Wedding Services

Isn’t it ironic…. Rain on your Wedding Day? Just a little too ironic. You Ms. Wizard cannot change the forecast, nor can you alter the weather during your wedding day. But what you can do is understand your options and discuss this with your vendors ahead of time. Experienced vendors have already discussed this with you and let you know what all of the “Plan B’s” are, but you don’t always know if your wedding vendor is who they advertise.

Therefore, here is a list of options for you if your outdoor
wedding does not go as planned:

1) Have an indoor space on reserve and make the decision to move it. Sometimes it just doesn’t matter how long you stare at the radar, that rain just won’t stop. A lot of the decision comes
down to timing though. Some venues require a decision to be made days before on an indoor vs outdoor wedding due to setup of chairs and spaces. Therefore, this needs to be discussed with
your venue in advance to determine available spaces, requirements, and flexibility.

2) Wait out the storm and make a last-minute decision. Some venues can audible quickly and can wait until the last minute for a decision to be made on an outdoor wedding. If things are moved indoor last minute, guests will most likely sit at their tables during the ceremony and the ceremony may be held on the dance floor, in front of the head table, in an open space available in a larger venue, etc. If things can happen outside last minute because there is a break in the weather, staff will need time to dry off chairs, set any décor or floral, and ensure a safe, non-slick walk path for guests.

3) Move your ceremony time. Maybe there is a break in the weather at 7:00pm and it will continue to rain through the scheduled ceremony time of 5:00pm. An experienced and easy-
going wedding coordinator can arrange this with the DJ, photographer, and caterer by doing a“soon to be Mr. and Mrs.” grand entrance and go right into dinner. Then you might be able to go from dinner and drinks to a ceremony, followed by speeches and special dances. This takes coordination but it can be done and everything feels planned and accounted for, regardless what some vendors may thing of the idea. Working outside of the norms does tend to freak some people out so just make sure you trust your coordinator fully.

4) Buy 200 cheap umbrellas and let’s do this thang!!!

Regardless the situation with weather, keep calm and enjoy the day. Rain happens and all you can do is go with the flow at that point. No stress drinking, no yelling, and no crying over Mother Nature. She is an unpredictable force regardless of what those overpaid weather-men tell us.

“If you want me to take a dump in a box, and mark it guaranteed I will… I’ve got spare time”. – Tommy Boy

A wise man once asked a wise question: “How do you know the guaranteed fairy isn’t some crazy glue sniffer?” – Tommy Boy…. again. Now lets dial down the abstract and get to the point. In product lines and advertising, a product is only as good as those that create it. A good marketer can sell you a bill of goods but they could also only be interested in their bottom line; which is making the sale.

When choosing your wedding vendors, take special care in not getting caught up in the “guarantees” of the service. One such “guarantee” is in the form of an assumption. That being the higher the price, the better the service. A $500 DJ and a $2,500 DJ should both make you question their value. What is the difference between a $1,500 photographer and a $3,500 photographer? Most likely experience. What’s the difference between a $3,500 photographer and a $8,000 photographer? An ego? Now I’m not saying this is the case across the board. I’m just saying that one needs to be sure to see a wedding vendor through a lens of value, service, product, and QUALITY. Not just quality.

As a newly engaged couple, you of course want the wedding of you dreams. So you look for all of the right vendors that best fit your personality and have the exact place, skill, and product possible. The only problem is that, most of the time, this is the only time you have ever planned a wedding. You have no comparison and therefore, have no basis for quality. You rely on what the vendors tell you and rely on your instinct. Instinctually, we believe that a $20,000 price tag on a venue surpasses a $8,000 venue. But by stripping away the layers, you see that the services, the staff, and the product all are better at the latter.

Some words of advice to all of the newly engaged couples when it comes to filtering your vendors:

Meet all vendors in person. Only exception I have personally is with a select few caterers that multiple friends and family members have given high marks on. Use your first instincts and look for those vendors that sound, entertaining, and energetic. Just being nice doesn’t cut it in a crowded field of professionals.
Do online research for average prices in each of the vendor fields you have interest in. Budget for the mid-high end of the average. Discard the outliers on the low and high end.
Other than marrying the love of your life and enjoying your wedding day, what are your wedding day priorities? In other words, what is most important when weighing your budget constraints:
1. Venue services
2. Photographer style
3. DJ/MC personality
4. Florist creativity
5. Caterers food quality
6. Videographer style

One last note for you wedding couples, don’t feel like you have to over extend yourself to have a great day. Talk with a wedding professional you trust to set you on the right path. Research, research, research before making a decision on your vendors. If you are looking for more advice or want to see what a service-focused wedding venue really looks like, check out Baqara Reclaimed. As with all of our articles, I hope this serves as an informational and hopeful outlook on your wedding planning needs.

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