Schwedding!: Play-by-Play for the Big Day

My mother, the florist, and I met with the wedding coordinator at the Radisson yesterday. While there, we went through the entire wedding day, creating a minute-by-minute plan for the big day. It took a while to get all the information together, as we also discussed the meal, the centerpieces and seating cards, colors for linens, and other details related to vendors, but in the end we felt really accomplished and very organized for the wedding.

Linda, the coordinator, noticed that one of the big things John and I want for the wedding day is a feeling of "fun" for everyone. First and foremost, we want to be married by the end of the day, but after that comes an atmosphere of fun for all our guests. We really want it to be one heck-of-a-party that guests talk about for months to come! Therefore, she helped us to plan out the evening in a way such that guests will always have something to keep them entertained. Here's the general schedule for the evening (though I will keep in mind that the schedule can be fluid, because otherwise I might end up turning into a time-crunching Bridezilla!)

3:00 - 4:00: Catholic Marriage Ceremony

4:00 - 4:30: Receiving line

4:30 - ?: Bridal party takes pictures

4:30 - 5:30: Guests make their way over to the Radisson

5:30 - 6:30: Cocktail Hour at the Radisson

6:30: Main ballroom is opened and bridal party arrives

6:50: Bridal party is announced

First dance for Bride & Groom :)

Blessing by Priest

Champagne toast by Father of the Bride

7:00: 1st course is served

Father/bride dance

2nd course is served

Mother/groom dance

3rd/main corse is served

Bride & Groom cut the cake

9:15: Best Man & Maid of Honor speeches

Dessert is served

9:30: Dance party begins!

Tons of dancing

Dollar dance

Tons of dancing

Toss the bouquet

Tons of dancing

Toss the garter

Tons of dancing

11:45: Farewell to Bride & Groom

11:55: The last dance

12:00: Party ends!

Whew!

Well, there it is. I'm sure there will be about 25 adjustments before the big day and about 50 on the day of, but it looks pretty good to me for now.

Some other fun details we decided on: there will be a slideshow running of pictures of John and I (baby pictures all the way up through our relationship) during the meal for guests to enjoy and a photo booth run by my brother during the dance party. We're also going to have TWO desserts! Mmmm. Oh, I should probably fill you in on the delicious meal we have planned.

Passed Hors D'Oeuvres (during Cocktail Hour):

Spanakopita

Sweet potato and coconut chicken mini fajitas

Grilled vegetable bruschetta

Scallops wrapped in bacon

Chicken satay tandoori

1st Course: Minestrone

2nd Course: Mixed green salad with assorted dressings

3rd/Main Course: Grilled chicken breast with tomato cilantro sauce OR

grilled sirloin with spinach, red peppers, and portabellas (plus a veggie option for vegetarians)
Served with oven roasted potatoes and green beans with roasted red peppers

Dessert: Wedding cake (flavors tbd) AND

a chocolate truffle pyramid with raspberry filling (OMGoodness to DIE for!)

That's basically all the planning we accomplished with Linda. Today we worked on some more details, including plans for flowers and centerpieces. Expect to hear about those in my next post. Until then, I leave you with some pictures of the inside of the Radisson ballroom.