Wedding Planning… the Hard Way – Lessons Four and Five

Just to be clear, I am not a “I-loved-planning-my-own-wedding-so-much-I-started-my-own-business” event planner. I have worked in meeting and event planning for both corporate and non-profit entities. However, I did learn a few things in the process, and in order to save you a bit of wedding planning grief, I share these lessons with you:

In our experience, either the old folks danced to old folk music or the young hip people, such as ourselves, danced to real music. We decided that if we were going to have dancing, we wanted everyone to dance. My FH and I had actually met at and “aggie stomp” – a Cal Poly tradition where there was a band with a caller that taught traditional dances like the Cotton-Eyed Joe & the Virginia Reel. (He had a date who was 5 inches taller than my six feet, and there were about 40 women there and maybe 5 men. That I even got to speak with him was miraculous!) We decided this was a great way to incorporate “us” into the scheme of things. It also had the advantage of never having been done at a wedding in either of our circles, so it made ours unique.

Lesson Four… incorporating your “story” into your wedding makes it unique and memorable. I have many, many more examples of this. Trust me (I’m a professional) – it will make people smile when they recall your wedding, no matter how modest your budget.



Wedding Planning… the Hard Way – Lesson Five
Just to be clear, I am not a “I-loved-planning-my-own-wedding-so-much-I-started-my-own-business” event planner. I have worked in meeting and event planning for both corporate and non-profit entities. However, I did learn a few things in the process, and in order to save you a bit of wedding planning grief, I share these lessons with you:

Aside from the awful-but-generously-offered centerpieces, we had only one other décor item at the reception: the pergola that was swathed in white twinkle lights. This was unheard of 25 years ago. I was a pioneer! Please note: twinkle lights are no longer cutting edge or a new idea, neither is a 12x12 mirror tile in the center of the table. If you must use either, do find a way to make it different or personal. Strangely, I have no pictures of this, but it is a lovely romantic glow in my mind…)

Lesson Five ... think out of the box. Finding creative ways to accomplish the look you want is one of the best (and most difficult sometimes) things about designing your wedding. Please exit the “wedding” aisle of your local craft store and look beyond its shelves. I promise you will find some beautiful solutions to your design issues outside of this aisle and even outside the store.