Swizzle Events Blog

Baby It's Hot Outside! Keep Things Cool at your Outdoor Wedding

Southern weddings are beautiful.  Southern weddings in June are just plain hot (and humid)!  And, if you're planning to wed outdoors you need to be prepared.  Here's a quick list of little things that can make a big difference to your guests.  Help them keep cool with the following:

1. Spread the word.  You need to tell your guests ahead of time that the ceremony will be outdoors.  Include a line in your invitation or on the response card.  Then, they can dress appropriately and leave that suit jacket or stiletto's at home.
2. Have mercy.  For comfort, you should have mercy on your bridal party and family by planning a more casual style wedding.  Don't expect your guys to stand in 90-degree weather wearing a full tuxedo.  Think light colors and light-weight fabrics.  Your bridesmaids will be much more comfortable in a flowing, knee-length dress.  Nothing heavy, constricting or long!
3. Timing is everything.  Plan your ceremony to start in the evening when the temps are going down. 
4. Hydrate!  Provide small bottles of water for your guests at the ceremony. Yes, the ceremony!  Place a few beverage tubs with ice and bottled water at the entrance to your ceremony location and let folks help themselves.  You can dress up the bottles with custom labels to match your style.
5. Get rid of the pests.  Some folks can stand in the middle of a field and never get a bug bite.  Others (me included), end up with itchy, red welts within seconds of being outside.  Place a small basket with bottles of bug repellent spray near the entrance to your ceremony and reception.  The guests who need it will thank you!
6. Easy Breezy.  Let your program do double duty and print it on a paddle fan.  Your guests will appreciate a gentle breeze as they watch you say "I Do".  Here are a few links for some beautiful fans that can be customized for your wedding.

You can find these unique little beauties at RememberMeEmily on etsy.com.

What a fabulous rendition of the peacock fan!  Find your's at Harmony Design.

Wedding Planners & Other Vendors: You Get What You Pay For

Lately, I've seen a recurring discussion in the wedding blogosphere.  In a nutshell, wedding vendors are meeting with more and more budget-savvy brides who have done their "research" and are expecting discounts and reduced fees because of "this economy".  While this, in itself, is not a problem, it does present a challenge when you are asked to cut your fee without cutting back on the services offered for that fee.  Oh yes, it's true.  A client comes in with the platinum wedding in mind but wants to pay the lowest package price.  No, don't take out any services.  They want the whole enchilada.  They just don't want to pay for it.  Why?  Because someone down the street will do it cheaper than you do.  My response to this?  Be careful because you will ultimately get what you pay for.

I could go on and on, but instead I'd like to share a great post with you from Sasha Souza over at  Sparkliatti.  She discusses this issue so eloquently, there's really no need to reinvent the wheel.  Go on, take a look.  I promise you'll take away a few nuggets that will help you talk to and hire your vendors.  She's gives you a great visual illustration that will cause a dawn of understanding.  Click here for the full post.

Photo: Sparkliatti

Nashville Wedding Planning: Love Prevails through the Flood, Part II

Well, are you ready to hear the ending to this wedding story?  Let's see.  At last count, we have a few guests trickling in to the reception venue, the ceremony has been postponed, a modified reception is about to begin, and the groom is Missing in Action. 

Word had spread fairly quickly to the guests that the ceremony was postponed, so few of them actually showed up at the ceremony site.  Those that did were redirected to the reception.  The bride was still at the hotel trying to find her groom and their families were now hanging out with me at the reception.  Well, except for the groom's father and a few groomsmen.  They went to the chapel for a little photo session.  (I guess it seemed like a good way to kill time since they were all dressed up.)

Jeff, the ever-resourceful venue manager at Houston Station, finally found an officiant that was willing to brave the elements and conduct a ceremony.  The only catch, she needed to help a stranded friend before she could head our way.  This could take a few hours, but hey, it was better than nothing.  Now, we just needed the bride and groom to give us the green light.  Would they still want to get married on this soggy day or wait until they could have their dream ceremony at the beautiful Scarritt-Bennett?  We wouldn't have an answer until the groom was found. 

Sometime around 1:00 or 1:30-ish our prayers were answered!  The groom and a trusty groomsman showed up safe and sound!  Yay!  They actually risked life and limb to leave their subdivision and return to the wedding.  Trust me, the photos of the flooded road they drove through made my heart stop.  But there was no time for a tongue-lashing.  He needed to talk to the bride and put her fears to rest.  Together, they would decide whether or not to go through with their marriage plans.

They weighed the pros and cons of postponement.  The families gave their two-cents.  And.... drumroll please!  The answer was yes!  If the officiant could make it to the reception, they would say their vows and exchange their rings on this extraordinary day.

Now on to the photos.  Remember that renegade photographer I mentioned?  He was still at the chapel.  So the families, the bridal party and the bride and groom all convened for wedding photos before coming to the reception.  I mean, why not?  We had some time to kill and everyone looked so dapper.  Finally, I got the call that they were on their way to Houston Station.  Let the reception begin! 

Yes, we had the reception before the ceremony.  Since our original wedding plan was long gone, we just decided to throw convention to the wind.  We had about 35 guests (including the wedding party) so the celebration began.  Drinks were poured, food was served and coffee was brewed.  And finally, the bridal party arrived.  This is where the fun begins.  Did I mention that the bride and groom are professional ballroom dancers?  Oh yes.  For their grand entrance, they choreographed a special number with the entire bridal party.  So now we have dancing! It's a bonafide party now!  And lucky for you, we have a video clip to share.  (Just remember, I'm a planner not a videographer.)

Happy days are here again!  It's 3:00 p.m. and we get a call from Belinda Leslie (the fill-in officiant) that she found her stranded friend (whew, what a relief) and would be with us in an hour.  (At this point, we still had not made contact with the original officiant and I was growing increasingly worried.  Thankfully, his call finally came through and he was stranded at home.  I was so glad that he had not gotten stranded en route to the ceremony.)

Speaking of the ceremony!  Belinda arrived, and we spent a few minutes (literally) going over a ceremony plan.  The venue staff put together a little vignette on the dance floor, and I got the bridal party prepped and ready to go.  Remember how we don't have any musicians?  Right.  Can I just say I love all you iPhone addicts?  Thanks to technology, we came up with a couple of songs for the processional and recessional and the wedding began.  Vows were spoken, rings were exchanged and true love declared.  

We finished out the evening with the traditional cake cutting, toasts and first dance.  So I guess you could say that it all ended as planned. 

Well, except for that bittersweet ending I mentioned.  Later that night, I got a call from the bride.  Their beautiful new home in Bellevue was full of water.  Instead of spending the next two weeks on a warm sandy beach, they would be cleaning and gutting their new house. 

This sweet couple remained strong through it all. They took their vows to heart -- "For better or worse" they will survive.  No, they will do better than that.  They will prosper and love will prevail.  Congratulations Alex & Johnny!

Special Thanks to all who went the extra mile for this wedding:

Hether & April - my talented and hard-working assistants

Scott Davis - Notable Blends, for putting together our sound system and serving up the BEST coffee delights in Nashville
Houston Station - Jeff & his staff who went above and beyond to make it all work

J&M Corporate Catering - Rick & his excellent staff who came out in the midst of the storm

Belinda Leslie - you saved the day! Thank you for officiating!

Ryan Kenner & Uncle David- photographers extraordinaire!

Nashville Event Lighting - Misty who set up in torrential rain and never stopped smiling

Music City Tents - for delivering in the downpour and setting up with a smile

Dai-Mic & Heather for making it through the flood waters to serve the libations

Sweet Mrs. Johnson - thank you for braving the weather to deliver a delicious wedding cake