The wedding reception is the first time you will formally receive your family and friends as a married couple. It is a time honoured tradition in every culture and religion. Properly planned, this party becomes one of the most joyous parties you and your new spouse will ever host. It is an opportunity for both families to come together and toast the bride and groom’s future life together.
Jaques Scheepers Photography, Windsor, Ontario
Your reception is as unique as you and your husband-to-be. You will want to create a celebration for you, your groom and your guests to always remember. Your wedding can be as simple as cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, to a glorious, multi-course dinner and dance at a private club. Your budget and personality will determine your celebration.
Photo: Trevor Booth Photography, Windsor, Ontario
There are a number of factors that you need to consider when choosing the locale of your reception. How many guests are attending? Can the room accommodate that number? Is there ample parking available? Will there be other parties hosted simultaneously? Will there be enough privacy for you and your guests?
For many women, shopping for their wedding apparel is the highlight of the wedding planning. What an exciting moment when the perfect gown slips over your shoulders, and you glance in the mirror and say, “This is the one; this is my gown!” Bridal shop consultants thrive on this moment; it’s a reward for the many difficulties of their jobs.
 Before you begin to shop, you may want to get ideas about the styles you like by paging through some bridal fashion magazines. Be sure to attend one or two bridal fashion shows, to see selections of dresses that are available in your local bridal salons. Then, focus on making a few decisions. First, consider what price range will fit your budget. Second, decide whether you will have a formal, semi-formal, or informal wedding. Select some bridal shops, phone to check their hours and ask if you will require an appointment to try on gowns.
Then, ask a friend or family member to go with you. This should be someone who will be honest about which styles flatter your figure and complexion. Let the salesperson know some of the features of gowns you think you would like to try. However, keep an open mind allowing the sales consultant to suggest some styles that will work for you.
In doubt about which type of gown may be appropriate for you? Here are a few guidelines:
Any woman can wear a long white gown no matter what her age or if she has been married before. However, you will find that some styles are more suited for younger brides; some look better on more mature figures.
The formality of the wedding takes precedence in choosing the style: Gowns with a train, whether a sweep, chapel length, or cathedral length are reserved for formal or semi-formal weddings.
Only first time brides should wear a train and a veil; they are traditionally representative of the innocence of youth but with changing rules.
A bride considering an informal ceremony will likely choose a floor length gown without a train, a tea length gown, a knee length suit or cocktail dress.
Encore and mature first-time brides should consider a bridal hat, a hair arrangement of flowers or fabric bows.
.
Your headpiece should be ornate enough for the gown and can be more heavily beaded than the gown. It should not look like an afterthought and you should be concerned that the overall effect is a balanced one. The area framing the face is not a very good area to skimp on since it is the most viewed area of the bride, both in person and in photography.
Find or design a headpiece with some of the gown’s features. Consider adding these accents to the back of the headpiece, those sitting at your ceremony will appreciate your attention to detail.
All brides want to be beautiful on their wedding day, and often it is easy for them to picture themselves in a wedding gown. But once something is placed upon the head, the whole preception of self image is altered. A headpiece may often dramatically chage the image of a bride’s face and hair. A well designed veil will accent or de-emphasize certain facial or body features if chosen thoughtfully.
Normally, any headpiece which is tall and/or narrow will slim and lengthen a face. Subsequently, a low and /or wide headpiece may shorten or widen a face.
Long veils will lengthen and slim a body while shorter veils will emphasize the waist and hip area. Beaded veils also tend ot call atttention to the ending areas, generally in the midsection. Probably the best way to get the full effect is to stand about 10 feet from the mirror when deciding on your veil.
The veil length should hit a natural line such as the shoulders, waist, or the end of the gown. Waist length veils are generally the most comfortable to wear, as they give the impression of cascading down the back, yet are not long enough to sit on! This is the length for most brides who desire a more formal look and yet do not want to have a gown-length veil.
Gown length veils are becoming popular again and are the most formal length. The use of detachable veils make this length more appealing.
Perhaps you should consider the option of a detachable veil for removal at the reception while having a waist length veil permanently attached for both the wedding and the reception.
If you take into consideration all the details of your wedding and reception, personal taste, and the lines of your gown, your will perfectly comlete your wedding ensemble.
The days of the groom being responsible for the rehearsal dinner, honeymoon plans and showing up on time for the wedding are long gone. Today’s groom is involved in almost every aspect of the wedding plans.
Marriage today is an equal partnership and most men feel wedding responsibilities should be shared equally. As men become more involved, we are seeing traditional wedding duties change. Beginning with the engagement announcement, more and more newspapers across North America a feature picture of the couple instead of the traditional photo of the bride-to-be only.
Most newlyweds work full-time as well as share housekeeping duties. Because of this, the groom is being included in many bridal showers; thus the stag and doe! Theme showers which include the interests of the couple have become very popular.
The groom is also becoming more involved in the financial aspects of the wedding. With couples marrying at an older age, many are paying for their own weddings or contribute towards the parent’s expenses.
After the wedding, the groom may take on writing thank you notes to his family and friends while the brides will send thank you notes to hers.
Trevor Booth Photography
One of the oldest marriage traditions has also changed for many couples. The bride is not required by law to change her name after the wedding; many retain their maiden name or use both names hyphenated. Many grooms are making changes in their name also. The last name of the bride and groom may both be used as a celebration of their lifelong commitment.
The changing roles of men and women are indeed having an affect on the traditional wedding of the past. We are seeing a “Best Woman” in place of the traditional “Best Man,” female ushers and groom/male only bridal showers. The crossing of traditional barriers is allowing today’s brides and grooms to share everything about their wedding, their life and their love.
The best man usually a best brother, cousin, father or friend of the groom must be prepared for anything and be willing to help the groom solve any problem. Organizing the bachelor or dual bachelor/bachelorette party is one of the first responsibilities. He must also make sure the groom arrives at the wedding on time.
Carrying the bride’s ring is an extremely important task assigned to the best man. He may sometimes be responsible for the marriage licence as well.
The best man usually does not stand in the receiving line if there is one. He signs the marriage certificate as an official witness. He must ensure that the clergy/officiant/celebrant receives payment, which can be conveniently placed in a sealed envelope.
At the reception, the best man sits to the bride’s right, the perfect position to execute his duties as toastmaster/MC. The clever best man rehearses his toast beforehand, knowing that his practiced toast is always better than an impromptu one.
Lastly, some best men are asked to gather all rented clothing from the groom’s wedding party and return it the next business day to the formal wear store.
The groomsmen are friends and relatives of the groom (and) sometimes the bride and have a wide variety of jobs. Some groomsmen double as ushers but usually don’t have as many obligations as the best man.
They are required to be at the rehearsal, where they learn the wishes of the clergy/officiant. At the rehearsal, they may practice lighting and extinguishing the candles for the ceremony, should familiarize themselves with the entrance, exit and washroom locations for the guests’ comfort and learn seating arrangements.
The groomsmen/ushers should arrive at the wedding an hour prior to the ceremony to get their boutonnieres, ready the programs and assist with any last minute details.
If guests of the bride and groom are to be seated in separate sections, the ushers will need to find out the relationship of the guests to the couple. Once established, the right arm is offered to the lady, who is then escorted to the open pew or seat closest to the front of the church or ceremony site. The farthest forward pews or seats are traditionally reserved for immediate family members.
Last to be ushered in are the mothers of both the bride and groom. The ushers, then, unroll the aisle runner. They stay in the back of the church/venue during the ceremony, directing late guests to back or side seats.
Immediately after the ceremony, the groomsmen escort bridesmaids down the aisle. Ushers then escort out the mothers of the bride and groom and, sometimes direct the departure of the guests in an orderly manner.
The groomsmen usually do not stand in the receiving line, if there is one, but do sit at the reception table in an alternating pattern with bridesmaids. The groomsmen and ushers’only obligatory duties at the reception are to mingle with the guests, give help when needed, possibly propose a few toasts and make merry!!!
|
|
