Happy Thursday to all!
This is where is really begins. After having taken time to
think about what kind of wedding you and your fiancé want, and thinking of
ambiance and colors, it’s time to get to the real stuff!
There are two things you need to figure out 9 months to 1
year prior to your wedding date. The location and the bridal gown shopping. It
is crucial to do this at least nine months before, for the following reasons.
Weddings are a huge business, especially in the summer, and places get booked
very quickly. So if you want to find a great location for either the ceremony
or the reception, you will want to look around and book as early as possible
for your peace of mind. As for the dress shopping, bridal gowns take months to
make and adjust, so when you decided to purchase one, they will need many
months to order your dress in your size and then adjust it perfectly to your
figure.
Today, we will focus on the search for your ideal location,
and on next Tuesday, I will post about the dress shopping.
So… location! One thing that will surely influence your
choice of ceremony hall is whether your ceremony will be religious or not. If
you are having a religious ceremony, chances are you will do it in a church or
other house of worship. You can also choose to have a religious ceremony
outside or in a different setting, depending on what your officiant will agree
to. If you are having a religious ceremony, you probably already have a pastor
or priest from your church or your fiancé’s that you can ask to marry you.
If you are having a civil ceremony, the choice of location
is unlimited. You can have it indoors or outdoors, in a family’s house or rent
a hall…
Photo by Kiorrik http://kiorrik.deviantart.com/
Photo by Cjosh: http://cjosh.deviantart.com/
And then there is the reception hall, which applies for
everyone. There are many factors to consider in making your decision. You can,
once again, have it outdoors or in tents outside. You can rent a hall and have
a caterer, which is great since you get to really personalize your menu and
decorate to your liking. Be careful though, it can get expensive quickly! You
can choose to rent a restaurant, which had some advantages since it is already
decorated, and you will also save a lot since they already have a cook,
waiters, chairs and tables, tablecloths, silver and plates…
As for my wise self, I had a non-religious ceremony. I
visited a lot of places in Montreal, where I live. I chose to have both my
ceremony and reception in the same place, which was easier for guests. I
thought especially of my 95 year-old grandma, who cannot get around very
easily, and I wanted her to be able to enjoy the day and not have be tired from
moving from one place to the next.
Here is a panorama of the part of the room in which we had the reception.
Photo by JP Lessard: http://www.jpl-photography.com
Make sure to ask lots of questions when visiting places you
are interested in. The cost (and the hidden costs, such as opening bottles of
wine or cutting the cake), the limitations (some places will close at a certain
hour or cannot have loud music too late because of neighbors), what is included
and what isn’t, what type of décor you can bring or not (some places will not
allow candles because it is a fire hazard)…
Since no one can think of everything, bring someone along.
My fiancé was very busy with school last year when I started locating scouting,
so I asked my mom to come with me. She proved to be a very useful companion,
offering suggestions and asking questions I hadn’t thought of. A well-organised
friend can also be of great assistance.
That's all for now, have a great week-end, and for Canadians out there, a great Thanksgiving !
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