Weddings and Holidays

Feb 17, 2020 | wedding planning

A woman in a long white dress, carrying a bouquet of sunflowers and other flowers, and a man wearing a blue jacket and khaki pants walk toward the camera holding hands. In the background are trees, a floral arch, and people standing in front of chairs in rows watching them.

Labor Day weekend is a great time to get married, like this fall country wedding. Photo courtesy of kellyjophoto.com.

Here’s something I get asked all the time:  Is it a good idea to schedule a wedding for a holiday weekend?

There are lots of Monday holidays in this country, resulting in 3-day weekends for a lot of people, many of whom may be the very ones you want to have at your wedding.  If a lot of your guests are going to be coming from out of town, then sometimes scheduling the event for a holiday weekend is a great idea, because it allows people to visit for a little longer and makes it easier for them to actually be there with you.

On the other hand, airfares may be higher on high travel days, which might be a problem for some people.  And there may be those among your guests who already have plans for a long weekend.  Neither of these has to be a deal-breaker, but if you are planning a wedding for a holiday weekend, it’s a good idea to give your guests as much advance notice as possible.

Also, you may be thinking that you can save some money by scheduling the wedding for the Sunday of a holiday weekend.  Sunday rates at venues are typically lower than Saturday rates, but–sorry!–the venues are already ahead of you on this one.  Most of them charge the same for Saturday and Sunday of a holiday weekend.

But if you do decide on a holiday weekend, Sunday is often a good choice for the convenience of your out-of-town guests.  They can travel on Saturday and Monday, if they can’t get time away during the week.

On the whole, I tend to say that holiday weekends are a good choice, especially if you have guests coming from far away.  They are often popular times, though, so if that’s the direction you are going, be sure to book your venue and other vendors early.

“But You’re So Calm!”

Feb 10, 2020 | About me, wedding planning

A woman wearing black leaning over a table and fussing with place cards.

It’s not a new photo, but my attitude hasn’t changed: I’m being calm here. Photo courtesy of Artisan Events, Inc.

Here’s a funny story from last year’s wedding season.  I was introduced to the brother of one of the brides before the ceremony began.  I had been doing my thing for a couple of hours already, and everything was in place when I had the chance to stop and meet him.  We shook hands, and when he found out what my role was he said, “You’re the planner??  But you’re so calm!”

I’m not entirely sure how he thought I should behave.  Maybe there’s a stereotype of a wedding planner who runs around chaotically looking flustered.  (I’ve never run into one who behaves that way in real life.)  But he certainly said it in an approving way, which was quite flattering.

So, I said to him, “Well, yes, I am calm.  If I’m not calm, then no one else is going to be calm, either.  If I’m running around in a tizzy, everyone else is going to be feeling unsettled, too.”  He nodded and agreed, although it was clear he hadn’t thought of it that way before.

I really do taking being calm seriously when I’m on site for a wedding.  There are a lot of emotions packed into a wedding day, and people can be on edge.  Someone has to be the anchor and the ground wire for all of that, and that’s what I try to be.  (Professional officiants are also really, really good at this.)

And there are a lot of moving parts that sometimes people worry about.  As one of my clients said one time, “We have outsourced all our worrying to Lisa.”  I loved that!  Yes, you can outsource your worrying to me.  I won’t worry; I’ll just take care of stuff for you so no one has to worry.  That’s my job.  And I’ll be very, very calm, while I’m doing it, too.

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