Wedding Day Checklist
So you have been planning for months and the big day is finally here! You are getting married and you have various items that you must be sure you have for the day to go smoothly. Below we provide a wedding day checklist that should cover all of those important yet tedious items that you will need for the wedding ceremony, the reception, and so that you are prepared to leave for your honeymoon.
Wedding Day Checklist
- Gown and Veil
- Shoes, hosiery, undergarments
- Something old, borrowed, new, and blue
- Jewelry
- Gloves
- Purse
- Make-up
- Perfume
- Nail polish and manicure kit
- Outfit for bride and groom if changing after reception
- Beverages and snacks for wedding party
- Place cards
- Gifts for the wedding party and parents, children, etc.
- Sign in wedding book and pen
- Groom’s attire (tux, shoes, lapels, socks, undergarments)
- Grooming kit for groom (hair products, deodorant, essentials)
- Emergency kit (including items such as aspirin, needle and thread, deodorant, nail polish remover, toothpaste, etc.)
- Hair items (such as curling iron, hair pins, blow dryer, hair spray, or hair ornaments)
- Toothbrush, toothpaste, and breath mints
- Handkerchief
- Wedding Day Programs
- Wedding favors
- Bubbles, rice, or sparklers for after the reception
- Disposable cameras for tables
- Toasting glasses, cake knife and server
- Printed schedule for the wedding party of the wedding day events
- Unity candles or sand vases and sand for sand ceremony for beach weddings (this depends on your ceremony options)
- Written toasts
- Marriage license to give to wedding officiant
- Wedding rings
- Ring bearer’s pillow
- Flower girl basket
- Copy of any written vows or readings
- Travel tickets and passports
- Suitcases packed and ready-to-go
This list should cover what most wedding ceremonies and receptions require however you most likely will not need everything on this list. Of course there may also be items on this list for those wedding ideas that are unique to your wedding day. Many of the items will be taken care of by the wedding party, parents, and vendors, however it is still nice to have a list to use for reference and for your sanity! Many brides will suggest that you have the items listed above packed and ready-to-to before the big day. Check and re-check that the items are in fact packed before closing or securing the boxes.
For more information on how to create the perfect wedding ceremony or if you are in need of a wedding officiant, please contact us at Minister Services or continue to view other articles in our Minster Services blog.
Personalized Wedding Favors from Beau-coup
Themed Wedding Favors from Beau-coup
There are more and more couples these days that are choosing to have a beach wedding that is typically a smaller and more intimate affair. Weddings that take place on a beach are seen by many to be more romantic and casual as well as beautiful. There are many wedding ideas available that are fun and that can be personal to the couple getting married. In today’s article we discuss beach theme invitations, beach wedding décor, as well as other ceremony options.
Beach Theme Invitations
Couples can really have fun with creating these invitations. Couples can include a picture of themselves at a beach and/or make that the background for the invitation. The invitations could include a seascape background, shells, or palm trees. Couples can also put a small amount of sand into the guests’ wedding invitations. Another neat idea could be the “message in a bottle” theme where the invitation is actually sent in a bottle to guests.
Beach Wedding Décor
Some ideas could be to pass out hand-held decorative fans to the guests as they arrive. You can find these fans on various sites online in various shades and patterns. An alternative to hand-held fans could also be a palm leaf handed out to guests to keep them cool. Exotic flowers that are native to the location of the beach wedding add color as well as tropical fruit scented candles for the guest tables. You can scatter various sea shells on tables for decoration as well as include sea shell place card holders. Another neat idea is to have coconut drinking cups for more casual receptions. Some couples will use garlands of shells to decorate guests’ ceremony chairs as well as coral, sand dollars, and/or starfish. The wedding cake could also be a key lime or pineapple flavor with some sort of white coconut frosting.
Beach Wedding Attire
As you can imagine the theme should be lose fitting, flowing, natural attire. Many brides choose a halter, strapless, or off the shoulder dress with an empire waist. As for the wedding party, many dress in white along with the bride and groom, while others may wear a solid color such as ocean green, sky blue, or sandy beige. As for shoes many opt to wear either flip flops, sandals, or they go barefoot. Just remember that flip flops can be noisy and messy with sand, so be sure that it works with the setting of your wedding ceremony.
Other details to consider include the music, unity ceremony as well as the time of day that you choose to have your beach wedding ceremony. You should avoid having your wedding in the afternoon when it is hottest and aim to have it either early morning or at dusk to get the best photographs and happy guests. Many wedding ceremonies that take place on the beach also include music such as reggae with Caribbean type instruments, such as the steel drum or bamboo flute. Additionally many couples opt to perform a sand ceremony instead of a unity candle ceremony due to often windy weather that takes place by the beach.
For more information on how to create the perfect wedding ceremony or if you are in need of a wedding officiant, please contact us at Houston Minister Services or continue to view other articles in our Minster Services blog.
Custom Beach Wedding Favors from HansonEllis
Wedding Ideas that Save You Money
Make your own invitations.
Some brides are using reply postcards instead of the traditional cards and envelopes for their wedding invitations. Postcards save the expense of envelopes, they are cheaper to mail, and can be a fun alternative to the usual.
Have your wedding during the off-season and on a day other than Saturday.
The wedding off-season is typically October through April meaning that some wedding service providers offer discounts when it is slow and they have fewer wedding ceremonies booked. Also, if you hold your wedding on a Friday or Sunday, many caterers, halls, and other wedding service providers will offer a discounted rate. Just be sure to ask and don’t expect them to necessarily offer this information up front!
Skip wedding favors.
One of the most popular wedding ideas these days is that many brides are scrapping the wedding favors altogether. Unless you are getting more expensive wedding favors, then chances are you are spending cents to the dollar per person but a whole lot altogether. Do you even remember what the wedding favor was at the last wedding you attended? Most people don’t! Most brides and grooms feel that providing food, an open bar, along with entertainment, is very generous and guests will appreciate it.
Wedding gown alternatives.
Brides on a tight budget these days are opting to buy a used wedding gown, shop the outlet stores, shop on Craig’s list, eBay, and some are borrowing a wedding dress! Others find a nice bridesmaid dress they like and they order it in a cream or white color. With our current economy you can find a deal on almost anything online as well as great wedding ideas and ceremony options. Brides are getting more creative than ever and no one will ever know unless you tell them!
Borrow your accessories.
Many brides are utilizing their bridesmaids and others in the wedding party, in more creative ways. Between the mother, mother-in-law to be and bridesmaids, there has to be an array of earrings, necklaces, purses, shoes even, that you can find that will look great with your wedding gown. You can even borrow a veil, or tiara from previous brides-to-be. It is a way for them to contribute in a special way to your wedding ceremony and you will definitely have the “something borrowed” piece taken care of!
There are many more wedding ideas that you can find online and your wedding officiant shouldbe able to provide some ideas for you as well as it relates to the actual ceremony. For more information on how Houston Minister Services can help you to create the perfect wedding ceremony please contact us at 281- 208-2025 and please continue to view other articles in our Minster Services blog.
Find the Perfect Wedding Officiant
There is so much to think about when planning your wedding ceremony from the flowers to the aisle runner to the wedding party and the ceremony music. It can be quite overwhelming and many leave selecting a Wedding Officiant to the last minute. While that is okay, just be sure that you find an Officiant that meets the needs of you and your soon-to-be spouse.
In today’s article we discuss some important questions that you should ask when selecting the Officiant who will perform your wedding ceremony.
- Perhaps the most important thing you need to be sure about is whether or not you have a choice in selecting the content and vows of the wedding ceremony. Some Officiants may have a standard ceremony only that they perform so make sure your Officiant is flexible.
- The Officiant should meet with you for an interview first and provide you with several ceremony options for ceremony ideas as well as the “how-to’s” for conducting wedding ceremonies. He or she should be able to walk you through their typical ceremony and should provide suggestions for adding your customizations into the flow of the ceremony.
- The Wedding Officiant that you choose should offer you reasonable choices for his or her wedding day attire, whether it is formal or informal.
- Make sure that you ask whether or not the Officiant requires marriage counseling and what the requirements are. Understand this fully so that you are not left with no one to preside over your ceremony.
- You must ensure that your Officiant has a back-up person that can perform your wedding in the event of an emergency. They should not only have a back-up person, but should provide you with that person’s name and phone number in advance. Of course your Officiant should also provide you with their mobile phone (or another way to get a hold of them on the wedding day) in case there are any emergencies or changes the day of the wedding.
- Another important question to ask is whether or not your Officiant will attend the rehearsal the day before the wedding. Some will not attend the rehearsal while others will for a fee. Make sure you understand this fee up-front.
- When meeting with your potential Wedding Officiant for the first time, be sure that he or she will actually be the person presiding over your ceremony. Some sites have many Officiants to choose from, so be sure that you are in fact meeting the actual person and not just a representative of their site. Make sure that they tell you in writing who will be conducting the ceremony.
Again, the importance of finding a Wedding Officiant that meets your needs as a new couple is one of the most important decisions you will make when planning your wedding ceremony.
Houston Minster Services has Officiants ready to serve you in the Houston area including Galveston, Katy, Pearland, Conroe, Spring, The Woodlands and Baytown. We offer services of value that will fit your needs and that should fit your budget.
Please contact us at 713-208-2025 for a free phone consultation so that we can find the perfect Wedding Officiant for you and create the perfect wedding ceremony!
“Thank you Reverend Gordon for helping me out. I had no idea on how to go about finding a minister and you made it much easier.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!
Sincerely,
Angel Del Valle
Traditional Wedding Party
Planning a wedding ceremony is such as rewarding experience but as you have probably heard it can be very overwhelming! There are many ceremony options to choose from and it can be hard to know where to start. Many find that the best place to start is to make your list of those individuals who will be in your wedding party and then you can go from there. Below you will find a list of the roles that are typically included in traditional wedding ceremonies.
Officiant – This is someone who performs the marriage ceremony. This can be a priest, a justice of the peace, and rabbi, or a minister. This person must be authorized to perform weddings in your state. He or she will most often attend the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner the day before. He or she will also often say a prayer with both the groom and the bride separately before the ceremony begins.
Maid or Matron of Honor – This person offers emotional and logistical support to the bride, typically hosts the bridal showers, and bachelorette party, helps pick out the bridesmaid dresses and handles any additional wedding details as requested by the bride. This person typically provides a toast at the reception, holds the bouquet during the ceremony, adjusts the bride’s train at the altar, and helps the bride get dressed beforehand. She stands the closest to the bride, walks down the aisle before the bride and sometimes holds onto the grooms ring.
Best Man – This person in the wedding party offers support to the groom and ensures that the groom shows up on time to the wedding, he holds onto the rings for the ceremony, and gives a toast at the reception. He often will assist the groom with picking the attire for the wedding, hosting and organizing groomsmen activities, such as the bachelor party and pre -wedding day activities.
Father of the Bride – The bride’s parents typically forks over most of the cash for the wedding however these days, some couples pitch in themselves or have the groom’s parents help out. The father of the bride gives a toast at the reception may serve as a host to the entire event and it may coordinate flight schedules for out of town family that is attending. He also may ensure that all family members make it to the wedding site on-time. He also gets to enjoy the father and daughter dance at the reception.
Mother of the Bride – The mother of the bride’s role in the wedding party can vary so much from one wedding to the next that it really depends on each individual bride and mother. Some mother may act as the wedding planner; she may manage the budget, help pick out the wedding dress and the accessories, and be there for emotional support. Some mothers take more of a back seat role and simply enjoy attending the wedding, the showers, and the rehearsal dinner.
Father of the Groom – The grooms parents will often pay for the rehearsal dinner but it is not required. The father of the groom will typically host the rehearsal dinner and begin toasts at the rehearsal dinner to prep everyone for the big day. He may also help with minor logistics in assistance to the father of the bride.
Mother of the Groom – The mother of the groom may plan the rehearsal dinner with the bride if the groom’s parents are paying for the dinner. She may also help the Mother of the Bride with some of her responsibilities. She attends the bridal shower and enjoys the mother and son dance at the reception.
Bridesmaids – Bridesmaids in the wedding party are responsible for supporting the bride throughout planning the wedding day, whether that means helping with shower favors to addressing and stuffing wedding invitations. They also help plan the bridal shower and bachelorette party and are responsible for getting the dance floor going at the wedding reception.
Groomsmen – Groomsmen are responsible for supporting the groom in preparation for the big day. They help plan the bachelor party and decorate the getaway vehicle. They also may double as the ushers to escort wedding guests and they help the bridesmaids to get the dance floor going.
Ring Bearer & Flower Girl – The ring bearer is typically a young male child who walks down the aisle either alone or with the flower girl carrying a ring pillow to bear the rings. Don’t tie the real rings to this pillow! Many couples use fakes in case something happens. The flower girl is typically a young female child who also walks down the aisle before the bride and scatter flower petals down the aisle from a basket she carries.
This list provides the list of the main roles included in a traditional wedding party. There are however additional roles that are also included. These may include junior bridesmaids or groomsmen, candle lighters, ushers, honorary attendants, and readers or singers participating in the wedding ceremony.
For more information on how to create the perfect wedding ceremony, please contact us at Houston Minister Services or continue to view other articles in our Minster Services blog.
Unique Bridesmaid Gifts & Bridal Party Gifts from HansonEllis
Personalized Groomsmen and Best Man Gifts
(Includes FREE Engraving!)
Many couples today are choosing to have a non-religious and or non-traditional ceremony. Wedding ceremonies these days can vary so greatly and many newlyweds opt to create their own customized wedding instead. The officiant that you choose to conduct your wedding should guide you in creating your own unique ceremony that fits your needs as a couple or a new family. The Officiants at Minister Services can help you create your personal Alternative Custom Wedding Ceremony.
Most wedding ceremonies contain the following elements.
Wedding processional
This starts the beginning of the ceremony. Typically a song is chosen for the entrance of the parents and grandparents, then a different song is chosen for the entrance of the wedding party, and then finally the bride is introduced to a different song. There are more common songs such as Canon in D and the Bridal Chorus, however more and more bride and grooms are choosing music that is unique to them. It is completely at your discretion.
Readings, scripture, or poetry
Some couples take quotes from the bible, others have a favorite poem, or something that they have written themselves. If you don’t have something, don’t worry we have readings for every type of wedding that are truly touching. Check out our Readings by Richard in the Minister Service Blog for some ideas. In some wedding ceremonies couples will read a poem to each other as another way to express their love.
Wedding Vows
Couples can either write their own vows or repeat after the officiant words that express their vow to love one another always.
Exchange of the Rings
This takes place when the couple exchanges wedding rings as a symbol of their love and commitment to one another. Additionally, some Officiants will perform the Blessing of the Rings which is the seal of the vow made to one another and it symbolizes living together in unity, love and happiness for the rest of their lives.
Unity Ceremony
Wedding ceremonies used to typically consist of the unity candle ceremony. This is when the couples light their own individual candle, and then they light one candle together. Now many couples choose to have the sand ceremony. This is a unity ceremony but can also involve other members of the family such as children from a previous marriage or the parents. The bride and groom poor different color sand into one container and parents or a child can pour their own sand into the same container as well. The sand ceremony is very popular for blended families and for beach weddings and carries the same symbolism as the unity candle ceremony.
Pronouncement of Marriage and Recessional
This is the best part! The couple is introduced as husband and wife and they exit the ceremony. The wedding party follows them and then the guests exit as well.
While there is a lot more to wedding ceremonies hopefully this article provides an overall idea of what to expect. For more information on how to create the perfect wedding ceremony and additional ceremony options, please contact us or continue to view other articles in our Minster Services blog.
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