So if you have been one of the loyal and avid readers of these posts, you know that so many things can pop up during your wedding planning and on the day of.  Things that you might not ever think of unless you go to a lot of weddings and hang out in the background.  We do.  We see most everything that happens - the good, the bad and the ugly.  

Just the other weekend, the band was complaining about their stage not being big enough and not having the electrical requirements that they needed.  How's your knowledge of power requirements???  I don't know about you, but on my wedding day I wanted to be the bride, not an electrician.

What if you change the time you want to leave your reception?  Who is going to have the number of the car company to tell them the new time?  Sure you have it in your wedding book, but where is the book? 

Short a corsage from the florist?  You can't leave that one grandparent without something to wear!  Who is calling the florist???  Who is stressing about this?  You will be!

Imagine the photographer trying to take all of the family pictures, but where is the family?  Uncle Bob is over there, Aunt Sally is still getting ready, Aunt Sue went to sit down in another room.  Who will be yelling trying to get everyone to be in the same room at the same time?  Yep, you again.  

There was one reception that I heard about where the venue had to make a rain call while the ceremony was taking place at a nearby church.  No big deal, right?  Well the florist was already set up and wasn't made aware that the rain call had taken place and everything (but her flowers) were moved inside.  Fortunately she decided to run back by the venue to double check everything 30 minutes prior to the guests arriving.  She was able to redecorate everything before the couple arrive for their reception.  

I wonder what you can do to help ensure that these things don't happen?

If the couple had hired a professional wedding planner, none of this would have been an issue.  

Don't make your friends, your mother, (or you) have to deal with this stuff.  You don't want to be interrupted while you are taking pictures or getting dressed in your beautiful wedding gown - hire a professional wedding planner to handle everything for you.  You will just have to trust me on this one - it will be worth the money!!!!

By the way, each of the examples are from an actual wedding.  We even had one this past weekend where the reception site's power was knocked out by a storm right before the wedding.  No power, no AC, nothing for the entire night.  Who do you think had to deal with that?

On the most perfect weather day of the year, McClain and Chris chose to exchange their vows in front of their friends and family.  Condoleezza Rice was even there!  Well, she was playing golf outside, but still it was LIKE she came just for the wedding.  

Shoal Creek Country Club is such a beautiful venue and this time of year, it is just perfect!  McClain was such a relaxed bride - I think she really enjoyed her day.  Kristen and Mary Catherine with Arden Photography were there to provide the memories.  

Fun, fun day! So many little treats for the guests throughout the evening. Donuts and milk shooters to name one!  The band, Burning Las Vegas, kept everyone dancing and our cameras rolling to capture the fun.  

Mindy with M. Elizabeth Weddings and Events was in charge of the day.  She kept everything moving smoothly and under control.  Most brides don't even realize all that the wedding planner does on the day of.  There is always a fire to put out somewhere!  

Here are a few stills that we pulled from the raw footage.  Enjoy the fun!  

To see the blog post about their engagement session, click here.

Be Happy...

As I am preparing to close out an entire year of Insider's Tips, I am trying to think of some things that I really feel are necessary.  And the biggest thing that stands out in my mind is to enjoy your day and be happy.  Hire great vendors that you don't have to worry about - check references if you have to - and sit back and really enjoy the moment.  It will go by too fast.

This picture by True Photography found on The Wedding Chicks blog is your inspiration.

Laura is an absolute natural beauty.  Her smile is contagious!  It is hard to put down the camera even for a moment - you just never knew when she would flash that gorgeous smile.  Needless to say, the footage looks great!  Beautiful bride together with her handsome groom, Heath, were married at a beautiful Antebellum home called Rosewood.

My year is almost up!  49 out of 52 tips have been posted.  Now what to do with them...

I love a party bus!  It arrives at the church and takes the bridal party to the reception safely to enjoy all of the wedding festivities, aka, alcohol.  We love riding on the party bus - you just really never know what footage you will get!!!  
 
There are many great reasons to hire a bus, shuttle, etc.  You have the obvious, carting around the wedding party, that may or may not be drinking.  Helping out of towners get to the destination without getting lost. All great things!
 
But remember after the wedding - after you and your spouse leave the reception.  The wedding party that may or may not have been drinking, may or may not be able to drive themselves from the reception back to the hotel.  It might be a good idea to have the party bus come back and pick everyone up to take the back to the hotel.  That way everyone gets home safe and sound.  

Here is Avia Parking's party bus!

Several times a year wedding vendors work together to provide inspiration to all brides through photo shoots for Alabama Weddings Magazine.  It usually consists of a pretty long day, but the results are worth it! Our contribution was to film the setup of the different "scenes" plus a little bit of clowning around of the vendors.  The location was a bit unusual, but Ted's Garage Cafe turned out to be perfect for the day.  It was really fun!

Although the edit of the video is not completed just yet, I wanted to say thanks to all of the contributing vendors!

Awesome (and amazing!) photography by Jerrod Brown.

Floral and design by J Ross with Norton's.  

Lighting design by Andy Tolar with Design Productions.

Makeup by Melissa Moore Bogardus.  

Thanks for including us Michelle and Carla!

I love fun brides!  Brides that are ready for their wedding day - they are excited and just living in the moment!  That was sweet Emily!  She was surrounded by great friends and family that just added to the excitement of the day.  

 

After a beautiful ceremony at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Hoover, the bridal party hopped on a party bus (Avia Transportation) to the Harbert Center.  The DJ had the guests on the dance floor all night!  We captured great footage - so much fun!!  We had a wonderful time working with Lauren Liddell out of Mississippi.  She made all of the wedding party so relaxed for the pictures.  I know they looked great!  

 

The couple left their reception on a cute Golf Cart and headed to the Tutwiler for the evening.  I hope they had an amazing honeymoon!

There is just something about a wedding at Rosewood in Pinson, AL.  Even with the imminent threat of rain 30 minutes before the ceremony, the sun stays shining just long enough for the bride and groom to have a wonderful wedding!  And that is what happened for Kristi and Caleb.  It was perfect!  And I saw one of my high school teachers.  

Squeeze On In!

 

This past weekend I saw the best arrangement for the parents during the wedding ceremony. To better help you understand what I am talking about, this was a formal church ceremony, the groom's father was the best man, and there wasn't a center aisle.  (Pictures were not allowed so I didn't want to take one.)  

 

So both sets of the parents (bride and groom's) were sitting on the same aisle. But instead of being on the sides, they both scooted to the middle and sat next to each other.  How great is that!  I think it showed a wonderful sense of unity between the families.  Some brides and grooms are not as lucky.  And besides for a lot of weddings, the groom's mom has to sit by herself because her husband is standing with their son on the alter.  Great for pictures and video too!