When the bride and groom retreat to their wedding getaway car after the ceremony or reception, it's always fun to have the guests throwing rice, flowers, or any other number of colorful accessories. The effect is beautiful in pictures, and most of your guests will love to be a part of a lighthearted wedding tradition. There are some venues, however, that aren't so keen on allowing things thrown about willy-nilly, even if it is for a wedding. Wedding recessional sparklers help add a beautiful sparkle of color to your wedding day without any of the mess that venues get so testy about. Wedding recessional sparklers come in a variety of colors and styles; you don't have to stick with the traditional shower of rice or birdseed as you make your way off into the sunset.
My favorite types of wedding recessional sparklers are the ones that serve as both a send-off to the bride and groom and a favor for your guests. Wedding recessional sparklers that come in fun shapes (such as hearts and stars) make for great gifts for those who have come to witness your marriage. Place out two wedding recessional sparklers at each place setting - one for the send-off and one for your guests to keep. Everyone will love the sentiment of wedding recessional sparklers on both the day of your wedding and for the next firework occasion - maybe even your anniversary!
No Décor Worries
Restaurant come with décor (hopefully), and if you pick the right restaurant, you may not even need to add anything of your own at all. Most venues that are familiar with the wedding scene will often have selections of linens, simple centerpieces (like candles or paper goods), and will know how to arrange seating for optimal visibility and aesthetic joy. The lighting will also already be arranged in a way that suits an event. Easy as pie!
No Wait Staff Hunting
For weddings hosted in blank or unfinished spaces, many couples forget that someone really should be running around putting things together before everyone gets there. Hiring a whole private wait staff can get expensive, and you really don’t want another thing you have to add to your list of “things to worry about” on your wedding day. Restaurant package deals usually come with a trained and capable wait staff who are more than familiar with the flow of a wedding.
No Difficult Parking
It may sound silly to worry about parking convenience in the midst of bigger considerations, but this really is something you should consider. Many non-restaurant venues (such as state parks) will actually charge for parking, and you don’t want your guests climbing steep unpaved lots to get to your out-of-the-way venue. The logistics of paying for guest parking ahead of time can be frustrating, and you really don’t need the added stress. Restaurants are usually good about ample, easy parking – check it out ahead of time!
No Clean-Up
I have a good friend who was a maid of honor in a wedding recently, and the bride confided this to her about her proposed post-wedding clean-up: “People who love me will stay and clean.”
Please don’t expect your guests and/or bridal party to do this, especially if you’re taking off right after the reception concludes. Restaurants will take care of the cleaning for you, and you don’t have to saddle grandpa with a broom and dustpan at 2am.
More than One Venue
Bushels of Fresh Flowers
An Evening Itinerary
Breakfast, Lunch, and Brunch are undervalued wedding meals, and it’s about time we embrace them more in the wedding world. The advantages of a morning or early afternoon wedding far outnumber those events that take place in the evening: People tend to consume less alcohol earlier in the day, venues will have more availability (even on high-demand days), and I have it on the best authority that you have less time to have a bridal meltdown if your nuptials are before lunch.
An Expensive Officiant
While you can’t have a wedding without someone to perform the ceremony, there’s no reason to pay someone an arm and a leg for their services, unless you’re having a religious service. Find a friend or family member who’s willing, and $5 and ten minutes on the internet later you have an ordained clergy person. The advantage of having a close friend or family member officiate is their familiarity with your relationship; it’s always nice to have someone who knows you bonding you together for life.
Short Programs
Programs are helpful for long weddings that deal in services that some guests might not be familiar with, but if you’re having a simple summer wedding with a short, quick ceremony, programs can be kind of a waste. It’s a lot of paper that guests will simply throw away if you don’t think it’s entirely necessary. As for the names of the wedding party, just have them announced at your reception. No one will become belligerent because they didn’t catch the name of your maid of honor.
