Oops, I Forgot

I feel as though I'm forgetting something important. What can it be?


The road to wedded bliss is littered with tasks to complete, in all sizes. Do not despair! You will not collapse. You will get through it. You will (most likely) forget something. If you let it ruin your day, shame on you! Roll with the waves and your ultimate goal will be achieved: you'll be hitched!

It is always assumed that you will remember to send out invitations, order the cake and find a dress. It is the not-so-obvious that sometimes falls through the cracks. For instance, when did you last visit your dentist? You'll be the subject of hundreds of photos and professional portraits. You'll sometimes smile until your jaw aches (but with huge rewards in fabulous pictures) so make sure those whites are pearly!

When you are hiring professional services such as limousines, it is sometimes easy to forget that there will be other cars involved on your special day. Who is picking up Grandma? Is that car decorated?

Some couples assume that if someone they invited has not responded to the invitation, then that means they are not coming. When response cards are pre-addressed and stamped, it is highly unusual for someone to be so lazy as to not drop it in the mail. It is worth a few phone calls to verify the missing cards. Unexpected arrivals can throw off your guest count in a big way. Don't laugh, but have you ever danced with your soon-to-be-spouse? In the olden days of Saturday night dates at the local ballroom, couples fell in love while they "cut a rug". These days, couples do not often do a lot of dancing. Practice! And if you can, wear your crinoline so you can try the dance with a big skirt.

Obviously, make sure you have something old, new, borrowed and blue. Then check to see that you or someone else has brought along these most-forgotten items on your wedding day: marriage certificate, rings, cake knife, the pen for the guest book and the garter.

Now make the Emergency Kit for the bridal room: hairspray, spare pantyhose, bottle of ice water, safety pins, corsage pins, a brush and comb, masking tape (for hurried repairs to fallen hems), stain removal wipes, a complete sewing kit that includes 10 colours of thread and buttons, moist towelettes, bobby pins, feminine hygiene products, hand lotion, nail polish (for both pantyhose and fingernails), nail file and nail clippers, breath mints, adhesive bandages, tissues, antacid tablets, pain relief, smelling salts, emergency cosmetics and some packaged snacks such as granola bars, cereal bars, or crackers. Not only will every bride need at least one of these items, but the entire wedding party and half the guests may come calling as well!

Being prepared is one of the first lessons in wedding planning, but nobody can anticipate everything. If you actually forget something, it will NOT ruin your day unless you let it. If there are no rings, someone in the church will lend you theirs, if the music for the first dance won't play, dance to something else. If the cake doesn't arrive, send out for doughnuts! Your guests came to watch you get married, and you planned the day just for that purpose, so do it, have fun and don't worry!

Best wishes,

Kathy

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Far and Away

What can you do to include a special out of town guest in your wedding day?


You wanted your college roommate to be one of your bridesmaids, but she lives too far away to make it practical. Your Great Aunt lives in Halifax and is flying in for the wedding, but you're sad that she couldn't be at your shower or your rehearsal dinner. What can you do to include them in your special day?

There are many ways to show people how much you care about them when a wedding is at hand! Even on the very day of the special event, you will have dozens of things that need to be checked and completed.

The bride needs a good friend around when she has her makeup and hair done. Usually the whole bridal party goes to the salon together, so why not offer your college friend the chance to have her hair or makeup done as well? Or just ask her along for moral support. She will feel very "included".

Once the flowers have arrived, they need to be handed out, pinned on, and attached. Giving someone a list and a kiss on the cheek along with your request will make them feel as though they have saved the day.

Decorating your vehicles is another way you can make them feel involved. This seems simple, but takes quite a bit of time, so the more help the better, especially if there are many cars to get ready. Even extra drivers on the morning of the wedding to shuttle the vehicles to the car wash can be a big help!

If your venue needs decorating, be sure to have them help with that! Ask them to hand out the bubbles to blow, or to cuddle up with the ring bearer to keep him calm (Grandmas are very good at this)!

Have the friend or relative stand up with your ushers at the church and hand out service programs, or simply greet relatives they haven't seen in a long while. They will always have warm memories of a happy ceremony.

You could ask someone "crafty" if they could prepare you a personalized wedding album for the many snapshots your guests will be taking for you. An ordinary photo album can look terrific dressed with fabric in your wedding colours and a bit of lace. Have them take a few instant photos or print a couple digital photos to put in the front of it and put the book on display at the reception to show people how wonderful it is. This will be something your guest will be pleased to prepare and bring on the plane, knowing how you will treasure it.

Ask the person (long before they arrive in town) if they would honour you by saying Grace at your wedding dinner. If Grace is being done by someone else, ask them to make a speech or toast.

Obviously, a simple way to acknowledge special people is to have someone include a mention of them in their speeches. "And we thank everyone from out of town for joining us today. The prize for the longest (or latest, or most cramped, or most overbooked) flight goes to Uncle Joe…who by the way, also cooks up the meanest trout fillets this side of the St. Lawrence! Give us a wave Uncle Joe ..."

Many times the parents of the bride seem to be in charge of taking home gifts and any money boxes and so on. Ask a trusted relative to organize this task, and arrange for the safe transport in someone's car. It gives them a sense of involvement, and also takes some of the burden off Mom and Dad!

If you're having a get-together the following day, or a gift opening, then ask Auntie Martha to make her famous oatmeal loaf and bring it along.

What else do you have to accomplish? There are always tasks to be completed, and good memories to create. If you want to include someone in the preparations for your special event, then go ahead! They will love it, and so will you.



Best wishes,

Kathy

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