Assigned Seating

Audra Bechtel June 28, 2017

Photo by Cory + Jackie. Styling and planning by Stellaluna Events.

One question that we often get is whether or not clients should do assigned seating. Our answer is always yes! As with most decisions when it comes to wedding planning, we acknowledge that it's a personal and if you opt not to, that's fine too. We know that assigned seating creates a bit more work for you ahead of the wedding, but it's definitely worth it. This is one of those last minute details that must get done as you often don't know your final RSVP count until about a month before the big day, but not one to overlook.

So, why do assigned seating? We often hear from guests that it's comforting to know that there is a certain spot for them to sit. This is especially true to guests who might now know that many people at the wedding and finding their own seats can be overwhelming and quite frankly, awkward. The other thing that we've seen happen is that, inevitably, not every table gets filled to capacity so there might be 1 empty seat at every table, and then a family of 5 comes in and we either have to set up an extra table for them to sit at (so awkward!) or the family has to split up between tables. We've seen both of these scenarios happen quite often, and trust us, it is not ideal. Plus, how cute are all of these seating displays?!

Again, we know that creating a seating assignment can be a daunting task, but it definitely pays off in the end and your guests (and catering staff!) will thank you. So, grab a glass of wine with your fiance and make it as fun as you can!

First Look

Audra Bechtel June 14, 2017

While we understand that waiting to see your bride and/or groom until the ceremony is tradition, we can't stress enough how great a first look can be! We understand that this is a personal choice, but there are so many benefits to a first look. We’ve often heard couples comment on how meaningful it was to have a moment that was just theirs and how this allowed their true emotions to show. Trust us, it’ll still be magical when you walk down the aisle no matter how many times you see each other beforehand.

As stated above, doing a first look has many benefits:

It can ease pre-wedding jitters, couples often don’t feel quite as nervous before the ceremony as not seeing each other can add a great deal of pressure.
It is a special, intimate moment between you and your fiancé. A first look will allow your true emotions to show as there’s no pressure of an audience watching.
It will allow you to take all of your pictures before the ceremony, meaning that you don’t have to miss out on your reception due to taking pictures. The biggest complaint we hear from guests is that they often have to wait over an hour after the ceremony while the couple is off taking their pictures. You have put so much time and effort into the day, spend as much time as possible with your guests and at the party. You are missing out on a lot of valuable time by spending so much time taking pictures after the ceremony.
You will be able to spend even more time with your soon-to-be-spouse on your wedding day. The day is all about you and it goes by in the blink of an eye, why not make the most of the day and spend those extra few hours together.
The pictures are amazing!
You will have more time to get the pictures that you want. When couples wait to take all of their pictures after the ceremony, they are often stressed and strapped for time and find that they don’t have nearly as much time as they’d hope. Taking all of your pictures before the ceremony will allow for a much more relaxed reception and often better pictures.

Hear it from Eleny, a Bread & Chocolate bride who was married in April 2015: “My advice for a first look would be to keep it private. We decided to have our photographer and videographer capture the moment, but we didn't want anyone else there. We wanted it to be a time between us where we could just be ourselves and have a private moment before the day got even crazier. By having a first look, we were able to spend a few minutes with one another which would have been difficult after the ceremony. We also were able to get pictures done before the ceremony to allow us to spend more time with our guests at our reception! Some say it ruins the moment of walking down the aisle, but we both still got emotional when I walked down.” Check out Kyle's super sweet reaction to seeing his bride for the first time...

So sweet! Photo by Josef Samuel Photography.

We’ve often heard that no matter how many times you see each other before the wedding, it’s still a special moment to see each other for the first time during the ceremony. We know that it is a personal choice whether or not to do a first look; however, we highly recommend doing a first look. We haven’t had a couple regret doing it!

Addressing Invitations

Audra Bechtel June 7, 2017

Welcome to the last post in our invitations series! We’ve already been over the timeline on when to send out save-the-dates and invitations so now it’s time to talk a bit about invitations and etiquette when it comes to addressing them.

There are so many ways to address wedding invitations and it all depends on how traditional or formal you’d like to be. You can use just the first and last names or you could use Mr. and Mrs. - just depending on your style. The other complicated part of addressing invitation is knowing how to address to widows, non-married couples and guests with titles (such as Dr.).

When it comes to all of the different ways an invtation can be addressed, we found this article on Wedding Paper Divas to be especially helpful. There is also a form on the bottom that you can fill out and it will help you generate exactly what the invitation should read.

We hope you have found this series to be helpful when it comes to invitations!

Bread & Chocolate - Venue & Catering

Indiana Wedding and Event Venue and Caterer