Every wedding is unique and My Big Day treats every day as such. When planning your wedding, smart brides ask for tips to pull the day off smoothly. The secret to a stress-free wedding day? Giving yourself enough time to prepare for a VERY full day! Get the complete breakdown below to what happens on your wedding day. (in general of course) Getting Ready: Bride's hair: One hour, depending on the style. This gives enough time to get it right and make any tweaks or changes from the trial run. Bride's makeup: 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the makeup style the bride selects Bridesmaids' hair: 30 minutes per person. (depending on style) Bridesmaids' makeup: 45 minutes per person. The order: When your hairstylist arrives, have her start on your bridesmaids first. This way, the bride can go last so that when her photographer arrives, they catch those last-minute 'getting ready' shots, and the bride looks the freshest. Photographer arrival time: One hour prior to formal photo time. This gives your photographer time to walk your wedding site for any last minute photo ideas, and to capture photos of the bride getting ready. 5+ Girls Requiring Hair/Make-up Styling: ask your stylist to bring an assistant to cut down on time. For makeup, add an assistant after yourself plus two. Traveling to a Salon: Double the travel time you anticipate — better to have too much time than not enough. Photos: Pre-ceremony photos of the bride with her family and attendants/groom with his family and attendants: Two to three minutes per shot; more if the groups are very large, and less if they are very small. "You must also consider how punctual the groups tend to be and possibly cushion the schedule to allow for unexpected delays. First look: 15-30 minutes. Groom and groomsmen arrive: An hour and a half before the ceremony. Bride and bridesmaids arrive: An hour before the ceremony. We want to make sure you are hidden before your guests arrive, so they don't get an early peek at your gown! *If the bride won't be taking photos at the church or ceremony site prior to the ceremony, then she can arrive moments before walking down the aisle and wait in the limo until it's time. The Ceremony: Ideal ceremony length: 30 minutes. It's enough time to have meaningful readings and music to make your ceremony unique and memorable. Receiving line: For a ceremony with 100 guests or less, this will take 12-15 minutes. With 150 guests, allow 20+ minutes. If you're expecting more than 150 guests, consider skipping the receiving line and visiting guests at their tables during dinner instead. Maximum gap between ceremony and reception: One hour. Any more than that, and we’d recommend suggesting places for your guests to visit between the ceremony and cocktail hour. Family photos: Two to three minutes per shot — if your family is properly organized! Bridal party: Two to three minutes per shot. Didn't have a first look? Allow 30 minutes post-ceremony for photos of you and your groom. If you did have a first look, you'll still want 15-20 minutes post-ceremony for just the two of you. *Save photos of very large groups (like classmates, coworkers, and large extended family groups) for the reception, when your DJ or band leader can make an announcement to gather everyone. You'll be able to take the photos much faster than trying to track down 50 people during the cocktail hour. The Reception: Ideal event length: Six hours. This will allow an hour for cocktails, two hours for dinner, and three hours for dancing. First dance: This can take place immediately after the bride and groom enter the reception, following the conclusion of dinner, or right after dessert. Father/daughter dance: Immediately following the first dance. Mother/son dance: Immediately following the father/daughter dance. Or, sometimes, this dance is shared with the father/daughter dance. Welcome toast: Given by the father of the bride or by the bride and groom. Toasts: Ladies first! Start with the maid of honor, followed by the best man. Guests invited to dance: Open up the dance floor, and get the party started! Dessert: Two hours before the reception ends. Cake cutting, cupcakes, or whatever you have planned. Bouquet and garter tosses: Right after the cake cutting, or about two hours before the end of the reception. Late-night snacks: A popular trend, many couples start passing around bite-size snacks at this point to refuel guests. Farewell: If you're doing a sparkler farewell, for example, have guests start lining up about 10 minutes before you plan to exit. For more tips and helpful hints, or to hire My Big Day as your wedding planner - Contact My Big Day! Christine Kovacs Forster, Owner/ Party Planner My Big Day llc Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us Located in Loveland, CO As event planners, we serve the entire front range; Northern Colorado, Southern Wyoming and mountain venues. The My Big Day team recently interviewed Taylor with Pelican Lakes and Water Valley, Windsor's event center, wedding site and golf course. Whether you picture an indoor or outdoor reception Pelican Lakes can accommodate your dream. Looking for a beach wedding in the mountains? The two are hard to find, but there is a sandy beach and small island, suitable for wedding vows in front of your guests (up to 180 people).
The setting was perfect for this couple's country ranch themed wedding... Bruce and Sherry got hitched at Ellis Ranch in Loveland. My Big Day was honored to be selected as the wedding planners for this fun day! Bruce and Sherry were surrounded with love every moment of their Big Day. From the horse drawn carriage, to the photo booth, to the wagon used as a gift table... the little touches made all the difference! Below are all the vendors in addition to My Big Day that made this beautiful wedding possible. Ceremony: Ellis Ranch, Loveland CO
Reception: Ellis Ranch, Loveland DJ: Trebled Entertainment Photography: Lowercase Imaging Florist: Marioposa Flowers Videography: Elevation Pictures Cake: Batter Up Cakes
Lately My Big Day has received a number of requests for referrals for gluten-free bakeries. Conscious brides and grooms, and thoughtful party hosts think of their guests when planning an event menu. Often you may have guests that are vegetarian, vegan, or have allergies towards nuts, dairy, eggs, dyes, etc. You may have guests who have certain religious beliefs that don't allow them to eat pork, or all food they eat must be Kosher. While chances are, you won't have to meet all of these requests at your event, there is a growing number of folks who are gluten-free.
My Big Day is proud to welcome our summer interns!
Carrie has been with us for a few months, and Brielle, Randi and Brooke just joined the team a week ago! Check out our "About My Big Day" page to read their bios and get to know our team! Our team has a large range of experience and contagious excitement about event planning. Welcome, ladies! Their tagline is, "Scooterhinge, A Nostalgic Rental Hall." But this venue in Mead, Colorado is more than nostalgic. It's eclectic, it's strange... it's downright a museum of the odd and unusual! The My Big Day team went on a site visit of Scooterhinge to get an idea of what future signature events might makes sense in this space. We also receive requests for affordable event spaces where clients have the option to bring their own caterer and alcohol. This place offers all of that and more! So we wanted to get a feel of what this venue is all about before we make referrals to our clients. Located between Loveland and Longmont, Mead is a town of less than 4,000 people. The owner of Scooterhinge is a collector of sorts. He purchased this building and started bringing in his collectibles (old motorcycles, classic cars, vintage dolls, nostalgic toys, the list goes on.)
Many people don’t realize it, but music plays a crucial part in your event. The band or DJ sets the mood for your special day so the importance of having a true professional is pivotal. To ensure you are getting a professional-- listen to referrals, go out and see the band play or at the very least conduct a phone interview. After you’ve listened to them, arm yourself with these questions to ask your DJ or band -- and you should be prepared to dance the night away. Below is My Big Day's helpful list of 26 questions you should be asking!
Looking for that needle in a haystack for your meeting or event? A good, affordable, flexible, centrally located venue is hard to find! My Big Day receives requests from friends, clients and complete strangers weekly to pass on our 'little known secret' venues. While we can't promise any of our favorite venues are secret, we can say that the places below do meet much of our commonly requested criteria. Check out our recommended venues in Northern Colorado below. And... to pull your event off without a hitch, consider hiring an event planner!
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April 2023
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