We Are Here To Help
Weddings are one of the most important events in a couple’s life. Unfortunately, planning a wedding can become a stressful endeavor! The Grecian Center is here to help alleviate that stress.
Planning the details of your wedding should be as exciting as the wedding itself. The Grecian Center can provide you with tools to organize the big picture. We provide you with advice on how to designate responsibility for wedding costs, create a wedding budget that fits your needs, and a detailed timeline for planning certain aspects of your special day.
The Grecian Center also offers helpful information when dealing with the fine details. We realize the fine details are what make an event even more memorable. We offer suggestions on building a bridal registry list, addressing important details about wedding etiquette, and selecting the best entertainment for your reception.
Please feel free to view and print out any of our planning information below. Contact us if you have additional questions about planning your special event!
Who pays for what?
The answer to who takes on the financial responsibility for the wedding is not as clear as it once was. The bride’s parents are no longer expected to carry the brunt of the expense.
The bride and groom and both sets of parents should set up a meeting to discuss the upcoming plans and how payment should be distributed.
Below is a list of how financial obligations have traditionally been paid.
Groom’s wedding gift
Wedding gown, veil, & accessories
Trousseau
Flowers (ceremony, reception, and bouquets for attendants)
Photographs
Video
Reception
Church/Chapel rental fee
Ceremony musicians/soloist
Bridal party transportation to ceremony & reception
Invitations/postage
Lodging for out-of-town attendants
Ceremony rentals (aisle runner, candle holders, etc.)
Bride’s attendants’ gifts
Bride’s wedding gift
Premarital class
Marriage License
Flowers (bride’s bouquet, mothers’ corsages & boutonnieres for men)
Gloves & ascots/ties for men (if not included in rental fee)
Lodging for out-of-town attendants
Clergy Fee
Alcohol/Champagne
Groom’s attendants’ gifts
Honeymoon
Rehearsal dinner (optional)
Your wedding budget
Difficult as it may seem, it is very important to establish a budget for your wedding, regardless of whether you or someone else is paying for it. Keeping track of expenses makes it easier on everyone and serves as a ready reference. Click here for a budget that includes all the key elements for today’s wedding.
When to do what
- Reserve a date with Grecian Center
- Announcement of engagement; set date
- Bride’s and groom’s families plan meeting to discuss plans and financial responsibilities
- Budget discussion with groom and both sets of parents
- Reservation of church, reception site and officiator. Weddings are big business. Many reception venues require a year’s notice; some require more than that.
- Decide on bridal party; invite them to be in your wedding
- If using a bridal consultant, plan a meeting
- Shop for gown and schedule fittings
- Shop for bridesmaids’ attire
- Sign as many contract as possible (florist, caterer, banquet hall, photographer)
- Schedule Details Appointment and Tasting at Grecian Center
- Compile guest list with both mothers; get addresses for all
- Determine if religious premarital counseling is required
- Order wedding cake
- Discuss ceremony details with officiator
- Order invitations and other stationery needs
- Decided on music (live band, DJ, etc.) and discuss music selections
- Plan honeymoon and make reservations
- Offer to help groom’s family with rehearsal dinner details
- Order wedding band; have them engraved
- Start a wedding registry to keep track of gifts and names and addresses
- Marriage license requirement vary from state to state. Check on the laws in your state and gather any required legal documents.
- Address invitations and announcements
- Determine local accommodations for out of town guests. Acquire maps with directions to ceremony and reception; put in invitations
- Speak with hotel about having a hospitality room after the reception. This is especially helpful if the reception is in the same facility.
- Accompany fiancé to formalwear retailer to select groom’s and groomsmen’s attire.
- Buy gifts for bridesmaids.
- Friends and family members who are not part of the bridal part can participate in your wedding in a more personal way by doing readings, lighting candles, greeting people at the reception, etc. Decide whom to use and how; confirm with them.
- Investigate the possibility of providing babysitting services over the wedding weekend. This is an unusual but welcome extra that would be appreciated by young parents.
- Finalize menu with caterer
- Schedule rehearsal time
- Compile wedding “extras”, such as ring pillow, favors, guest book, and the traditional “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”.
- Hire limousines or other modes of transportation from the ceremony to the reception location
- Mail invitations
- As wedding gifts arrive, send thank you notes
- If you’re having programs for your ceremony, have them printed now
- Bride-to-be and groom-to-be, select gifts for one another
- Discuss a will, life insurance, health insurance, and other legalities with your fiancé
- Work with bakery to prepare a surprise cake for your groom for the rehearsal dinner or the reception
- Send wedding announcement to local newspaper
- Decided on a hairstyle that will look good with your headpiece. Determine your makeup and who will apply it.
- If you are going to have a “welcome” bag in the hotel rooms of out of town guests, purchase the items and put them together
- Some couples take a few dance lessons prior to the wedding
- Provide Grecian Center with final number of guests
- Touch base with bakery, photographer, musicians, and florist
- Pick up gown or have it delivered
- Confirm honeymoon travel; pack
- Have a briefing with your bridesmaids, making sure they understand the schedule for the entire weekend and what is expected of them
- Touch base with groom’s family to finalize details of rehearsal dinner
- With your fiancé, write as many thank you notes as possible before the wedding
- Pick up marriage license with your fiancé
- Arrange to have your hair done, if using a professional hair stylist
- Have an emergency kit on hand containing aspirin, nail polish, extra hose, needle and thread, etc.
- Deliver gift bags to hotel to be put in guests’ rooms
- Greet all out of town guests at hotel or have someone pick them up at the airport
- Attend the bridesmaids’ luncheon, if there is one
- This is a day for self-indulgence: massage, facial, manicure, pedicure
- Pack what you will need to bring to the church
- Attend rehearsal dinner
- Time for romance! Save some quiet time to exchange wedding gifts
- On your personal stationary, send a sincere thank you note to both sets of parents
- Ask a friend or bridesmaid to mail the wedding announcement
Bridal Registry Basics
Make a list of things that you and your fiancé already own that do not need to be replace. Browse through catalogs together, noting what you like and what he likes. If he’s willing, visit stores together, paying attention to colors and styles that both of you like (If he’s not interested in browsing with you, go alone!). Next, discuss the type of entertaining that you both like to do. Is it casual buffets on snack tables and backyard barbecues or more formal, sit-down affairs? Now it’s time to make an appointment with a registry consultant. Try to go when the store isn’t crowded and you’re not in a hurry.
Meet with the salesperson who will not only help you coordinate patterns but will also make sure the number of items on your gift list matches the number of guests you’re planning to invite to the wedding. Many stores will keep track of what you select electronically, enabling them to print out a list once you’re done. The consultant should also make sure that the items you select cover all price ranges, beginning as low as $25 or $30. Make sure you register at only one store; that way you will avoid gift duplication.
Tableware
Additional (optional) pieces might include:
Informal, casual dinnerware:
Flatware Think carefully about whether or not you want sterling silver flatware. It’s very costly and probably not something you would use every day. Be sure to register for as many settings of flatware as you have tableware:
Additional, optional pieces:
Stemware You should register for at least the same number of glasses as you have place setting of china, but ideally, you should have more than that for parties. The basics would include:
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Pots and Pans
When selecting these important kitchen items, pay attention to quality. Some may be very inexpensive but they often don’t distribute the heat evenly. Many stores carry boxes sets of pots and pans that may include other kitchen basics, but the minimum to register for should include:
Basic small appliances:
Cutlery
Bed/bath linens
Miscellaneous Items
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Choosing the right music
Your choice of music is very important when setting the tone for the reception. Whether it is a live band or a disc jockey, it will be one of the most important decisions you’ll have to make when planning. Out of all of the elements that go into a reception, people will judge the success of your reception based on the entertainment you provide. But how do you go about it? Ideally, if you’ve attended a recent wedding reception where you personally observed a good disc jockey or band, your decision would be easy. However, this often is not the case. Ask family and friends who they have used. Ask the manager of the venue that’s hosting your reception who they recommend. Banquet facilities see all types of bands and disc jockeys every weekend; they know who the good ones are.
Know that most DJ companies employ many disc jockeys with varying degrees of ability and specialization.
We suggest you ask how many years of weddings the band or disc jockey has experience with. Ask them for samples of their music selections. Although many Bands and DJ companies offer videos, these can be very difficult to judge how good they truly are once they are edited. They may also suggest or ask you to “crash” an actual wedding reception to see them; a very poor practice.
The best way to judge a prospective band or disc jockey is to arrange a personal face-to-face meeting with them in their studio. This will allow you to determine if you’ll be comfortable with them and to get a feel for their personality. You will be able to assess their appearance, speaking ability, music IQ, and reception knowledge. You’ll also be able to judge the quality of the sound system and preview any light show. In addition to the live preview, ask the companies for 5-7 references of past clients who have used them specifically. Call the references and ask about the quality of their performance.
Overall, any band or DJ company should provide you with a Reception Planner or checklist so you can choose the events you want to occur at your reception. They should also provide you with a music play list so you can select the songs you want played and they should accept music requests from your guests that night to help you “read the crowd.”
Lastly, a contract should be used so that everything is agreed to in writing.
