How many ushers should you have?

As you may know Adam, my assistant is getting married. His wedding and reception will be at the Vox Theatre. Although Adam is an awesome assistant, he doesn't have much working knowledge of weddings. I started thinking...many of his questions (and Ashley's) are the same ones I get from other brides and grooms, so I asked Adam if I could use him as an example. He agreed and I promised not to embarrass him too much. Last week, I posted a little introduction about Adam and his beautiful bride Ashley. Today's question - How many ushers should I have? Some of my family members expect to be escorted to their seats, but I don't know how many people I will need. Do I even need ushers? Adam and Ashley's wedding will not be a traditional wedding - a little more casual - so the traditional rules won't really apply. Since Ashley & Adam's guest expect ushers then it is best to have ushers. Ushers are great and have can have many assigned tasks. Not only can they can greet and escort people to their seats, they can answer questions of guests before and after the ceremony and maybe provide a little crowd control after the ceremony as guests exit and during buffet dinners. Ushers can be used as much or as little as you would like. Adam has 2 cousins and 2 friends that he would like to use as usher, but his wedding is under 100 guests. My feeling is that if you have people you want to honor with having a place in your wedding, being an usher is a great position for them to hold. Once you have selected your groomsmen or bridesmaids, make a list of family and friends you would like to honor with being in your wedding. If you have lots of people then honor them by asking them to be ushers (or another position). If you don't have lots of people in mind for this position, then have the groomsmen or bridesmaids act as ushers. However, be careful to consider the level of commitment you are asking from your ushers (or any other member of your wedding), you don't want them to be responsible for more than need be and you definitely don't want to cause undo stress. Check out this article on The Knot with other duties for the usher. It also gives a recommendation of 1 usher per 50 guests. Next time - What other jobs can I ask people to do if I want them to be more than a guest at my wedding?

Adam & Ashley - Introduction

Over the winter, Adam and Ashley were engaged. Adam works at the Vox Theatre helping me with set-up of events and maintenance of the building but mainly he assists Alistair with photography. Ashley is currently a teacher for a special needs preschool program in a Kansas City area school district. Adam and Ashley have been together for many years and will be getting married this summer at the Vox. Neither one have been too involved in planning of a wedding, so they have a lot of questions as most people do. I asked Adam if I could use them as examples and answer some of their questions in this blog. I promised I wouldn't be too embarrassing. A little history about Adam & Ashley's wedding - - They want a simple and easy on everybody wedding and reception. - Family is very important. - They want to save money for a house. Hopefully, everyone will find useful tips from the upcoming Adam & Ashley series. Stay tuned for more to come about Adam & Ashley.

Groom's Cake?

Liz & Ryan's wedding cake and grooms cake

I would guess about one in four of the Vox Theatre couples choose to have a groom's cake.

Instead of a traditional wedding cake, Layne & Ryan chose a cupcakes and a grooms cake for the cutting a cake.


Cailan & Doug's maple cinnamon flavored groom's cake


Laura & Brian's Power Cat groom's cake


Kelly & Peter's house divided groom's cake


Kelly & Nick's donut groom's cake


Heidi & Jesse's Guinness groom's cake



To find out more about groom's cakes, when to have one, or how the tradition started, check out these links.
Martha Stewart Weddings
Wedding Channel
Wikipedia

Parking at the Vox

Where is the parking at the Vox Theatre?

Besides the areas marked on above map, there is also street parking on Early St., and 8th St. The parking lots across Southwest Boulevard at Whitmore Park and the Longnecker Building is also available for use.

The Secret Picnic

An article in the New York Times about a picnic in Paris - Dîner en Blanc, got a few people in Kansas thinking about a fundraiser. These secret samaritans wanted something special and memorable for their first fundraiser, so they created the Diner en Blanc et Noir. 15 tables of 10 were sold to cover the basic cost to host the event. Each table was to invite guests, bring table covering and decorations for the table. They were also to bring dinner for the table. The invitations gave a start time for the event of 7pm, but did not list the location. At 6:30pm the day of the event, a message went out to all the guests giving the location of the Vox Theatre as the place to be. During the evening, the guests set their tables, enjoyed dinner and music. Also, 3 items were raffled. Wine and water were available for a donation. A brief talk was given about why they were raising money. In all, they raised just over $5000. As they were leaving, all the guests discussed that this was definitely an event to continue. It was a great success!


The guests just finishing up the set-up and waiting for further instructions


Some of the lovely table settings for the evening.

St. Patrick's Day Wedding

A few photos from our St. Patrick's Day wedding.

Can a wedding be planned in 6 weeks?

DEFINITELY!

If you have a short timeframe for your wedding and reception - for whatever reason - start with the basic question. What is most important thing you and your fiance want to walk away saying about your wedding day? (I like this question no matter how much time you plan for your wedding.) This question help you sort through what is important and what is nice to have but not necessary in a time crunch. Concentrate on the important and if extra time allows, work on the nice stuff to have.

List of things to evaluate:
Flexibility - If you have a short timeframe be open to many possibilities. Maybe have the ceremony & reception in same location so you are only looking for one venue. Also consider a Friday or Sunday (or even maybe Monday - Thursday). During peak months Saturdays are not easy to find on short notice.
Marriage license - Most marriage licenses can be obtained within a week of your wedding date.
Invitations - For weddings most invitations are sent 6-8 weeks before the wedding day, so think electronic. They won't cost as much and they will help your wedding day be a little green.
Caterer - Some venues already have caterers on staff so that is easy. If your venue doesn't ask for recommendations. Another option is to have a light cake or dessert and punch reception.
Bartender - Again some venues have bartenders on staff and alcohol to serve. If not again ask for recommendation or consider just beer & wine or no alcohol. It would be easier & less expensive.


Cake - You don't usually have to order cakes 6 months in advance so this is an area you don't have to compromise, but always consider other options - cup cakes, pies, cookies or other desserts.
Dress - It is important to have something to wear, but it doesn't need to be a special order. Check out bridal consignment shops or rack sales. They are a great place to find designer gowns without having to wait for your order.
Photography - You may have to give up using the best photographer in town, but ask them for recommendation. They will know where to send you. It may take a few tries, but you will find one you like.


Tuxedo - Again, it is important to have something to wear, but why not wear a suit. Most grooms and groomsmen would prefer a suit to a tuxedo.
Flowers - Beautiful? YES! Easy? Yes, if you are paying somebody else to do them.


DIY projects - Unless you have all the time in the world, I don't recommend many of these. They take a lot of time and they cause much stress.

One great thing about planning with short notice - you may be able to negotiate a discount for some items.