Setting Boundaries During Wedding Planning
In all the months leading up to your wedding, you will have a roller coaster
Summer Jean Photography
of emotions. Some will be wedding highs! You found your perfect dress and it was 20% off, your favorite DJ was available the day of your wedding, everything fell into place at your venue…all good things! But unfortunately, you will inevitably have some lows too. Your favorite, most perfect stationary blows the budget by, well…a lot, none of your top preferred photographers are available, you’ve seen so many shades of blush and cream you want to change your whole color palette just so you never need to see those colors again. How can you make the madness stop? Well, the short answer is, you can’t. Until you say, “I do,” and run through your sparkler send-off none of this will go away. Doesn’t that sound fun?! No? Okay, well in the meantime, here are some ways you can cope:
Beating the Post-Wedding Blues
First comes love, then comes marriage, and then…what? After months (or sometimes years!) planning and dreaming up the perfect wedding day, some couples (but girls I’m talking to you here) can feel some post wedding blues. Why does this happen? Is it normal? Are you crazy for feeling this way? Is your newfound relationship doomed?! What can be done to fix it?!?
Okay, okay…deep breaths. In….and out…..once more….okay is your breathing back to normal or at least you’ve stopped hyperventilating? Good. So post wedding blues are VERY normal and common. It’s science. Almost 10% of women experience some form of depression during their first year of marriage. Two researchers, Allison Scott and Laura Stafford looked into this more and found that women ranged from being bored, but happy to blue and depressed. It seemed to be the trend that the happy brides felt their wedding marked a new chapter in their lives and the blue brides saw their wedding as the end goal. Is one view more right than another view? No! These feelings do not mean your relationship is doomed from the start. You’ve spent a lot of time and energy on planning on the details to arguably the biggest party you’re going to throw. Feelings of boredom and sadness once that is over are inevitable. And admit it, a small part of you is going to miss that spotlight and friends and family wanting to talk about shades of blush or the best canapes to serve during cocktail hour. But when the last bottle of bubbly has popped and the last sparkler has sparkled, what things can you do after the wedding to keep the Eeyore feelings at bay?
Wedding Transportation
Limos, trolleys, and party busses oh my! These days there are more options than just a stretch limo for transporting the bridal party from point A to point B. Now it’s a growing trend to provide transportation not just for the bridal party for pictures, but for the guests as well. This blog will talk about the pros and cons of providing transportation and some tips to keep in mind when booking your wheels for your big day.
Pros:
- If you have a lot of guests at one hotel, or have room blocks at a couple places, it helps guarantee guests getting to the ceremony and reception on time.
- If guests are from out-of-town or not as familiar with the area, it cuts down on people getting lost and driving around aimlessly.
- Providing transportation cuts down on the number of parking spaces required at a venue. (Shadowland has roughly 80 available spots so for larger parties, transportation around the area helps with the flow of traffic)
- There is less worry about guests over-indulging in drinks and then driving afterwards
- Depending on the type of transportation you go with, there could be some great photo
opportunities with the vehicle - Using it to tote you and your bridal party around helps keep everyone together and arriving at the same time, which will help stay on your wedding timeline for the day.
Cons (but really more like just things to think about while coordinating transportation):
Erica and Kyle 5.24.15
Kyle Decker and Erica (Weidner) Decker wed Sunday May 24, 2015 at Dunes Pavilion on Silver Beach with reception at Shadowland Ballroom. Their story all started on a wintery December night in Angola, IN; where they happened to meet when they were out with mutual friends listening to live music. After talking and dancing a bit, they decided to stay in touch. As multiple days passed, talking, texting, and chatting on Facebook were frequent, but it was a little over a month before they were able to have our first date. The rest as they say is history.
Candles Do’s and Don’ts
A lot of our couples have questions about the use of candles in the ballroom. Follow these simple do’s and don’ts when mapping out your décor for the big day:
Do:
Use real flame
It looks absolutely beautiful in the ballroom to dim the lights and rely on candle light to light the room later in the evening.
Contain them!
Having wax drip on linens, the floor, and walls is a big no-no. While we love candles, we love them being contained in some sort of vessel more.
Put them in the windows in the sunset room
Take Care of Your Man!
Okay, so speaking completely stereotypically, there is this idea floating out in the world that girls start planning their wedding when they are about…oh…8 years old. It’s assumed and accepted the bride will do the bulk of the planning for the festivities of the wedding. But, it’s not just about HER (I’m so sorry to anyone who thinks that), but the only reason she gets to be planning a wedding is because she has a HIM. Ladies don’t forget about your man! In 2013 David’s Bridal did a survey that found that 83% of grooms are actively involved in the decision making process of planning the nuptials. Guys want to have their ideas heard; don’t forget, this is most likely the most important day of their lives so far too. But, whether or not you guy wants to be involved or is perfectly dandy taking a step back and letting you do your thing, here are 5 ideas you can do to make sure your groom feels super-extra special when he says, “I do.”
Trick or Treat: Is a Halloween Wedding for You?
Have you considered having your wedding on Halloween? Does having Halloween nuptials mean you have to dress up? Well, unless you are looking to have a mid-week Halloween wedding, the next time this ghoulish holiday falls on a Saturday is 2020. So for those of you planning ahead, here are some tips for those brides who don’t necessarily want to dress up as anything other than a bride on your wedding day.
Incorporate Orange and Black
White linen or orange and black accents, black linen with orange accents, you could even do orange linen with black and white accents if you wanted to rent specialty linen…while orange and black are traditionally considered Halloween colors, they are both pretty standard fall colors too. And all combinations look stunning in the ballroom.
Shaken, Stirred, The Choice is Yours!
In the world of cocktails there is an endless variety of news liqueurs, mixers, and ideas that create new potions of deliciousness. It’s not just standard faire gin and tonics or margaritas on the rocks with salt anymore. Nowadays there are vodkas infused with flavors like bacon, grass, fruit loops, and so many more. The sky’s the limit for what recipes people are coming up with to tantalize the taste buds. In the wedding world, signature cocktails are quickly gaining popularity and a super easy and fun way for couples to add their own personal stamp on cocktail hour. Cheyenne and I love, love, love anything food and beverage related and getting creative with cocktail options. Here are some of our favorite signature cocktails we’ve seen so far…but keep the creative juices flowing! We are constantly looking for new ideas and inspirations!
Top Five: Fall 2014
The fall wedding season is being pushed aside by the upcoming winter weather, but that doesn’t mean our fall weddings were anything to scoff about! From embracing the cooling temperatures to warming the Ballroom with autumn’s colors, Shadowland was blessed with new ideas and inspiration. Here are our top five favorite concepts that took place in the Ballroom this past season:
1. Indoor Ceremonies
Shadowland’s Sunset Room offers a beautiful backdrop for a wedding ceremony. With the temperature dropping and chances of rain increasing, couples took to the Ballroom for their entire wedding celebration. Cocktail hour and hors d’oeuvre are usually served in the Boardwalk as guests socialize or take a Carousel ride as the Ballroom shifts from ceremony to reception.
Top Ten: Summer 2014
The wedding season has been in full swing here at the Shadowland Ballroom. With over thirty beautiful weddings completed this summer, we saw a lot of new and inspiring ideas pass through our walls and want to share them with you! Here are ten of our top favorite ideas which took place in the Ballroom this past season:
1. Unique Table Numbers
From bride+groom photographs to open seating, table numbers are no longer 1, 2, 3. Our bride from the wedding shown below is an English teach and decided to letter the tables rather than number — how awesome!
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