Choosing the perfect setting for your wedding ceremony
Picking a venue is very important and should be done as soon as possible (ie. right after the engagement and after/in conjunction with picking a date).
I held my ceremony outside in a park next to the river and held my reception at a hall. The setting may not be the same for everyone, some of the things to consider will be.
The best advice I can offer is to be openminded and flexible! If you have had your mind set on getting married in a certain church since you were a little girl, be prepared to wait. However, if you are willing to check out all of the churches in your city you will have a lot more options.
The size of your wedding with strongly influence your venue so you have to decide which is more important. Are you willing to limit your guest list so everyone can fit in your dream venue?
Check and see if your venue requires a permit. For example, in my particular case, the City of Calgary requires that you apply through the city when holding a ceremony in a city park. Each park has it's own application process and a permit will be issued after application. Fines for not completing these steps may be hefty!
If your ceremony will not be located in the same venue as your reception, I encourage you to place them within close proximity to each other, for the convenience of your guests. Most people coming from out of town won't be super comfortable driving all over the city on such an already hectic day. I know my mother was in tears trying to get from one location to the other.
Start planning your wedding and pick a date
Now that I've enjoyed the bliss of the engagement for a while and told my friends and family the wonderful news, it's time to start planning!!! The 3 most important things to do at the very beginning are the when? where? and who? My next three blogs will touch on these subjects.
When picking a wedding date you should consider a few things:
1.) First, you should figure out in which season you would like to get married. Have you always picture getting married in the summer outside under the heat of the sun? Or, would you prefer the majestic snow tipped mountains in the background as your guests all huddle around to keep warm in an intimate outdoor winter wedding?
2.) Now that you've picked a season you have to decide what day you want. Long weekend? A benefit of the long weekend includes an extra day of travel for guests. The downfall is that long weekends tend to be very popular and therefore you are competing when booking and also for guest attendance as they may have other weddings to attend. Also, you really limit yourself to one or two weekends per season.
3.) Check with your close friends and family for dates that will work for them. Narrow it down and give them a few options. Nothing is more important at a wedding than having your loved ones there to share the memories.
4.) Choose a timeline that will align well with your budget. No need to rush into the wedding and put any unnecessary financial restrain on your relationship if you have the flexibility to wait an extra year and save up for the wedding.
5.) Research the availability of a few venues (ceremony, reception) and find out what is available as the more flexible you can be when choosing a date, the more likely you will be to have things just the way you anticipate.
Now that you have picked a date, it's time to pick a venue!
**Editor's note: I got engaged in November and got married on a Saturday in July of the following year. That was enough time to get everything in order (8 months). It will differ for each person as the variables change. I will give examples of my experience throughout this blog for direct comparison.
The Proposal
We met in university and had been dating for 6 years. I began to wonder if he was ever going to propose. Our friends and family were constantly asking us when we were going to make our relationship "more official". My coworkers started checking my left hand for a ring everytime I went away or out for dinner. Everyone knew it was just a matter of time before we got married since we are perfect for each other.
It finally happened and it was worth the wait! We flew down to Vegas at the last minute on a cheap WestJet seatsale. I really didn't think it was going to happen on that particular weekend as my partner was showing no sign of being nervous. I always figured I knew him well enough after 6 years that I'd be able to tell by his actions that he was going to propose. Boy was I wrong! He was cool as a cucumber.
We were headed out for a nice dinner (usual occurrence in Vegas as there are so many great restaurants) and we stopped in front of the Bellagio to watch a fountain show. After the song ended, he got down on one knee and said "will you marry me?" and presented me with the most gorgeous diamond ring ever. I immediately started crying and don't remember the rest of the evening but I will tell you I had perma-grin on my face. For any guys out there, read this inspiring article on the best places to propose in Vegas.
Next day: reality strike. HOLY CRAP, I'M GETTING MARRIED! After wanting the proposal to happen so badly for so long, I was in shock for weeks. It was a tough concept to grasp that I would be spending the rest of my life with the same person. Looking at the ring helped me through it. Just kidding. I guess I never really thought long and hard about marriage until I was faced directly with it. After giving it some thought however, I grew to love the idea and I'm glad that I did.
Welcome to my wedding blog!
I got married last summer and the whole experience was incredible. From engagement to honeymoon I learned a ton about the process. Now that it is all said and done and I am happily enjoying married life, I thought that I should start a blog and share my experience while the details are still fresh in my mind.
Getting married is one of the most exciting events of your lifetime and I hope that by reading my blog I can help make your day as magical as mine was.
