My friend, Harold Burt, sent me a whole line of new oral care health products to try and all I can say is WOW!  WOW Powder Oral Rinse is a small packet of dentifrice granules (reminds me of a mix between Pop Rocks and a mini Pixy Stix, remember them? If not, ask your Mom!) that placed on your tongue, will liquefy.  Swish the liquid around in your mouth for 90 seconds and it will clean and get rid of those wedding appetizers stuck on your teeth and freshen your breath without any toothbrush or bottle of mouthwash needed. Quite frankly, I think it is a fantastic product for the wedding emergency kit, for bridesmaids to carry in their clutches, and for groomsmen to carry in their pockets. And I personally believe that photographers and wedding coordinators should fill their pockets with WOW packets as well. I know I will never coordinate another wedding without these gems!

The makers of WOW Powder Oral Rinse, Carson Laboratories, also makes SPRAYWHITE 90, that wonderful teeth whitening system that you may have seen on The Doctors.  It’s a great home-use system that you spray on your teeth instead of sticking your teeth in those uncomfortable molds, slimy gels or using those slip-sliding strips. Spray it on your teeth, swish it in your mouth for 90 seconds and if you are like me, you will see a positive difference immediately. Use it for two months, and you just may have to say “WOW!” when you look in the mirror at your “pearly whites”.  There are two sizes of kits – a SPRAYWHITE 90 10-Day or 60-Day kit.  I think any Bride deserves a 60-Day kit (cost $149) and you may want to get your bridal party the 10-day kits at $39.95.  Using SPRAYWHITE 90 is great preparation for a picture perfect wedding smile and the WOW Oral Rinse packets are sort of the wedding day insurance package for a clean and fresh “Wedding Mouth’ all day long.

The team at WOW has offered our readers a 10% discount on your first order. Just call 1-800-900-0969 and tell their customer service manager that you want the  “BridesKnowBest” special. And fellow wedding professionals: if you need large quantities or want to be considered as a reseller, their customer service manager can help you with that as well. Tell them that you are interested in the WOW Weddings program.

Now smile for the camera!

In the midst of the “it’s all about me” moments of wedding planning (believe me I had more than my share of these!) be sure to step back and ask yourself if you can be a bit more Earth friendly with your celebrations. The carbon footprint of most weddings is rather… huge; I mean h-u-g-e, so here are a few tips on how to be a little kinder to our planet while still creating a true celebration of love.

1) Work with Eco-conscious wedding vendors. Be guided by event professionals who run their business with our planet in mind. When interviewing potential wedding vendors, ask them for suggestions on how to design an earth friendly event. If they have no suggestions, maybe it’s time to interview the next candidate. Google “green or eco-friendly wedding vendors” and you will find many vendors that are prepared to help you “go green” on your wedding day.

2) Choose a beautiful environment for your celebration. The more beautiful the natural landscape, the less decorations you need to make your wedding a visually stunning event. A beach, a field of poppies, a park, a forest, require little to no embellishment. Less embellishment – less carbon footprint.

3) Go Local - If you hire people and purchase products produced close to your wedding venue, there is less gas used to get them to your celebration. Also consider how far your guests must travel when designing an eco-friendly wedding. Destination weddings are fun but clearly not eco-friendly if you have 150 guests on planes. Encourage car-pooling or coordinate transportation services that will bring your guests to your celebration in one bus instead of many, many cars.

4) Go Organic – Ask your caterer to use pesticides-free products while creating your wedding menu. Products from local organic farmers is the best choice for taste and guilt-free celebrations.

5) Recycle - Ask your wedding venue and caterer what they will do to recycle waste from your wedding.

6) Use the internet - Shopping on-line saves gas. So do your wedding planning on-line as much as possible. Ask your wedding vendors to send you information via the internet. It not only saves paper but it is a more efficient way to maintain documentation of proposals and contracts.

Make your own wedding website to keep all your guests informed of all things wedding.  This is a great way to save paper and postage. You can even ask your guests to RSVP (and select meal choices) on many of the wedding website templates that are available.

You may even consider making e-vites; if not for your “official wedding invitations,” consider for all the other celebrations surrounding the big day (Engagement Party, Bachelorette Party, Rehearsal Dinner, Post-Wedding brunch, etc.). There are such cute on-line Save-the-Date and Thank You cards that can include your personal love story and photos. Just ask yourself, “how can I save a few pieces of paper and yet still stay in contact with my friends and family.”

7) Share your video and pictures on-line. Work with photographers and videographers that can help you share their work with your friends and family on-line.

Multi-purpose – Purchase wedding decorations you can use again. Potted plants used as altar and table centerpieces can be used to decorate your own home or patio; or give them as thank you gifts to your family and friends. My grandfather created a wedding garden from my wedding flowers that 20 years later is still beautiful. Use framed pictures as decor; you have the pictures, they are hanging on your wall, now just take them to your wedding for not only great centerpieces but great conversation pieces.

9) Purchase or rent pre-loved items – Clothing, jewelry, decorations, furniture, and dishware all can be found on many websites, garage sales, thrift stores, antique/vintage shoppes, and rental companies.

Having your bridal party dress in clothes that they can really (I mean REALLY) wear again, is another way to reduce waste.

10) Plant a tree – At my wedding my husband and I planted six trees in honor of those who had made such a positive impact on our relationship (the people who brought us together, my parents, and a few other significant people). We then donated another tree to this regional park every wedding anniversary, in essence creating our own “grove of love.” This took away a little (just a little!) of the guilt I had for the huge paper wedding invitations we sent. We coordinated everything through the park system with just a few phone calls and of course a generous donation.

11) Eco-conscious Favors - The most Eco-friendly favor is no favor at all. If you can’t fathom not offering your guests a little take-away, consider something that they will actually use and not throw away. Be conscious of the packaging (is it minimal and bio-degradable?) as well as how the product itself was made.

There are so many great websites to help you plan an Earth Friendly wedding; here are a few of my favorites:

The Green Bride Guide

Eco Wedding – A Resource Guide for Ecologically Aware Weddings

Earth Friendly Weddings

Wedvert: The Modern Bride’s Guide to a Green Wedding

You and your guests will cherish the memory of a heartfelt ceremony so much more than a vague memory (if any) of the floral centerpieces. Your beloved will remember the letter you have had hand-delivered (just before the wedding begins) that shares your heart and why you love him/her so much; they will likely not remember anything about the accessories you wear. Your parents will never forget the last words you say to them before you walk down the aisle. Make sure they are something like “I love you and thank you”

At your reception, guests will remember how joy-filled you are or not. If you are pouting over the overdone chicken and forget that you can never get this moment back… you’ve not only ruined the celebration for yourself, but for everyone around you. It is your energy, not the chicken, that will make or break your celebration.

The frills of most weddings are nice, but the character of your celebration is what can create a heart-song for you and all those lucky enough to attend your true celebration of love. So in the midst of your wedding planning, just keep on asking yourself: “Will our wedding reflect the best of our character?” If you do this, you will have a day that all will remember with a smile on their face and joy in their heart.

Read a story about one bride who truly lived this advice: My Favorite Bride and you also may enjoy Be in the Moment for some tips on how to have a wonderful wedding day.

Mark Held of MARK'S GARDEN

If you ask who is the “Florist to the Stars,” the insiders would tell you it is MARK’S GARDEN in Sherman Oaks, California. The owners, Mark Held and Richard David, along with their premiere staff, created the floral designs for such notable weddings as Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom’s, Fergie and Josh Duhamel’s, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi’s, Kathryn Heigl and Josh Kelley’s and believe me, the list seems quite endless.  For two decades MARK’S GARDEN has been creating fairytale weddings for many lucky couples.

Mark and the rest of his talented team are currently preparing for several extravagant Valentine’s weddings and finishing their 17^th year planning the floral designs for the Academy Awards Governor’s ball. Held was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to speak with me and share his tips for brides planning their wedding flowers.

Here are Mark’s tips…

(1)  “Before you start looking at your flowers, you first need to be realistic and confront your budget. If you have a small budget but want to invite 300 people, you cannot expect to be able to spend a lot of money on flowers. If you want more flexibility with your limited dollars, think about having a smaller guest list and a more intimate wedding.

(2)  The best way to save money on flowers and décor is to choose a venue that is already beautiful, that needs little enhancement. A beautiful garden, a panoramic view, a beautifully appointed room are all places where you don’t need to add too much to the scenery to have a beautiful wedding.

simone and martin Photography

(3) Everyone has a budget, even people who tell me they do not have a budget, have one. When you initiate a conversation with any of your vendors, be very upfront on what your budget is for their specific service. It is a waste of time for you or your vendors if you don’t do this. If they show you a proposal for something you cannot afford, you’ve just wasted your time and you haven’t seen what the vendor is capable of doing within your budget.

(4) Don’t skimp on your bridal bouquet. This is your day; you should get to have a beautiful bouquet to hold. However, don’t choose a bouquet that overpowers you or your dress. We want to see you first when you are walking down the aisle, not your bouquet. You are the star of the show. Brides come in every shape and size and your flowers need to honor that. You may see a bouquet in a magazine that you love, but it may take away from your own personal beauty. Make sure that you choose your dress first before you even begin a design conversation about your bouquet.

Gertrude & Mabel Photography

(5) Boutonnières are not corsages! I personally think men’s boutonnières should be simple and small. And bows on men’s boutonnières, I’m sorry, that is just one big no no to me.

(6) Don’t mix too many colors in your wedding flowers; it can really start looking like a circus. I think one or two colors are best. You can still make a bright and colorful statement with two great stand-out colors, but beyond that, it’s hard to successfully execute an elegant design.

(7) Bring tear sheets and pictures of wedding flowers you love and those you hate to your design consultation (mark appropriately so they know which you love and which you hate!). Bring material swatches of your bridesmaids’ dresses and your wedding dress (if you can get it). Bring pictures of all wedding party attire and your wedding and reception venue (if your florist is not familiar with the location(s)). The more information you give to your florist, the better they will be able to design something you will love.

Gertrude & Mabel Photography

(8) Be flexible with the type of flowers you want to use at your wedding. You may have one specific flower in mind but that flower may not hold up well in the heat of your outdoor wedding. Hopefully you are working with a floral designer that will educate you on what flowers will be the best for your special day given all the elements like the seasonal availability of flowers, the cost of the flowers (in terms of honoring your budget), and how that flower will hold up in your specific environment and in the overall look you want to achieve.

(9) Head wreaths are not a great idea for your tiny attendants. If your flower girl is under 5,  they will likely take it off as fast as their mother tries to put it back on again!  For flower girls under 3, consider giving them a very lightweight basket with a small arrangement in it instead of petals to throw. Heavy baskets get given to mothers to carry and petals often confuse little ones and rarely thrown, the way you want them to be thrown, when the flower girl is too young to understand.

(10) Most tall centerpieces are more expensive than low ones, so if you are trying to save money, either keep with all low ones or alternate them to save money – maybe 3 low centerpieces for every tall one.

Yitzhak Dalal, Dalal Photography

(11) Incorporating candles with your centerpieces can stretch your budget and creates a very romantic feel to your wedding. Inexpensive votive candles surrounding your centerpieces can enhance the overall look of any priced centerpiece.

(12) You can never go wrong with a clean classic look.

(13)  Make sure you are listening to your professional floral designer but also be sure that they are listening to you. My brides bring in some very fresh and wonderful ideas. If I were not listening to their creative ideas, I would lose the opportunity to design something truly personal and special for them. If your floral designer is not listening to you, find one that will. On the other hand, make sure you are listening to your designer’s wisdom as well. That is what you are paying for right?  Use the wealth of their experience to create the perfect look for you.”

Thank you Mark for sharing the wealth of your experience with us!

Mark’s aptly named book, Fabulous Parties, will be coming out in paperback in March.

Click here to be directed to MARK’S GARDEN’s website.

Photography by Emin Kuliyev

Confession time. Just last month I attended a great wedding with the intention of shooting pictures that I would use for a future article. I had three cameras – a professional quality camera, a cheap digital and of course my trusty phone camera. The only thing that was missing in my picture arsenal was a skilled photographer!

All I can say is thank goodness the Bride and Groom were not relying on me to capture their priceless memories. My photos were definitely not worthy of this beautiful wedding. The professional photographer’s pictures on the other hand, were fabulous. Hallelujah!!!

Because of well intentioned, but lousy novice photographers like myself, I encourage all brides and grooms to bite the bullet and pay for a professional wedding photographer to document their celebrations.  I mean really, how many times can you get those that you love all dressed up and looking their best? And wedding pictures are about the only pictures that years later people will still ask to take a peek at. Just yesterday I was looking at my own parent’s pictures and they have been married for 57 years!

Here are a few tips to consider when hiring a photographer:

Photography by Emin Kuliyev

1) See and like their work. Be sure it’s their own work especially if you’re interviewing a photographer at a studio that has multiple photographers.

2) Ask for references! Call a few of their past clients and a few event sites that have experienced them at work.  I have always said that although someone may be a good studio photographer, event photography requires a completely different animal.  Ask reference questions like: Does their temperament at work add to the stress of your day or does their good humor actually add to the joy of the celebration?  Do they play well with others – meaning your caterer, entertainment and master of ceremony?  If you could improve anything about their work style what would it be?  Were there any added expenses not clear to you before you signed a contract?  Did they respond to your calls and questions efficiently? How long did it take to get your proofs? Were your pictures of the same quality as their sales portfolio? Did they take all the pictures you had discussed in advance? Were you disappointed in anything they did or didn’t do at the wedding?

3) Be sure you like them. There is nothing more obvious in a picture than when a person is uncomfortable getting photographed or uncomfortable with their photographer. If this is an extra special event like a wedding or a milestone anniversary, you may want to have a run through with your photographer.  This may be an engagement shoot or a family or individual portrait.  This gives the photographer a chance to see your comfort level with a camera and to notice things like when you blink your eyes or that nervous twitch of yours.  It also lets them see your good side and your bad side — photographically and personality speaking.  And you get the opportunity to see your photographer’s work — before it’s too late!

4) Read every word of your contract before you sign on the dotted line. Don’t assume that everything your photographer is saying is what will happen. Make certain everything is in writing.

5) Give your photographer a list of pictures you want to be certain they capture. And assign a family member or friend that can help the photographer find those that you want to take pictures with.

6) Let your family, friends and wedding party know when and where they need to be for the formal pictures shoot. This will help the photographer get these pictures done quickly so you can enjoy your day without any unnecessary delay.

I am staring at a picture of my late husband on our wedding day. Believe me when I say that pictures can be priceless treasures that can literally last beyond a lifetime for future generations to enjoy. So be sure you hire a quality photographer (and not me!) to do the job right.

Who sits where?

TopTablePlanner.com

Now for the scary part (if you are not already hyperventilating)… seat assignments!

Seat assignments can be a logistical and a psychological nightmare. Aunt Betty and Uncle Tom haven’t spoken to each other in 20 years and you are on your third stepfather and have invited them all to your wedding. Who you sit where can make or break a party.

Issues to keep in mind

1) Think of each dining table as a party within your party. Who is going to be an “Ambassador of Fun” at each table, who can make anybody feel special and who do you think will enjoy each other’s company? Who would be repulsed to sit by one of your other guests (do keep them as far away from each other as possible)?

2) Physical restrictions: Who has a cast on their leg or is wheelchair bound? Who needs to be placed where there is plenty of room because he is the size of a sumo wrestler? Absolutely think of the challenges that each of your guests may have and factor those in when assigning their seat. A table generally for 10 may have to be a table for 7 to accommodate some special needs. Be sure your event or site coordinator is alerted to those special needs.

3) Ego Placements – Are your Fiance’s divorced parents’ tables equally prominent? Will that matter to them? You don’t want a pouting new mama- in- law on your hands at your wedding. Whose ego needs to be assigned a special table?

4) Good vibrations – make sure that you do not have your 96-year-old grandfather next to the DJ’s speakers. Most elderly guests’ ears may be sensitive to noise and won’t be able to hear anybody talk at their table if they are too close to the music.

5) Kid Friendly – Don’t put your cousin and her 3 children at the same table as someone who hates children. Do you want a kids’ table and then put their parents’ tables next to the kids’ table – sort of the “family friendly zone at your reception?”

So how do you make a physical plan of your table arrangements and seat assignments without needing tranquilizers? Do you need to get graph paper, crayons, or an architect involved???

There’s help!!!!! Several brilliant people have developed programs to help you with your seating arrangements. One web-based planner, Toptableplanner.com is worth taking a peek at. Their planner can help you make a layout and assign people to different tables. As importantly, it allows you to move people (and remove people) by just a drag and a drop. You can keep track of your RSVPs and guests’ meal choices and print your revised table plans, place cards and escort cards anywhere you have internet access (and of course a printer). It is a nice and easy planning tool and I believe can relieve so much of the anxiety you are feeling right now. It’s a $20 investment towards your sanity. There are other internet and software planning tools worthy of your evaluation (we’ll be looking at a few more in future posts), so do your homework and choose the best program for your needs.

Before you firm everything up though – be sure you are showing your plan to all the wedding vendors you are using. You want to be certain your layout fits into the room with all the decor and activities you have planned for your reception.

I could go on forever on this subject (I guess I actually have!) but for now – go jot down all the issues that you know you will need to take into consideration to make your room design and seating arrangements work for your celebration. And don’t forget to ask for help – there are a lot of professionals that can help you with these tasks – event coordinators, event designers, caterers, and party rental consultants are all people who work on room design and seating arrangement issues everyday.

Happy planning!

Emin Photography

Forgive me readers but this is long. Real long! I have separated this article in two posts. This is part one. Make sure to read both posts to get the full story. Here we goooooo…….

Although I happen to get one big buzz from planning special events, my least favorite part of party planning is deciding how the tables are laid out and who sits where. If you do not have an architect’s, interior decorator’s, sociologist’s, psychologist’s, caterer’s, entertainer’s and party planner’s mind all captured in your very own head, here is a little help for you:

Room layout/ Floorplan:

Hopefully you’ll have some professional guidance here.

* If you are having your celebration at a popular wedding location, their events coordinator will likely have very practical wisdom to share with you. Definitely ask if they have samples of different room layouts for you to take home and mull over. Ask the event coordinator which layout they think will work best with not only the amount of people you are having but the type of entertainment, activities, and decorations you have planned. If you are having a 16 piece orchestra they will need more room than a solo DJ. If you decide to bring in 22 lighted Christmas trees for your Winter Wonderland themed event, this is going to take more room than the two Ficus trees already there.

* Head table or no head table – Choosing if you want a Sweetheart table just for the two of you or if you want your entire wedding party sitting with you, is a huge issue to decide before you lay out the design of your room. If you hate people watching you eat or just not comfortable with being in the spotlight all night long, you just may choose to eliminate a head table all together. If that is your choice, make sure your table has “Hugs room” – so that people can comfortably come and extend their best wishes.

* Room design and table arrangements need to be a collaborative process with all professionals that will need some space during your wedding. Someone needs to call the DJ, orchestra, caterer, etc. and ask how much room their set-up takes and do they have any other special requirements for their installation. I remember one wedding I attended that the bride laid out her own space and put the DJ and the food buffet in a space where there was no electricity. This was not a good beginning of this poor bride’s wedding day!

* Make a list. Start writing down all the things you think you will need space for at your event. Do you want a dance floor, cake table, gift table, and hostess/guestbook/place-card table? List, list, list and share, share, share with everyone involved. My cousin forgot to place a cake table at her wedding, but then again she had forgotten to order the cake until two days before.

* How many guest tables you will need will be determined by so many factors. How many people do you want at each table? Does your location require a certain amount of guests at each table (some do for space and staff budgeting)? I like people to have lots of elbowroom so I like to see how the actual set-up will look like before I make my mind up. Take a look at how close the tables are placed near each other – is there room for people to get out of their chair without hitting the person sitting at the table in back of them? Ask your event site if you can come take a peek when they have set up for someone else’s event that would likely be similar to yours.

Stay tuned for part two – Who Sits Where?

Use pictures as background on your table numbers

There are many ways to personalize a wedding. One very popular idea is to use pictures as part of your wedding décor. Most couples find that using pictures as focal points at their wedding and reception will not only make their “wedding-scape” truly one of a kind, but really helps break the ice between guests. Pictures bring back fond memories for guests to share with one another, relieving that awkward silence between people that only have the bride and groom as their common denominator. And the cherry on top of this idea? This couldn’t be a more budget friendly idea; you have the pictures and even if you buy new frames, you can use them for your home décor after the wedding. Personal, budget and green friendly; how much better can a decorating idea get? Here are a few ways to incorporate pictures in your celebration:

Show off your parents' cake cutting pictures on your cake table

Guest book – Instead of a traditional guest book, have your guests sign the matting that surrounds your engagement portrait.
Altar pictures- Place small pictures of your dearly departed, (or those who cannot attend your wedding), on the unity candle, communion or ceremony table.
Personal jewelry –A locket with your beloved’s picture in it is a nice accessory to wear when you say, “I do”.
Reception entrance – Display pictures at the entryway of your reception, either on stand-alone easels or on your placecard table.
Tabletop centerpieces – Set three or four pictures of various sizes on each dining table. Make sure you include baby pictures and those awkward pre-teen pix as well as recent couple shots of the two of you in the mix. Add votive candles and scatter flower petals, some decorative stones, crystals, or mirror discs around the pictures and you have yourself some great conversation pieces. People will walk around to see what pictures are featured at each table.
Head table –A framed picture of each attendant (hopefully you are in the picture with them as well) at their place-setting is a very special way to designate who sits where at the head table.
Cake table- Flank your wedding cake with pictures of your parents and grandparents cutting their wedding cake.
Entertainment – Many photographers and videographers have the ability to produce and present a video or slide show of your love story. If you or friends are on the creative side, try it DIY style and have your masterpiece shown at your reception.

Last but not least, be sure to include a picture from the wedding in your thank you cards. From beginning to the end, pictures can add so much to your wedding experience.

Question for our Experienced Brides: How did you use pictures in your wedding decor? Brides2Be want to know!

Walk into most any department in Wal-Mart and you can find something that may be useful for a bride and groom and generally speaking, you aren’t going to find it cheaper anywhere else. In their jewelry department you will find a few inexpensive engagement rings and wedding bands and a generous selection of accessories and gifts for an entire bridal party. Cubic Zirconia tennis bracelets, simple anklets, heart shaped and “Journey” necklaces with earrings to match, will accessorize bridesmaids well without emptying anyone’s piggy bank.

In the party section you will find several rows of typical wedding supplies for much lower prices than most specialty stores. A good assortment of Favor boxes at 50 for $12 can easily be filled with a sweet treat found in their candy department. Want the kiddies-at-heart to have bubbles? 100 Ring Bubble Wand Favors are only $15. For the computer savvy they have invitation kits at unbelievable prices and for the home bakers they have most anything you would need to make your own wedding cake or cupcake tower.

If you venture into departments not often thought of as wedding related, you will locate some great “finds” for a celebration. Do some price comparison and you may find that it is actually cheaper to buy whole sets of dinnerware than to rent them from a typical party rental company. On a recent visit to a Wal-Mart store, I found glass dinner plates for $1.50 each. The nice thing about purchasing instead of renting is you will have a large collection for all your future celebrations.

Decorating weddings with $5 vases, filling them with homegrown flowers and surrounding the vases with $1 votive candles can make for simple and inexpensive centerpieces. Purchasing a gazebo or an arbor in their garden department will allow you to reuse it in your own backyard after it has been the centerpiece of your ceremony. You can also get multi-use out of other special décor like lanterns, firepits or outdoor furniture that help create a very chic and contemporary styled wedding.

Right now, when the Christmas department is just being set up, it’s a great time to look at white lights to swag on your head and cake tables (underneath tulle or iridescent material). Or purchase Christmas ornaments and pile them in a crystal bowl for an easy centerpiece anytime of the year.

Don’t forget the personal health and hygiene departments to make “Wedding Day Emergency Kits.” Band-Aids, Tums, Aspirins, mouthwash, hairspray, deodorant, nail repair kits, Kleenex and smelling salts are just a few of the items key to a good emergency kit. Add energy bars, nuts and bottled water from the grocery section and stain removers from the laundry supplies and your kit will begin to look like a pro made it.

If your schedule is crazy and feet are sore, do some of your shopping on-line at www.walmart.com. By creatively thinking outside the box – you can come up with a Wal-Mart Wedding that won’t break the bank but can still be a very special celebration with all the trimmings!

Image by: Emin Kuliyev, Emin Photography www.em34.com

As a Wedding Coordinator, probably the most common question I am asked is: “Will you tell me about the greatest wedding you’ve ever seen?” I think most people are expecting me to talk about the couture designed gowns and Waterford crystal favors – the limitless budget weddings. But the greatest wedding I’ve ever had the honor of experiencing, was Suzie and Bob’s wedding.

On Suzie and Bob’s wedding day, it rained and rained. In fact it was one of the worse floods in the history of their hometown. Suzie and Bob knew most of their 130 guests couldn’t get to the church (only 30 made it) and the caterer, photographer and DJ had all called saying it would take a miracle for them to get to their wedding site (none were able to). But Suzie and Bob decided to go ahead with their evening wedding.

The thirty guests, minister and groom waited for two hours before Suzie’s Limo arrived. Knowing where Suzie came from, I still believe her Chauffeur had to be Noah to get her there. When Suzie hurriedly got out of the car, a bicyclist rode by and sprayed a muddy mist all over her wedding dress. Personally I am amazed my heart stayed in my chest when I saw this happen. I couldn’t imagine how Suzie could still be standing. As Suzie walked toward me I thought to myself, how am I ever going to get this mud off and not ruin this dress? Out loud I said, “Suzie, let’s go into the bathroom and you can dry your hair and touch up your make-up while I clean up your dress.” Suzie took my hands and smiled, “I’ve waited three years to marry this man, I’m not waiting a minute longer.”

Suzie proceeded to the double door entrance of the sanctuary and yelled “Dad, come and get me!” Everyone clapped when they heard Suzie’s voice. Her Dad came quickly down the aisle as the bridesmaids, groomsmen, minister and groom went and stood on the altar. With no music, nor wedding party processional, Suzie, escorted by her dad, walked up the aisle, muddied dress and all. When she got to the very first aisle that had any guests in it, Suzie looked around at all her guests and said “you made it, I can’t believe you all made it, thank you so much!” Tears started to roll, but then we all “lost it” when Suzie got the first glimpse of her soon-to-be husband. She looked at Bob and then turned to her guests and said “I am the luckiest woman in the whole wide world!”

Suzie is the most amazing bride I’ve ever had the honor to meet and experience. She got it. She knew it wasn’t about the dress, the photographer, the DJ, and yes, not even about the fabulous wedding coordinator. Suzie knew that a wedding is about having the people you love surround you when you get to marry the person you will be honored to call your husband or wife. Bring this wisdom to your wedding day, and you will create a moment that you and your guests will never forget.

I wish you all true celebrations of love

P.S. Many years later, Suzie and Bob have three kids. When they talk about their wedding, they say it was the most beautiful day in their lives.

Do you have a story about a Bride who filled the room with joy? Please share!