doing it. He's naturally talented when it comes to music, so he has a knack for being DJ! So, for any weddings that he plays DJ Jazzy Bryant (just kidding, he doesn't have an official DJ name), then he'll go ahead and get all his equipment and lights set up. This helps to alleviate any issues that might come up close to ceremony time, because that is definitely NOT THE TIME to run into any problems.
Check on vendors - usually by this time, the photographer has been in full swing and the caterer is arriving for setup. I make sure they are both ok, and have everything they need. I ensure the caterer knows where the setup needs to go, how the guests will enter the buffet line, and where the "extras" are such as trashbags and dishtowels. Vendors keep our business going, it's very important to me that they are comfortable and have what they need while working at our venue.
Go see the bride! At this point, once I feel like things are in order and progressing, I can go see the bride and the groom. Usually, the bride is still in the bridal suite, so I get to go visit her and meet any family that I haven't met. I don't take up too much time - just give a quick hug and make sure everyone is good and that they don't need me for anything. Next, I'll go peak in on the groom in the airstream (that sounded creepy!), but you get what I'm saying.
Greet guests - about 30 minutes before ceremony time, I will stand in front of the building to greet guests, give instructions on the guest book and card table, and let them know where the ceremony site is. I know from experience that people usually assume the ceremony is inside the building, so letting people know where to go helps! Guests have never been to the venue, so of course we can't expect them to know where to go...directions are always good!
Open bridal doors - about 3 minutes before the ceremony start time, I will quickly walk down to the bridal doors. I am not always needed for this, but usually it takes my help to open one side of our bridal doors. I love this part! I get to see and be apart of those final moments and this brings me so much happiness. I get to smile at the wedding party, see those sweet ring bearers and flower girls, and then I get to see all the emotion and nerves from the bride and her sweet daddy thinking about giving her little girl away. That makes it sound so sad, but these are such raw emotions that I get to see in those final moments, and just by writing this my eyes filled with tears. I know I say this all the time, but I have the best job. I get to watch little girls' dreams come true, and I get to see two people start their lives together. I thank God every day for this opportunity. I just realized how much I liked that part of my day.
Watch the ceremony - this is another one of my favorite parts. Usually, after I open the doors for the bride, I run over to the side to watch the ceremony. This is the moment we've all been waiting for. All the texts, the phone calls, planning sessions.....this is best part! I love hearing all of the different stories from the officiants, the special vows spoken by the couple, the memories they share up there (at the big tree where they get married), that special kiss that seals it all together. It's so sweet and special. I also love watching them do their walk back down the aisle together, after they've become husband and wife. The stress is gone - they did the "hard part", and now they get to enjoy one another and their friends and families.
Candles! During cocktail hour/social hour - I do a few checks on the bartender and the caterer, again, just to make sure everyone is ok and they don't need anything. But after that, I run inside to light/turn on candles if they've decorated with them. This is a quiet time for me - the caterers are doing their final "to-dos" before the chaos, I might hear a few people come inside to grab something from the bridal suite or use the restrooms, but besides that, it's quiet and calm inside and I use this time to take a breather and enjoy the AC for a minute.
Enjoy the evening - since the day of coordinator handles the timeline, between the ceremony and the end of the event, besides occasionally checking on the bathrooms, I usually get to observe. I watch the first dances, listen to speeches, and people watch. That never gets old! Between the daddy/daughter dances and speeches.....there is usually some tears. I'm talking about me! People are difficult sometimes, but really, we all have the same drive in life and that is to love and to be loved, and this is evident at every wedding. Seeing family and friends come together for these two people, and listening to the things they say about the bride and groom (as individuals or as a couple), it's so sweet and meaningful.
Cleanup! I can't say this is the best part! Once the crowd goes back outside to the patios (which is usually what happens after dinner), I start cleaning up. I gather decorations, treat my linens, and do what I can to get as much cleaned up as I can. I have back to back events a lot, so the more I can get knocked out, the better off I am. I don't like waiting until the last minute to get anything done!
Sendoff - our couples either do a sendoff from the outdoor patios, or from the front of the building. The day of coordinator will facilitate this, but I like to help. I usually just grab lighters and help light the sparklers, or just watch if there is nothing needed from me. This is usually one of the last time I'll get to see the couple, so I don't want to miss if I don't have to.
Final cleanup - after sendoff is when the remaining family and designated friends have to gather leftovers and personal belongings out of the suites. There is usually alot of hustling during this time because everyone is tired and ready to go home. You'd be amazed at how long it actually takes to do this... kids running around entertaining themselves, bridesmaids walking around barefoot gathering random items, mothers of the couples working together to divvy up leftovers. Everyone comes together to get it done so that they can finally go home and rest.
It's a long day for everyone, but what good days they are! It's hard work, and it's so tiring....but so worth all the work. These couples and families have no idea the impact they make on my life. Each one of them are blessings, and we are forever grateful for every single one of our families.
Until next time...
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