lots of wedding questions - please help!!

[annette_tr9]

ok, here are lots of questions, it's difficult to know what to do, i have to arrange everything by e-mail because i am in the uk at the moment and coming over in 4 weeks to get married!!

1. Should i invite the officient even though i have never met him?? If i should invite him how can i do that by e-mail?? What should i say?

2. Which people am i supposed to tip?? Flowers/officient/photographer/photograhers assistant/favors/pianist?? How much should i tip??

3. I have a lady from the hotel organising the reception and a wedding co-ordinator organising the ceremony for me, i was going to buy them both a hamper from Harrods in the airport on the way over, do you think that would be ok?? Alternatively I was going to wait until i got over there and buy a gift card from Dillards or somewhere?? Which do you think is best and how much should i spend??

4. How long before the ceremony starts should i ask the photograher to begin and which photos should i ask him to do before the ceremony bearing in mind that we don't want to see each other!

5. I am arranging a bus for the guests to get to the hotel, how long before the ceremony should they arrive?

6. When do the speeches happen?? At the end of the meal?? Is this the time to give out the bridesmaids/groomsman/mothers/everyone elses!! gifts or should that be done individually or left on the tables???

Sorry for all of the questions, any comments would be welcome!

 

[karentan]

hiya sorry i cant be of more help but as your wedding is next month (congrats) i was wondering if you could fill me in on some of the details of your wedding (im from essex and am wondering how other UK brides have booked their wedding)
if you can be of any help could you email me on karenangelatan@lycos.co.uk
thanks

 

[jamie0201]

Hi there...


Although I havent gotten married yet, I am going to TRY and help you answer some question... Fantasia Sam may be another one who can help!!! She is fantastic with these type of things.

1. Not sure

2. We are planning on tipping the officiant, florist, and photographer... not sure who else yet. Good Question!

3. I think they may enjoy a gift card. I dont know what what harrods is... We are also thinking about gift certificates for our planners, as well I was going to maybe do a restaurant gift card... not sure yet.

4. We are not seeing each other before the ceremony either. As of now I have our photographer scheduled 1 1/2 hours before the ceremony to come and take pictures of me getting ready, and the bridesmaids, mom, etc... He didnt want that.

5. Not sure about this either

6. I am not sure exactly when the speeches begin, sometime during dinner I think. Good Question! Also, Are you have a rehearsel/rehearsel dinner? We are giving our bridesmaids, groomesmen and parents gifts out at the rehearsel dinner. The favors for the guests can be placed at their seats on the tables at the wedding.


I hope I was some help!!!!
Good Luck
Jamie

 

[twojo21]

congrats on your upcoming wedding! i hope my rambling helps. best of luck!

1. i think that's up to you, it's your wedding, have you spoke with him many times? i know from other posts on this site many brides have invited but the officiant rarely comes due to busy schedules. i know from all the etiquette books i've read it says you should invite the officiant to the reception but i still think it's your call. we are inviting ours by wedding invitation.
2. we're tipping our drivers (guest bus), disney floral, our photographer & videographer, caterers/servers and are going to make a donation to the officiants church.
3. for the wedding coordinator's i was told they can't except gifts past $75. as for a gift, i think one from your hometown is a great idea or a gift card.
4. depends on how many photos you want. we're having our photographer come 2 hours before the ceremony to take pictures individually (no pics together either while in my dress til the ceremony) of each around the grounds, guys first like my hubby2be, bestman and parents, then me the bride, maid of honor and my parents.
5. as for the bus i would ask your em, i would guestimate similiar times to the disney park bus schedules 15 minutes here, 15 back, etc.
6. all the etiquette books vary. we were going to do most long speeches at the rehearsal dinner and only a set few, after our prereception, 1st dance in, during toasts before dinner. as for the wedding favors i would leave them on the guest tables or on a seperate table as they leave. we're placing ours on the seating card table (that will then be empty) at the end of our reception.

 

[marn913]

Here's what I recall from our experience:

1. We invited our officiant (Rev. Jack Day) to the rehearsal dinner and reception - he declined both invitations. I think it is customary to invite them, but they usually decline.

2. Generally, you tip "employees" of a company for their services, not the business owner. That being said, we did tip Rev. Day, but not the florist or Randy Chapman (we did not even see the florist, they just had a delivery person drop off our bouquets in a large box and our coordinator helped get everything ready.)

3. If you feel that your coordinator/planner was helpful and would like to buy a gift, purchase what you think is appropriate (large or small). The Harrod's gift would be unique, seeming as we don't have Harrod's around here! Otherwise, if you choose a gift certificate, make sure that the company has a location in the area or has internet ordering.

4. Generally, the photographer will have a pretty standard schedule. You can just give a ring and ask what he/she recommends as far as start time based on the type of photography you are having done. We had a custom wedding and that started at noon. Randy Chapman started with the groom's party at about 10am, followed by the bride's party at 11am. We then traveled to the wedding pavilion for the wedding, and Randy took pictures of the whole wedding party after the ceremony.

5. Most of our guests arrived at the ceremnoy site about 20-30 minutes before the ceremony.

6. Our speeches took place just before dinner was served, we did a champagne toast to get the dinner started.

Hope this helps!
Marne
06-16-03

 

[TrickyFish]

In regards to the Harrods hamper.. go for that one. Its unique, and when you compare a hamper from Harrods to a GC from Dillards.. well its kind of like comparing a Harrods hamper to a handful of candy from Woolies. Harrods hampers are lovely, and they are known for being upscale (Dillards, not so much) so I think it would be a wonderful gift.

 

[annette_tr9]

thanks for all of your replies!! I think i am going to go with the harrods hampers, i will buy those in the airport on the way over!! I haven't even seen them myself but i have heard that they are good!