Kristen and Miguel: Fabulous Kiss!
Weddings have traditions, superstitions, and are guided by social etiquette, but they don't necessarily have to have hard and fast rules. In a typical wedding, the officiant stands facing the guests while the bride and groom face one another in front of the officiant. If the bride's parents sit in the front row on "her" side and the groom's parents are on the other side of the aisle on "his" side, they may very well have a spectacular view of....the back of their child's head. Consider swapping the parents' positions so they can see their own child's face throughout the ceremony.
In a similar vein, don't worry about "bride's side / groom's side" for your guests, seat them anywhere. I often encounter situations, like my own wedding, where one side would have tipped over the room if it were a boat. Very strange to see 75 people on one side and 25 on the other. And what do you do with the guests who are friends of both the bride and the groom? Their indecision can stymie an usher. Just sit down and let's get on with it.
It's usually a piece of cake to take a ring on and off your own hand, but placing one on someone else's hand isn't always a smooth endeavor. Combine stiff fingers, nervous tremors and sweaty palms and you have a recipe for comedy. I've been tempted on a number of occasions to change one of the popular ring exchanges and instruct a bride or groom to repeat after me, "as I jam this ring on your finger, I pledge my life to yours." Please, no broken knuckles for the honeymoon! It's perfectly okay to pull your hand back and finish placing the ring properly on your own hand. Or, you can do something quick and easy that makes for a smooth ring exchange. Right before the ceremony begins, apply chapstick to your ring knuckle. Hand lotion won't last until the ring exchange and vaseline will be on your knuckle until well after you throw the bouquet and toss the garter. A little chapstick and that beautiful band of gold will slide right on.
Rehearse the kiss. Seriously! Make sure the groom doesn't have a habit of putting his arm around the bride's face and shoulders on the side that will block the guests' view and the photographer's line of sight. If you have to restage a moment in the ceremony for the photographer, the resulting pictures look restaged. By the way, I now step to the side as I announce the couple husband and wife so the kiss shot doesn't have my red head in the background. That just doesn't seem right.
That's all I've got for a lazy Thursday morning. Happy Wedding Planning!
Photo Attribute: Indica Woodruff Photography (I had the honor of officiating Kristen and Miguel's wedding ceremony.)
In a similar vein, don't worry about "bride's side / groom's side" for your guests, seat them anywhere. I often encounter situations, like my own wedding, where one side would have tipped over the room if it were a boat. Very strange to see 75 people on one side and 25 on the other. And what do you do with the guests who are friends of both the bride and the groom? Their indecision can stymie an usher. Just sit down and let's get on with it.
It's usually a piece of cake to take a ring on and off your own hand, but placing one on someone else's hand isn't always a smooth endeavor. Combine stiff fingers, nervous tremors and sweaty palms and you have a recipe for comedy. I've been tempted on a number of occasions to change one of the popular ring exchanges and instruct a bride or groom to repeat after me, "as I jam this ring on your finger, I pledge my life to yours." Please, no broken knuckles for the honeymoon! It's perfectly okay to pull your hand back and finish placing the ring properly on your own hand. Or, you can do something quick and easy that makes for a smooth ring exchange. Right before the ceremony begins, apply chapstick to your ring knuckle. Hand lotion won't last until the ring exchange and vaseline will be on your knuckle until well after you throw the bouquet and toss the garter. A little chapstick and that beautiful band of gold will slide right on.
Rehearse the kiss. Seriously! Make sure the groom doesn't have a habit of putting his arm around the bride's face and shoulders on the side that will block the guests' view and the photographer's line of sight. If you have to restage a moment in the ceremony for the photographer, the resulting pictures look restaged. By the way, I now step to the side as I announce the couple husband and wife so the kiss shot doesn't have my red head in the background. That just doesn't seem right.
That's all I've got for a lazy Thursday morning. Happy Wedding Planning!
Photo Attribute: Indica Woodruff Photography (I had the honor of officiating Kristen and Miguel's wedding ceremony.)
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